Former Sunderland player and Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham died on the 9th of June 2022 at the age of 90.
Bingham was a big name in the 1950’s, making his debut for the Lads just 19 years old. The son of a shipbuilder, he continued his shipbuilding apprenticeship on the shipyards while playing football too.
He made his Northern Ireland debut just a year after signing for Sunderland, and would go on to make the first 33 of his 56 international appearances while at the club. He remains one of Sunderland’s most capped players of all time.
He played over 200 games in red and white, including the FA Cup semi-finals of 1955 and 1956. Bingham’s incredible speed and ball control made him a massive fan favourite on the right wing. He has been described an ‘elusive winger, orthodox in style and a fine crosser, but with determination and dedication aplenty’. One of his trademark skills would be a deliberate stumble that would throw the opposition defence off balance.
Remarkably, Bingham did not miss a Northern Ireland game in eight years, a run which included five games at the 1958 World Cup. It was these appearances that made him the only Sunderland player to appear in a World Cup Finals while playing on Wearside.
He was forced to retire in 1965 after sustaining a broken leg while playing for Port Vale. He remained in football though, transitioning into management. He’d managed the likes of Everton and Greece, but saw the most success during two spells as Northern Ireland boss.
The first stint was between September 1967 and 1971, where he just missed out on qualification for the 1970 Mexico World Cup. However, his reappointment in 1980 would lead to a golden period in Northern Irish football.
A 1-0 win over Israel earned Bingham’s men a spot at the 1982 World Cup Finals, where he would mastermind a historic 1-0 win over Spain in the group stages- a victory which would become one of the most memorable achievements in the country’s history.
Martin O’Neill captained the side at Espana ‘82, with Pat Jennings in goal, but it was a very limited squad other than those two. Bingham proved it was no fluke though, leading the side to the 1986 World Cup too.
They exited in the group stages, but it was still a momentous occasion to qualify for consecutive World Cups. Northern Ireland have not appeared at the finals since his departure in 1993. In the late 90’s after leaving management, Billy had a spell as Blackpool’s director of football and later took up a scouting role with Burnley.
He will be remembered in the SAFC history books as an extremely talented and hard-working winger, who shone on the international stage. As a manager, he is Northern Ireland’s most successful manager ever.
Rest in peace, Billy Bingham.
