The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Obituary for Liverpool FC star Ray Kennedy

2021-12-01T10:42:26.092Z


Ray Kennedy was a football hero for two top clubs: Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC. He collected trophies by the dozen, but his toughest battle was against Parkinson's disease. He lost it when he was 70.


Enlarge image

Ray Kennedy, one of the LFC's big days

Photo:

imago sports photo service

I have bad memories of Ray Kennedy.

As a ten-year-old I sat in front of the television, my beating heart long lost to Borussia Mönchengladbach, and heard ZDF reporter Rolf Kramer keep mentioning this name over the crackling audio line: Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy.

In Rome, Borussia played against Liverpool, the final in the European Cup, May 1977, and Ray Kennedy made me a sad little football fan that evening.

The Liverpool player repeatedly caused pressure on the left side of midfield, he was partly responsible for Kevin Keegan getting the balls he needed to keep the Gladbach defense around Berti Vogts and Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp busy.

I couldn't appreciate that at the time, but Kennedy played brilliantly.

In the end, the Reds had deservedly won 3-1, Ray Kennedy held the most important European Cup in his hands for the first time, it was to become almost a routine exercise for him later.

None for sunlight

Kennedy only turned 70, on Tuesday he succumbed to Parkinson's disease, from which he has suffered for 35 years.

Liverpool coaching legend Bob Paisley has called him "one of Liverpool's greatest players and probably the most underrated."

Kennedy wasn't one for the sun, as a player he did his job for the superstars Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and John Toshack, off the pitch his life was marked by setbacks, misfortune and illness.

Ray Kennedy won so much, but he wasn't a winner.

And his career was actually over at the age of 16.

As a talent he was introduced to the great Sir Stanley Matthews.

What he said was a gospel.

Kennedy was supposed to play for him, Matthews watched and then judged that this young guy was really not good enough for professional football, too slow.

About professional football, he could forget that.

Job in the candy factory

If someone like that says that, then you submit.

So Kennedy moved back to his homeland in the north of England, played a little more at an amateur level and otherwise went about his job: He worked in the confectionery factory.

But then life had a piece of candy in store for the teenager Kennedy.

An Arsenal scout got lost in the area, saw Kennedy play, and made a note of his name.

In London they had a different view of the young man's talent than Matthews, so Kennedy got into big football at 17.

At Arsenal, he worked his way up to the starting XI, gradually made himself indispensable as a center forward and goalscorer: In 1971 he was a regular player, his 27 goals were the basis for Arsenal's first championship title since 1953. In the decisive game at Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, Kennedy scored the 1-0 winning goal, and years later the fans sang: "We won the League at White Hart Lane."

Shankly's parting present

Double with Arsenal, winning the trade fair cup in 1970, but the name Ray Kennedy is above all and forever associated with Liverpool FC.

In 1974 he moved to Anfield Road for just £ 180,000.

It was the last transfer that Liverpool coaching memorial Bill Shankly made perfect - Shankly resigned on the same day, after 15 years as a team manager, nobody spoke of Ray Kennedy that day.

That should change.

The LFC flourished under new coach Bob Paisley, and Kennedy was a key player.

Paisley converted him from a center forward to a midfielder, actually born out of necessity because the competition in attack with Keegan, Toshack and Steve Heighway was too great.

In retrospect, a brilliant move - the Liverpool midfield with Kennedy, Terry McDermott, Jimmy Case and later the Scots Graeme Souness became a gem not only in Anfield, it was the gem of English football at the end of the 1970s.

Three times European Cup winner, five times champion

This team rushed from success to success, from 1976 to 1982 Kennedy took home five championship titles with the Reds, three times he won the European Cup.

After the triumph of Rome, Liverpool defended their title from the previous year against FC Bruges, Gladbach was graciously served in the semifinals 3-0, Kennedy was the man of the game.

In 1981 it was the turn of the Paisley-Elf again, this time it was in the semifinals against Bayern Munich.

Bayern had a 0-0 draw at Anfield Road, in the second leg at 1-1, Kennedy made the decision with his late away goal and made many other ten-year-olds in Germany sad.

After the fifth league title, Kennedy's time in Liverpool was over, the club had designated the young Welshman Ronnie Whelan for his position, Kennedy made way for him and moved to Swansea for one season, where his old Liverpool buddy John Toshack was now coach.

Sick even as a professional

But the relationship between the two former teammates did not last long, at the end of the season Toshack publicly accused his star player of showing too little commitment.

What the trainer didn't know: Kennedy was already suffering from Parkinson's.

Kennedy had to quit football a year later, and it can be said that the best time of his life was over.

The disease had him under control, his marriage fell apart, there were allegations that Kennedy had hit his wife, it was a big topic on the boulevard.

Kennedy withdrew from the public eye, the side effects of his medication bothered him; he himself later reported that he had developed traits of paranoia and had hallucinations.

Then there was the financial crash, at the beginning of the 1990s he had to sell his victory medals in order to stay afloat.

Benefit game of both clubs of the heart

It was only when he made the fight against Parkinson's disease and educating the public about this disease his new task that he felt the ground under his feet again.

In 1991 he organized a charity match between his two big clubs, Arsenal and Liverpool, for the benefit of Parkinson's Aid, at which he was celebrated by fans of both teams.

Kennedy met Muhammad Ali in 2002, both of whom shared the common fate of this disease.

He became the ambassador for the fight against Parkinson's.

The disease that destroyed his life became at the same time and paradoxically his new purpose.

Andrew Lees of the British Parkinson's Society has spent a long time studying Kennedy and helping him with his autobiography.

He said, "Kennedy once told me that as a child he had a recurring dream that his life would be glorious but also short because something came along that would ruin him early."

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2021-12-01

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.