Billy Bingham, who led Northern Ireland to successive World Cups in 1982 and 1986, has died at the age of 90. He had lived with dementia for 16 years.
Bingham made 227 appearances for Sunderland and won the league championship with Everton in 1963 but it was with Northern Ireland, for whom he won 56 caps and managed for 17 years in total, that he enjoyed his most celebrated successes.
Born in east Belfast, and an electrical engineer by trade, he was part of the Northern Ireland team that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1958. They did not qualify again until Bingham guided them to Spain in 1982, when Gerry Armstrong’s goal famously defeated the hosts in Valencia, and to Mexico four years later. Northern Ireland have not qualified for a World Cup since. He also won the British Championship with Northern Ireland in 1980 and 1984.
In a statement, Bingham’s son David said: “Dad was diagnosed with dementia back in 2006 and I think it is a tribute to his will that he managed another 16 years from that diagnosis to the time he passed away. He passed away peacefully last night at 10.30pm in a care home in Southport. We are very proud of all our dad achieved.”
The Irish Football Association has also paid tribute to their former manager. “Billy holds a unique place in the football hearts of Northern Ireland,” said the Irish FA in a statement. “Billy was a tricky winger in the days when such a position was revered, but there was more to him than wing play.
“Billy was not afraid to mix it when needed, had an eye for goal and a wonderful tactical and positional brain – attributes which would come to the fore in his managerial career. He was everything that a Northern Ireland manager needs to be: tactically astute, innovative and inspirational.
“He led the team to British Championship glory in 1980 and 1984, qualified for two World Cups in 1982 and 1986, and recorded the first home and away victories over West Germany in the qualification for the Euros in 1984.
“His greatest achievement was probably the qualification of the team for the second phase of the World Cup in 1982 with the historic and unexpected victory over Spain in Valencia. The Association would wish to send its condolences to Billy’s wider family circle.”
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Bingham came through the ranks at Glentoran before joining Sunderland in 1950. He also had spells with Luton, Everton and Port Vale, where a broken leg forced him to retire from playing aged 33. In his first managerial post he led Southport to promotion from the Fourth Division.
He then combined his first, four-year stint as Northern Ireland manager with jobs at Plymouth Argyle and Linfield before managing Greece for 18 months. In 1973 he succeeded his former manager Harry Catterick at Everton, where he came close to winning the league in 1974-75 but was sacked in January 1977.
“Everton Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Billy Bingham MBE,” stated the club on Friday. “The thoughts of everybody at Everton are with Billy’s family and friends.” Bingham also managed PAOK Salonika and Mansfield Town until starting his second, hugely successful 13-year spell as Northern Ireland manager in 1980.