Johnny Haynes (1952–1970, Fulham and England)

Johnny Haynes was an inside forward of rare vision, nicknamed the Maestro for his passing, and is regarded as the greatest player in Fulham’s history.

Born in London in 1934, he signed for Fulham as a teenager and made his first-team debut in 1952. He spent his entire Football League career at Fulham, staying until 1970, and remains the club’s record appearance maker with 658 games. His 158 goals were the club record for many years afterwards.

For England he won 56 caps and scored 18 goals, captaining the side 22 times. He was named in three World Cup squads, in 1954, 1958 and 1962, and played at the latter two tournaments.

He finished third in the Ballon d’Or in 1961, and after the maximum wage was abolished that year he became the first British footballer to be paid £100 a week.

A serious car accident in August 1962 left him with extensive injuries to his legs and knee, and although he returned to play for Fulham for several more seasons, he was never selected for England again.

He never won a major English honour, although he helped Fulham win promotion to the First Division in 1959 and stayed with the club through consecutive relegations near the end of his career.

He left Fulham in 1970 and later played for Durban City in South Africa, winning the National Football League there, the only winners’ medal of his career, before a brief return to English non-League football with Wealdstone.

He settled in Edinburgh and died in 2005, and a stand at Fulham now bears his name. He was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

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Johnny Haynes – Rookie Cards and Significant Others

Haynes belongs to the era before the modern sticker album, when footballers appeared on cards given away with sweets, chewing gum and boys’ comics.

His recognised football cards begin in 1954, shortly after he established himself in Fulham’s first team, and run through the years when he became an England regular.

Despite spending much of the decade in the Second Division, his standing in the game was such that he featured across most of the major British trade and confectionery issues of the period.

His earliest and most collectable issues include:

• 1954 Barratt Famous Footballers (A2) #35
• 1955 Barratt Famous Footballers (A3) #10
• 1956 Barratt Famous Footballers (A4) #2
• 1956 Mitcham Foods Footballers #19
• 1956-57 Chix Confectionery Famous Footballers Series 2 #14
• 1958 D.C. Thomson Rover World Cup Footballers #4