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Mark Hughes
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Complete Name: |
Leslie Mark Hughes |
| Nationality: |
Welsh |
| Place of Birth: |
Wrexham, Wales |
| Date of Birth: |
November 1, 1963 |
| Height: |
174 cm |
| Weight: |
77 kg |
| National team: |
Wales
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| Current club: |
Retired |
| Positions: |
Striker |
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Pictures
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Club career history
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| Manchester
United (England), FC Barcelona (Spain), Manchester United (England),
Chelsea (England), Southampton (England), Everton (England),
Blackburn Rovers (England) |
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Honours
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Biography
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Leslie Mark Hughes (born November 1, 1963 in Ruabon, Wrexham,
Wales), nicknamed Sparky, is a legendary former Welsh football
player and currently a manager. As a Welsh international
footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals. He was a
hugely talented forward who was without peer at holding up the
ball for himself and fellow strikers to profit.
Playing career
Hughes joined Manchester United on leaving school in the summer
of 1980 but did not make his first team debut for three years -
in a 1-1 draw away to Oxford United in the FA Cup, in the
1983-84 season. Like many other United legends, Sparky quickly
became a favourite by scoring on his debut. He quickly
established himself as a regular first team player and was a key
player in their run to the 1985 FA Cup final which resulted in a
1-0 win over Everton. The following summer, Hughes was
surprisingly sold to Barcelona for �2million as manager Terry
Venables was hoping for him to be a successful striker partner
for Gary Lineker. But Hughes was a disappointment in his only
season at Barcelona and was subsequently loaned out to Bayern
Munich of West Germany for the 1987-88 season where he regained
his form.
In May 1988, Hughes returned to Manchester United, now managed
by Alex Ferguson, for a then club record of �1.8million. Like he
had done in his first spell at Old Trafford, Hughes proved to be
a dynamic goalscorer and was a key player for the club in
winning two League championships, two F.A Cups, one League Cup
and one Cup Winners' Cup.
He left Old Trafford for the second and final time in June 1995
when he was controversially sold to Chelsea for �1.5million, in
a summer that also saw the departures of players such as Paul
Ince (to Inter Milan) and Andrei Kanchelskis (to Everton). Many
United supporters were upset at the sale of Hughes because they
felt he had at least a couple of years left at the highest level
and that Andy Cole would not be suitable as his replacement. But
United still managed to achieve more success even without Hughes,
with the team winning the double for the second time in the
subsequent season.
Meanwhile, Hughes was a key player in Chelsea's resurgence as a
top club. He helped them win the FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup
before he was transferred to Southampton in July 1998 and then
later on to Everton. By now, Hughes was winding down his career
as a player and in August 1999 was appointed national coach of
the Welsh football team, although he moved outside of the top
division for the first time in his playing career in 2000-01 to
play a key role in getting Blackburn Rovers promoted from
Division One. He also lifted the League Cup with Blackburn in
February 2002 before finally hanging up his boots a few months
short of his 39th birthday.
Managerial career
When Mark Hughes was appointed national coach, Wales were one of
the weaker national sides in the world. But in the five years
with Hughes in charge, Wales came close to qualifying for Euro
2004 and in their qualifying group beat Italy - they were only
denied a place in the competition after losing to Russia in the
playoffs.
Hughes quit the Welsh national side in September 2004 to take
charge of Blackburn Rovers, the last club he had ever played for.
His key aim was to keep Blackburn clear of relegation and he
succeeded, also taking the club to an FA Cup semi final
appearance for the first time in over 40 years. |
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