In an era preceding extravagant football agents and lucrative TV deals, professional footballers were constrained by wage caps, ensuring even the renowned players earned salaries comparable to everyday workers like plumbers or electricians.

Icons of the game like Tom Finney and Stanley Matthews shared a humble existence with their devoted fans, playing on modest pitches for crowds far removed from the opulence of modern football. Rather than luxury cars, these legends commuted on public transport and lived in unassuming homes akin to those supporting them, sometimes residing as neighbors in working-class neighborhoods.

Drawing from firsthand testimonies of a vanishing generation, “When Footballers Were Skint” immerses readers in a bygone era where the sport’s luminaries epitomized humility and closeness to their community, offering a nostalgic glimpse into a remarkable chapter of sporting history.