The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar: December 22nd

There are now only three sleeps until the big fella comes down our chimney – which means only three more days left of our Advent Calendar.

As sad as that may be, the show must go on! Here’s your daily dose of footy trivia.

The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar – December 22nd

Number: 22

Prodigy.

That word gets tossed about a lot in football but there is perhaps no better word to describe Jude Bellingham.

However, the masses laughed when Bellingham’s boyhood club, Birmingham City, made a rogue decision. The Blues boldly retired his number 22 despite making less than 50 appearances for the club.

But such was the profound impact that Bellingham had at St. Andrew’s, and not just on the pitch.

Birmingham had the last laugh as Bellingham went on to thrive at Borussia Dortmund, before moving to Real Madrid and becoming arguably the face of English football. But most importantly, the £25 million received helped them stay afloat financially.

Everyone’s a winner.

Goal On this Day: Townsend’s Scorcher at the Etihad

Back in 2018, Andros Townsend struck a ball so purely we’re convinced it would still be travelling if the net didn’t stop it.

Townsend was representing Crystal Palace when the Eagles made the trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.

After an indecisive headed clearance from Bernardo Silva, the ball fell to the onrushing Towsend. The winger met it with vigour to ferociously volley home from all of 30 yards.

It reached the top corner before the despairing Ederson had a chance to even react and Townsend wheeled off in jubilant celebration. Arguably, the sweetest connection with a football in Premier League history.

That stunning hit inspired the Eagles to a 3-2 win over the eventual Premier League champions.

The strike was also nominated for the Puskas Award but lost out to Daniel Zsori’s acrobatic effort.

Footballer Born on this Day: Luis Hernandez

Legendary Mexican striker Luis Hernandez turns 56 today.

Now the younger generation may only know him for his FIFA Icon card but the striker was a serious bagsman in his heyday.

El Matador is Mexico’s fourth all-time top goalscorer, with 35 goals for North America.

He was part of the squad that achieved international success with a FIFA Confederation Cup win in 1999 and two CONCACAF Gold Cup triumphs.

At club level, he represented a plethora of Mexican clubs including Cruz Azul, Tigres UANL and Monterrey.

Special shoutout to Portuguese striker Eder. He became a national treasure when he scored the winner in the final of the 2016 European Championships. It is his 37th birthday today.

Stat: The Doc Gets the Hot Seat

On this day in 1972, Tommy Docherty was appointed as manager of Manchester United.

Bizarrely, Docherty was handed the job by Matt Busby at Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace.

You see, the Red Devils had just succumbed to a 5-0 battering to Palace and drastic measures were clearly necessary.

However, in his first full season in charge, United were relegated to the second division.

But, Docherty would make amends. The former Preston North End footballer guided them to promotion at the first time of asking before finishing third the following season.

The Scotsman’s reign ended on a sour note, not least for Docherty’s wife Agnes.

It was shockingly revealed that the gaffer had been partaking in an extra-marital affair with the United physiotherapist, Mary Brown.

Public chaos ensued and Docherty was given the sack. They eventually got married and stayed together until Docherty’s death in 2020. Love actually is all around after all.

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