诺曼-怀特塞德：英雄年少
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Norman Whiteside: World beater at 17, retired by 26&Written by Matt Gault“He had self-assurance that was remarkable in a 21-year-old. The excellence of his technique was an island of composure, looking up and unhurriedly making his decisions. He rarely surrendered possession and increased the angle and weight of his passes so well that the receiver never had to fight the ball. His eyes were as cold as steel and he displayed the temperament to match. As a player he was close to the genius category.” Sir Alex Ferguson年仅21岁的他有着与年龄不符的自信和娴熟的球技。他洞察着场上的局势，沉稳的思考，并做出最佳判断。他拼劲十足，不轻易言弃。他的传球角度和力度总是恰到好处，己方球员从不用为接球而奋力拼抢。他气场十足，目光尖锐。作为一个球员，他离天才仅有一步之遥。--阿列克斯-弗格森****Norman Whiteside never shied away from the big occasion. At 16, he became the youngest player to ever step out for Manchester United, while at 17 years and 41 days C still not legally able to purchase drink from his local off licence on the Shankill Road in Belfast C he displaced none other than Pelé as the youngest footballer in World Cup history.诺曼-怀特塞德从来不怵大场面。在16岁的时候就成了为曼联出战最年轻的球员，而在17岁41天的时候更是打破了球王贝利所保持的世界杯最年轻出场纪录。在这个年纪，他甚至还不能在家乡贝尔法斯特（Belfast）位于Shankill Road上的酒店里购买酒精饮品。Whiteside was a case study in physical trauma, as his promising career was cut short, cruelly, by severe injuries to his knee and achilles that simply took their toll on his body. At 16, Whiteside became a superstar at one of the biggest clubs in the world, but just a decade later, he was holding back the tears as he announced his premature retirement from professional football. Hanging up his boots in his mid-20s after a sparkling career, Whiteside entered the reluctant club of football’s fleeting fraternity, joining his compatriot&&as a footballer of immense natural ability, whose stay at the top was regrettably ephemeral.怀特塞德是被伤病击败的典型案例。他蒸蒸日上的职业生涯被膝盖和跟腱的重度损伤无情的拖累，终结。16岁的时候便成为当红球星，为世界劲旅效力；但仅仅10年后，他却强忍着泪水宣布自己从职业足球退役。在他光彩夺目的职业生涯结束后，20来岁便挂靴的怀特塞德成为了足球界流星俱乐部（略有补脑）的一员。同病相怜的还有同胞乔治-贝斯特（George Best），很遗憾，纵使他天赋秉异，他的巅峰期却也很短暂。Whiteside was born in Belfast on May 7, 1965, and grew up on the Shankill Road. On the streets of Belfast, Norman honed his skills from an early age and his development as a physical player, with a genuinely aggressive streak, earned him the nickname ‘Shankill Skinhead’. In the late-70s and early-80s, Whiteside deservedly earned a reputation as a rising star of Northern Irish football.日，怀特塞德在贝尔法斯特出生，在Shankill Road长大。小诺曼在当地的街头巷尾磨练球技，逐渐成长为一名踢法凶悍的球员。他接二连三的胜利也为自己赢得了绰号--“Shankill Skinhead”。在70年代末，80年代初，怀特塞德俨然已成为北爱尔兰足球界冉冉升起的新星。He continued to grind away in the unglamorous amateur leagues of Belfast until he was spotted by Bob Bishop, the legendary Manchester United scout responsible for bringing George Best and Sammy McIlroy to the Theatre of Dreams. A quiet, unassuming Ulsterman, Bishop was responsible C along with chief scout Joe Armstrong C for supplying Sir Matt Busby with a conveyor belt of exciting talent. Known affectionately as ‘The Bishop’, when he cast his keen eye over the imposing presence of Whiteside on the football pitch, he knew he was a star in the making. “Never mind my grandad, he was old enough to be my great-grandfather, but he had such a sparkle and a gift for communication with young footballers that it never felt as if you were dealing with an old man,” Whiteside later recalled of the scout.而他却一直在贝尔法斯特一个默默无闻的业余联赛浪费时间，直到曼联传奇球探鲍勃-毕晓普（Bob Bishop）所发现。要知道，毕晓普可是把乔治-贝斯特，萨米-麦克罗伊（Sammy Mcllroy）带入梦剧场的人啊。安静，谦虚的毕晓普和首席球探乔-阿姆斯特朗（Joe Armstrong)一道为马特-巴斯比爵士（Sir Matt Busby）源源不断的输送年轻有为的球星，因此他也被人尊称为“The Bishop”。当他的法眼看到球场上气势如虹的怀特塞德后，他便知道这是块明星料。“别说我爷爷，以他的年岁足以当我太爷爷了。但他过人的沟通技巧另年轻球员完全没有那种在和老年人谈话的感觉。”怀特塞德回忆道。While he was responsible for an endless stream of quality flowing into the United ranks, one of Bishop’s finest discoveries was Whiteside. Bishop later recalled how Whiteside impressed him in one trial match, when he was taken off after twenty minutes after scoring seven goals. Frankly, Bi Whiteside was exactly the gifted footballer he was instructed to find from his United employers.虽然被毕晓普发掘的实力派球员不计其数，但他最得意发现当属怀特塞德。毕晓普回忆了当时的情景，在一场预选赛中怀特塞德在20分钟内狂入7球。老实说，毕晓普不用继续观察了；怀特塞德正是他和曼联梦寐以求的天才。From leaving school at the age of 16, Whiteside suddenly found himself at one of world’s biggest football clubs, training with men nearly twice his age. A prospect enough to daunt most, Whiteside took it remarkably in his stride, quickly earning the admiration of his peers for his adaptability to the professional game. Before long, he became a household name, and a cult hero to the fans of the Stretford End, revered for his tremendous composure and poise in possession.16岁便离开学校的怀特塞德突然发现自己置身于世界上最牛逼的俱乐部之一，和一群年龄差不多是他两倍的人在一起训练。怀特赛德的表现另大家大吃一惊，他不但进步神速，而且很快的适应了职业比赛的强度，这也使得他在球员中赢得了赞许的目光。不久之后他就以沉着冷静的球风而远近闻名，在斯特雷福德被万众敬仰。Whiteside played football with his brain first, his eyes second C always seeming to know exactly what he wanted to do with the ball before it arrived at his feet. Dave Sexton signed the youngster but was sacked before he could watch his prodigy become a star. The injuries, unfortunately, were already starting to stack up for the Belfast native, though, as he underwent an operation on a cartilage in his knee at the beginning of his United journey.怀特塞德先思考，再观察。他总是在球到他脚下之前便知道自己打算怎么踢。戴夫-塞克斯顿（Dave Sexton）满怀欣喜的签下了他，却不幸在不久后被解雇，没能目睹他的神童进化为巨星。而无情的伤病却已然开始侵袭贝尔法斯特人，他在曼联生涯的初期便在膝盖软骨动过一次手术。Managing to overcome that setback, Whiteside was given his chance to shine in the reserves. Impressed immediately, Ron Atkinson C who succeeded Sexton C thrust him into the spotlight of first-team action. Just three days after playing in the youth cup final loss to Watford, Whiteside made his league debut for United, against Brighton, in April 1982, while he was still only 16. He played in one other game that season for United, scoring in his home debut against Stoke. Already, he was becoming a fans’ favourite, a young starlet ready to take on the world with a United team searching for supremacy over the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1980s.在克服了这次挫折后，怀特塞德迎来了在替补席上发光发热的机会。他很快便打动了塞克斯顿的继任者，罗恩-阿特金森（Ron Atkinson），他随后被提拔为首发。在青年杯被沃特福德（Watford）击败三天后，怀特塞德便在1982年4月迎来了曼联首秀，那时的他仅仅16岁。在另外一次主场比赛中他为曼联破门。他已然成为了球迷们的宠儿，一个要挑战整个世界的新星，成为了曼联试图干掉1980年代利物浦的利器。While tasting barely two hours of league football, Billy Bingham was convinced of Whiteside’s competence at such a level, and included him in his final 22-man squad for Northern Ireland’s trip to the&. Bingham had originally thought of bringing Whiteside to Spain with the purpose of gauging his progress in training. He wasn’t a guaranteed starter, but Bingham had the suspicion that Whiteside was going to make an impression.与此同时，比利-宾厄姆（Billy Bingham）深信怀特塞德已经适应了高强度比赛，将他收编入爱尔兰1982年世界杯22人大名单中。而他还只是个初尝大赛滋味，总上场时间还不到2小时的小伙子。宾厄姆最早是打算把他带到西班牙，看看他训练时的表现。怀特塞德可没有首发保证，但宾厄姆预感到他将会有所作为。His forecast turned out to be prophecy, as Whiteside was the outstanding player during Northern Ireland’s pre-tournament training camp in Brighton. In one particular practice game Whiteside produced a goal of stunning quality, curling it expertly around the massive hands of Pat Jennings, who told Bingham he was in shock of how the youngster had struck the ball. Delighted by the 17-year-old’s blossoming brilliance in training, Bingham had decided, before the national team left their training camp, that Whiteside was to be part of his starting line-up. It was a massive call to make, but it goes to show how much the youngster had flourished. Whiteside’s maturity astonished Bingham, who was beginning to see the fledgling member of the national team as crucial to Northern Irish success.宾厄姆的预言成真了。怀特塞德在布莱顿（Brighton）训练营期间表现出众。在一场训练赛里，他打入了一记高难度进球。球划过了一道完美的弧线，绕过帕特-詹宁斯（Pat Jennings）的巨手入网。后者告诉宾厄姆他被这个年轻人的脚法所震惊。这个17岁小伙子精彩的表现打动了宾厄姆，他在球队离开训练营前就决定把怀特塞德提拔为首发。这可不是个小决定，但这也从侧面反映出这个年轻人当时有多么牛逼。正茁壮成长的怀特塞德玲宾厄姆吃惊不已，他已然认定这只雏鸟会是北爱尔兰成功的关键。The ’82 World Cup, like it was for every Northern Ireland&player, was a wonderful experience, and an incalculable two-and-a-half weeks of education for Whiteside. Displacing&as the youngest player to ever appear at a World Cup was one thing, but Whiteside started all five of Northern Ireland’s games, as he and his compatriots became heroes back home for their courageous exploits in Spain.82年世界杯对每一位北爱尔兰球员来说都是一次难忘的经历，对怀特赛德来说更是一次长达2周半的学习机会。打破贝利保持的最年轻出场纪录时一回事，但更重要的是他在全部的5场比赛中都首发出场。当他们从西班牙凯旋而归时，祖国的人民将他们当成了英雄。Whiteside, as they say, put himself about in those matches, unmoved by the fact he was up against players of world-class pedigree like Michel Platini of France or Juanito of Spain. In fact, it was the latter who incurred the physical wrath of a fearless Whiteside, when he sent him crashing into the advertising boards during Northern Ireland’s unforgettable victory over the hosts at the Estadio Luís Casanova (now Mestalla) in Valencia. Although the&Green and White Army&were ultimately overpowered by a brilliant French side 4-1 and were eliminated, Whiteside had embraced his World Cup odyssey with open arms. He left for the World Cup a boy, and returned to United a man. A real footballing man.不管面对是法国的米歇尔-普拉蒂尼也好，西班牙的华尼托也罢，怀特赛德都丝毫不受影响。事实上，华尼托激发出了怀特塞德胡所畏惧的一面，他在战胜东道主的比赛中把华尼托撞到了场边的广告牌上。虽然白绿军被强大的法国队以4-1淘汰，但怀特塞德也在世界杯征程学到了宝贵的一课。离开时是个男孩，回到曼联时是个男人，一个真正的绿茵斗士。****Crunched by Liverpool rival Graeme Souness被利物浦宿敌格雷姆-索内斯（Graeme Souness)铲倒Scoring his first goal for Northern Ireland国家队第一颗进球In action for Manchester United为红魔而战Marked tightly by Alan Hansen被阿兰-汉森（Alan Hansen）贴身防守In action for Manchester United为曼联效力****During the 1982-83 season for United, Whiteside grew to become one of the most consistent performers for Atkinson’s men, forming a productive partnership in attack with Frank Stapleton. The duo, along with the leadership of Bryan Robson, got United off to a flying start that season. Whiteside picked up where he had left off before his travelling to the World Cup. His ability to drift past challenges seamlessly mixed with a devastating finish catapulted him to heroic status that season, continuing his excellent progress despite still not reaching the age of 18.在1982-83赛季，怀特塞德成长为阿特金森稳定的战士，和弗朗克-斯特普尔顿贡献着稳定的火力输出。这对二人组和布莱恩-罗布森（Bryan Robson）一道成为曼联赛季初大杀四方的功臣。怀特塞德无视任何障碍的能力和杀伤力巨大的终结能力使他成为了该赛季英雄般的人物。在曼联大放异彩的他此时此刻还不到18岁。Although Whiteside experienced something of a drought in the middle of the season, it was once again that knack for the big occasion that shone through. In what was an exceptional cup year for United, Whiteside proved to be the hero in the League Cup final at Wembley against Liverpool. With millions watching, Whiteside watched as Gordon McQueen floated a 60-yard pass from defence towards his totemic figure. Watched all the way by Alan Hansen C perhaps the best defender in Europe at the time C Whiteside controlled the ball effortlessly on chest, before dragging it round the Scottish centre-half, leaving him hopelessly in his wake. Keeping his balance and composure in typical fashion, Whiteside buried the ball into the bottom corner, beyond Bruce Grobbelaar.虽然怀特塞德在赛季中期表现有所下滑，但那股为大场面而生的气质还是冲破了阴霾。对曼联来说这是至关重要的杯赛年，而怀特塞德在温布利场上也证明自己是个英雄人物。在成千上万双眼睛的注视下，怀特塞德看着戈登-麦昆（Gordon McQueen）从后场传出一记横跨60码的长传。而当时欧洲最强悍的防守者阿兰-汉森正寸步不离的跟着怀特塞德，他用胸膛毫不费力的接到了球，随后绕过了绝望的苏格兰中卫。和往常一样保持着身体平衡和头脑冷静，怀特塞德把球送进了布鲁斯-格罗贝拉（Bruce Grobbelaar）守卫的球门底角。Whiteside claimed in a 1986 documentary about himself that he didn’t get nervous before games, that he would feel more nerves making a pot in a snooker game with his brother than stepping out for United in front of 100,000 people at Wembley. If it was the first time you heard Whiteside speak, his words would be disregarded as conceited, but watching him glide past Hansen in that final, it seems as though the forward was just being honest.怀特塞德在一个1986年的纪录片中表示自己在赛前不会紧张。相较与在10万人面前踏上温布利球场，他在跟哥哥的斯诺克比赛中会更紧张。你若从未跟怀特塞德见过面的话很可能觉得他太自负，但看着他在决赛过掉汉森后你可能就觉得这位前锋只是实话实说罢了。Thanks to the brilliance of Ronnie Whelan, Liverpool still managed to lift the League Cup on that fateful afternoon, but just three weeks later Whiteside had Wembley in h his beautiful volley in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal put United into their second final in the space of a month. While the initial affair against Brighton finished 1-1, history was in the making once more for Whiteside, who met an Alan Davies cross with a perfectly executed glancing header, propelling United to a famous cup victory. Whiteside was the ultimate big game player that season, scoring in the club’s two semi-finals and two finals as he relished the opportunity to excel in the big games.好在罗尼-惠兰（Ronnie Whelan）表现奇佳，利物浦仍在那个令人窒息的下午胜出。但仅仅三周后，怀特塞德就要再次光临温布利。在FA杯半决赛对阵阿森纳的比赛里他的大力抽射使曼联在一个月内要踢两场决赛。虽然和布莱顿的首次交锋以1：1告终，但历史给了怀特塞德一个机会。他接到阿兰-戴维斯（Alan Davies）的传中，头球破门，带领曼联获胜。怀特塞德可以说是当赛季的关键先生，在两次半决赛和两次决赛中都有所建树。Naturally, his consistency attracted interest from abroad and he was offered the chance to become a superstar of European football when&&made a bid, after watching him play against rivals Juventus in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. The fee of ￡1.5 million was a lot of money, too much in fact, for United to resist, but Whiteside rejected the opportunity to move without a second’s thought. He felt he wasn’t ready for the challenge of changing countries and cultures, and attempting to learn the language of Italian when he was still learning the language of football.怀特塞德稳定的表现自然而然地吸引了来自其他俱乐部的目光。在目睹了他在欧洲杯对战宿敌尤文图斯的比赛后，AC米兰向他抛出了橄榄枝。150万转会费可不是一个小数字，最少对曼联来说是这样的。但怀特塞德毫不犹豫的拒绝了转会邀请。他觉得他还不能适应改变环境，文化带来的不便；更不用说浪费用来练球的时间去学意大利语了。Rejecting a move to Italy, Whiteside did move however, into United’s midfield, rather controversially. While he had proven himself as a prolific marksman up front, Atkinson and the&Red Devils’&coaching staff continued to express consternation over his lack of pace. While not blessed with blistering speed over short distances, Whiteside was smart and agile in his movements, rendering pace irrelevant most of the time. His telepathy with Stapleton was a massive element of United’s success in the halcyon days of his career but Atkinson’s stubbornness prevailed.虽然没有去意大利，怀特塞德却备受争议的去了曼联的中场。尽管他已经证明自己是个多产的射手，但阿特金森和其他教练组成员却总觉得怀特塞德的速度不够。纵使没有闪电般的冲刺力，怀特塞德那灵动，鬼魅的脚步弥补了速度的不足。他和斯特普尔顿（Stapleton）间的心灵感应是他少年有为的重要原因，但顽固的阿特金森一意孤行。Whiteside was shifted into midfield, while&&was signed as the new man to lead the line. However, rather ironically, it was Hughes who occupied the midfield slot in the 1985 FA Cup final against Everton, when Whiteside scored perhaps his most famous goal in a red shirt. That&Toffees&side were the reigning cup champions, and their sustained excellence had earned them further honours with the league title and European Cup Winners’ Cup.顶替怀特塞德的是新人，马克-休斯（Mark Hughes）。可笑的是在足总杯决赛对阵埃弗顿时，在中场的是休斯，而怀特塞德则射入了他红魔生涯最佳进球之一。埃弗顿人不仅是卫冕冠军，他们还赢得了联赛冠军以及欧洲优胜者杯。Heavily backed to defend the cup, Everton were as formidable as they came at that time for Whiteside and his United teammates, but once again,&Stormin’ Norman&was unaffected by the enormity of the occasion. The odds in favour of Everton shortened even more when United had a man sent off in Kevin Moran, after upending Peter Reid in the 78thminute. Then, with the game in extra-time, Whiteside picked his moment.埃弗顿人气势如虹，志在必得。但怀特塞德和他的曼联却丝毫不为所动。随着曼联球员凯文-莫兰（Kevin Moran）在第78分钟铲倒彼得-里德（Peter Reid）而被罚下，势头逐渐导向本来便占上风的埃弗顿人。而怀特塞德则在加时赛中找到了属于自己的时刻。Cutting in from the right flank, performing a step-over and curling a superb, he whistled an effort round Everton defender Pat van den Hauwe, giving keeper Neville Southall zero hope as it flew beyond him and into the corner. “Norman Whiteside has done it… again,” cried the immortal words from John Motson for the&BBC, and it summed up Whiteside’s contributions in major games. Again and again, he proved to the scorer of great goals for great occasions. Still only 20, Whiteside had etched his name into the history books yet again in one of United’s greatest ever days.怀特塞德从右翼切入，使出一记剪刀腿轻松过掉防守球员帕特-范登-霍威（Pat van den Hauwe），没有给守门员内维尔-索撒尔（Neville Southall）留下任何机会，球飞入球门底角。“诺曼-怀特塞德又办到了！”BBC主播约翰-莫特森（John Motson）声嘶力竭的吼道。而这却是怀特塞德在重要比赛最后的荣光。他一次又一次的证明自己是个专为大场面而生的射手。年仅20岁的怀特塞德依然有资格把自己的名字载入曼联的史册。The following season saw Whiteside establish himself in United’s midfield and become the club’s youngest captain since Duncan Edwards, who was one of the eight that sadly passed away in the Munich Air Disaster of 1958.&, impressed by Whiteside’s progression to become a leader of United, tipped him to continue in the same manner for many years to come. However, just two years after scoring that FA Cup-winning goal, Whiteside’s world began to come crashing down.怀特塞德在下个赛季成长为曼联中场的核心，并成为继邓肯-爱德华（Duncan Edwards）之后最年轻的队长。很不幸，邓肯在1958年慕尼黑坠机事件中逝去。博比-查尔顿（Bobby Charlton）对他的表现很满意，希望他能保持下去。而在射入足总杯制胜球仅仅2年后，怀特塞德的生涯开始崩塌。Alex Ferguson had become United manager in 1986 and his arrival coincided with a decline in Whiteside’s career. His right knee was beginning to cause serious problems, and he underwent lengthy medical procedures to prevent early retirement. Depressed and disillusioned with spending the majority of his time on the side-lines, Whiteside began to embrace the drinking culture that existed at United around that time, reportedly enjoying many boozy sessions with Bryan Robson and Paul McGrath, much to the chagrin of Fergie.阿列克斯-弗格森在1986年出任曼联经理，这恰逢怀特塞德生涯的滑坡。他的右膝开始出现严重的问题，他也不得不接受一系列治疗以延长职业生涯。他在板凳上度过绝望，失落的时光时沾染了曼联酗酒的恶习。他数次和布莱恩-罗伯森，保罗-麦克格拉斯（Paul McGrath）达旦通宵，这招致了弗格森的不满。When Whiteside ruptured his achilles during the 1987-88 season, forcing him to miss a year of action, his United career was effectively dead and buried. The ecstasy of making history at the World Cup and in the FA Cup final suddenly became a distant memory, as Ferguson sanctioned Whiteside’s sale to Everton. While he flickered briefly at the Toffees, it was clear to any regular viewer that he was a player very much in decline. Not that he could do much about it, Whiteside’s body had been ravaged by the most severe injuries, leaving him desperately short of match practice. At just 26, Whiteside was forced to retire.在1987-88赛季期间，怀特塞德遭遇了跟腱撕裂，使他不得不休战一年，而这等于宣布他的曼联生涯就此结束。在世界杯，足总杯创造的历史突然间成了遥远的回忆。弗格森将他卖给了埃弗顿。纵使他还偶有闪光点，但聪明人知道他已经在走下坡路了。但他对这一切却无能为力，他的身体接受了最严重的手术，使他缺席了大量比赛。年仅26岁的怀特塞德不得不黯然退役。Manchester United fans still look back on those famous finals and the days that saw the man from Belfast patrol Old Trafford elegantly with a hint of sadness. In terms of playing style, Whiteside was wholly different to his compatriot George Best, but when it comes to reflecting on the fleetingness of their time at the top, it is difficult to divorce the two.曼联球迷回忆怀特塞德往日的荣光时会流露出一股淡淡的忧伤。虽然他和乔治-贝斯特的风格截然不同，但他们短暂的巅峰却把使他们总被放在一起谈论。Whiteside’s time at the top was dizzyingly exciting and perhaps it all came a little too quickly, in the end, but there is no denying that, at his peak, he could be categorised as a visionary footballer and a genius. He is a true star of&Football’s Fleeting Fraternity.怀特塞德巅峰的表演让人感到头晕目眩，而这一切来也匆匆却也匆匆。而不置可否，他在巅峰期时是个有远见的足球运动员，一个天才。他是足球流星俱乐部里真正的明星。&[ 此帖被boomchacha在 17:04修改 ]
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