Daniel Rees pays tribute to Manchester City legend and England international, who died earlier this week
Colin Bell’s passing on Tuesday evening was greeted with an array of tributes from across the footballing spectrum. Micah Richards, Harry Redknapp, and David Pleat all paid their respects live on BBC Radio, whilst countless more delivered their farewell messages on social media.
For many, the former England midfielder remains Manchester City’s greatest ever player, renowned for his tremendous stamina and technical ability. But when paying tribute to Bell, people above all else testified to his humility, modesty and self-effacement. That these traits were accentuated above his immense footballing prowess is a measure of the former England midfielder.
Born in County Durham in 1946, Bell joined Manchester City from Bury in 1966 for £45,000, going on to make over 500 appearances for the Citizens in 13 years at the club. Up until they won the Premier League title in 2012, the Manchester City side of the ‘60s and ‘70s was widely recognised as greatest in the club’s history. It was Bell who was at the heart of it all. He, Mike Summerbee, and Franny Lee formed City’s golden trio as they won the First Division title on the final day of the season in 1968, pipping Manchester United to the crown.
During his 13-year career at Maine Road, Bell won every domestic honour on offer. The then City manager, Malcolm Allison, nicknamed him Nijinski, after the famously indomitable racehorse.
Bell was also a seasoned England international, earning 48 caps by the age of 29; but a horror tackle from Manchester United captain Martin Buchan in 1975 ruined Bell’s career. He later recalled: “It felt like my leg had been screwed into the ground. My knee bent backwards, bursting blood vessels in the bottom of my thigh and in the top of my calf. All the ligaments in my knee were torn. Within seconds the knee was just a bag of blood.”
Buchan never apologised to Bell – nor did he visit him in hospital. But it was the innumerable hours Bell spent in the physio room and on the treatment table that inspired his son, Jon Bell, to enter the medical industry.
For decades after his retirement, Colin Bell was a generous patron of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust – one of Europe’s largest cancer treatment sites. His son, Jon Bell, now works there as a surgeon and radiologist. Indeed, it was at the Christie 11 months ago where Colin Bell presented a £1,100 cheque to the hospital, alongside fellow Manchester City stalwarts Tony Book, Peter Barnes, and Ian Brightwell.
Not once that afternoon was Bell referred to without the prefix ‘the great’ or ‘the legend’. When asked to say a few words about his career, Bell was characteristically modest about his achievements – he didn’t name the Cup Winner’s Cup win in 1970, nor his international career for England, nor even the league win of 1968 as his highlight in a City shirt. Instead, he told the rapt audience about his return to Maine Road on Boxing Day 1977 after injury – his first game for two years.
“I looked up tunnel – and the tunnel at Maine Road was about 40 yards long,” Bell recalls. “When I hit the stadium, the noise was absolutely fantastic.
“It was 0-0 at half-time. I didn’t touch the ball in the second-half – it was 10 against 11, and without me touching the ball we won 4-0.
“It was down to the supporters being as noisy as they were, and getting behind me in the way that they did in the second half. Like I say, I don’t think I had a touch in the second half.”
Note how little credit Bell wishes to take from that 4-0 victory. That the crowd was so enlivened by his return was a huge testament to his popularity and legendary status. When asked to talk about his support for the Christie and the work done by his son Jon, Bell focussed purely on the latter.
“When he was a boy, people said to me “so Jon’s going to become a footballer is he?” And I always said: “only if he wants to be – I’m not going to push him that way.
“He’s wanted to be in the medical profession all his life, and the effort he puts in here, the people he works with, and the work he does is absolutely fantastic.”
So too, of course, is Colin Bell’s legacy – a legacy that extends far beyond football. For all his tremendous physical and technical ability as an athlete, it was his humility and generosity that was exalted by all those who knew him. Such traits characterised a man fully deserving of his sobriquet “the King” – however reluctant Bell was to adopt the nickname.
Feature image: Twitter – @ManCity
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