Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson can look to Cliff Jones for inspiration in the UEFA Europa League Final this evening as the Cymru legend wore the shirt of Tottenham Hotspur when he became the first Welshman to win a European trophy back in 1963.
One of the best players of his generation, Jones was a key figure in Bill Nicholson’s Spurs team that completed the domestic double in 1961 and then made their mark on the continent two years later by defeating Atlético Madrid 5-1 in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final. Jones had scored in previous round victories over Slovan Bratislava and OFK Belgrade, taking his goal tally to 20 for the season.
Captained by the great Danny Blanchflower, Jones was part of the Spurs starting line-up that also included Jimmy Greaves as Atlético Madrid were comprehensively defeated. Greaves and Terry Dyson both scored twice on the night with Scottish midfielder John White also on target in front of almost 50,000 fans in Rotterdam.
Jones was not the only Cymru international in that Spurs squad as he played alongside his good friend Terry Medwin and Mel Hopkins at White Hart Lane, but Jones was the only Welshman named in the starting line-up for the final in an era before substitutions. The victory also made Spurs the first British club to ever win a European trophy.
Of course, Jones had made history with Cymru a few years before as an integral part of Jimmy Murphy’s side that qualified and then reached the quarter-final of the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Jones had only signed for the London club February of that year from Swansea Town, and would spend the next decade at White Hart Lane, scoring 135 goals in over 300 appearances.
Cliff Jones (bottom row, far left) representing Cymru against Israel in 1958
“I was on £50 a week and got a £100 bonus for winning the European trophy,” explained Jones in an interview back in 2010. “I said I deserved a pay rise because I was the best winger in Europe. Bill (Nicholson) said, ‘That’s a matter of opinion’ and told me to shut the door on the way out.
“Bill was Mr Tottenham. He lived 600 yards from White Hart Lane and ran the club from bootroom to boardroom. He was very dedicated but rarely emotional. When he joined us for a couple of beers in Rotterdam after we won the Cup Winners’ Cup, we knew we must have done something special.”
Having celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this year, Jones is the only surviving member of the 1958 Cymru squad. His achievements for club and country make him one of the true greats, and he remains a popular figure with supporters of both Cymru and Spurs as stories of his ability as a talented winger are passed down through generations.
Cymru duo Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson will now look to emulate Jones’ success on the continent in the colours of Spurs in Bilbao when they take on Manchester United on Wednesday night, a match that will no doubt evoke many happy memories for Jones of his own his moment of European glory 62 years ago.
Other Welsh players to win club honours in Europe include Mike England, Nick Deacy, Clayton Blackmore, Jayne Ludlow, Mark Hughes, Joey Jones, John Toshack, Ian Rush, Mark Bowen, Ryan Giggs, Ethan Ampadu, Jess Fishlock, and the most-decorated of all, Gareth Bale, who won the UEFA Champions League five times with Real Madrid.
