Freddie Steele (footballer)

Frederick Charles Steele (1916 to 1976) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Stoke City and England and later managed Port Vale. He signed with Stoke City in 1931 at the age of 15 and set a club record of 33 league goals in the 1936-37 season, a season in which he also scored eight goals in six games for England during an international career lasting 214 days. A serious knee injury in 1937 and depression brought retirement aged 23, he resumed after improving his physical and mental state, and the outbreak of World War II interrupted him again. He coached KR Reykjavik in Iceland, was player-manager of Mansfield Town from 1949, and managed Port Vale from 1951, winning the Third Division North title and reaching the club's only FA Cup semi-final. His nephew is the former England cricketer David Steele.