Peter Wilson (Australian footballer)
Encyclopedia
Peter Frederick Wilson is a former Australia
n football (soccer)
player. He was the captain of the Australian 1974 World Cup
squad in West Germany
. His nickname is Big Willie and his position was sweeper.
after failing to break into the first team for English club Middlesbrough
. He started his career as full back but injury to another player switched him to sweeper where he had his biggest success.
Between 1970-79, he made a then record 116 appearances for the national team, and captained Australia from 1971, including the 1974 World Cup Finals. When he signed with Sydney club Western Suburbs, Wilson travelled 257 kilometres four times a week for training. He also played with Marconi
and APIA Leichhardt and in later years coached South Coast and APIA.
Peter Wilson is now living as a recluse
near Wollongong in New South Wales
. After not speaking publicly for more than two decades, an Australian newspaper tracked him down and reported that he was living in a mountain hideaway south of Sydney. "There's nothing I want to say," he said. "I've got nothing to add."
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. He was the captain of the Australian 1974 World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
squad in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. His nickname is Big Willie and his position was sweeper.
Biography
Often regarded as one of the toughest defenders in the modern era, Wilson was a dominating figure in the Australian team in the decade from 1970. Born in England in 1947, Wilson migrated to Australia in 1969 to join South Coast UnitedSouth Coast United
South Coast United Soccer Club is an Australian football from the city of Wollongong.The club was founded in 1984 by Wollongong's Croatian Australian community...
after failing to break into the first team for English club Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. He started his career as full back but injury to another player switched him to sweeper where he had his biggest success.
Between 1970-79, he made a then record 116 appearances for the national team, and captained Australia from 1971, including the 1974 World Cup Finals. When he signed with Sydney club Western Suburbs, Wilson travelled 257 kilometres four times a week for training. He also played with Marconi
Marconi Stallions
The Marconi Stallions Football Club is an Australian football club located in Sydney, Australia. The club won the National Soccer League title a record four times, along with South Melbourne FC and Sydney City SC...
and APIA Leichhardt and in later years coached South Coast and APIA.
Peter Wilson is now living as a recluse
Recluse
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society, often close to nature. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." There are many potential reasons for becoming a recluse: a personal philosophy that rejects consumer society; a...
near Wollongong in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. After not speaking publicly for more than two decades, an Australian newspaper tracked him down and reported that he was living in a mountain hideaway south of Sydney. "There's nothing I want to say," he said. "I've got nothing to add."
Internationals and achiements
- A-Internationals: 65 (4 November 1970 - 13 June 1979)
- 61 games as Captain, 3 goals
- 116 games for Australian (incl. Test games 133)
- 14 games for New South Wales (6 as Captain)
- Friendship Cup tournament in Vietnam 1970
- Asia/Oceania Champion 1973
- 1974 FIFA World Cup1974 FIFA World CupThe 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
Australia national football team captain