Jimmy Murphy and the Cymru 1958 FIFA World Cup story

The 1958 FIFA World Cup was a defining tournament for a generation of Cymru stars under the leadership of Jimmy Murphy and to this day remains a pivotal point in the history of the national team.

Murphy was the history-making manager of the Cymru national team. With a talented squad of players that boasted the likes of Cliff Jones, Terry Medwin, Ivor Allchurch and the great John Charles, Cymru would reach the quarter-finals on their World Cup debut before being eliminated by a Brazil side inspired by a teenage star in Pelé.

Craig Bellamy is the man tasked with emulating the achievements of Murphy in 1958 and Rob Page in 2022 by taking Cymru to the FIFA World Cup finals. The qualifying campaign kicks-off on Saturday against Kazakhstan in Cardiff, and while injuries have disrupted Bellamy’s plans for the opening two games, the clear ambition of reaching the 2026 finals has not changed.

However, in a very different time, qualification in 1958 was only made possible through a series of seemingly unrelated political events around the world that would ultimately save Murphy’s life through an unconventional route to the play-offs. This is the incredible sliding doors story about the bizarre twists of fate that changed the course of history for both Cymru and Manchester United.

Jimmy Murphy – The unassuming Rhondda hero

Born in August 1910 in the Rhondda, the majority of Murphy’s professional playing career was spent at West Bromwich Albion where he made over 200 appearances and played in the 1935 FA Cup final, but missed out on a winners’ medal with defeat against Sheffield Wednesday. The Second World War brought Murphy’s playing career to a premature end following his brief switch to Swindon Town, and he would not add to the 15 Cymru caps that he was awarded during the 1930’s.

However, it was his ability as a coach that would ensure Murphy’s name continues to hold a special place in the annuls of football history, and he is remembered as fondly for his achievements with Manchester United as he is for the impression he made with Cymru. Assistant to Sir Matt Busby at Old Trafford, Murphy played a key role in nurturing and developing the squad of players known as the ‘Busby Babes’, but his real strength would shine through in the most tragic of circumstances.

In addition to his role at Old Trafford, Murphy became manager of Cymru in 1956, and it was through his international commitments in February 1958 that he missed the fateful flight that resulted in the Munich air disaster. While Manchester United were competing against Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup, Cymru were playing Israel in Cardiff for a place at the World Cup finals. But as Murphy celebrated success in leading his country to Sweden, news quickly reached him of the terrible events in Munich the following day.

The bizarre political twists

The need for a Cymru to compete in the World Cup play-offs stood between Murphy and Munich. But the string of political permutations that manoeuvred Cymru into that position highlights just how lucky Murphy was. Cymru’s route to the World Cup was far from straight-forward. The chain of events began with Turkey’s refusal to compete in the African and Asian qualifying zone, and as a result, they defaulted on their fixture against Israel.

FIFA made the decision to allow Israel to advance to the next stage of qualifying and with it a tie against Indonesia. Political unrest prompted their opponents to make a request to play the match in a neutral country, but this was refused. Israel again advanced to the third and final qualifying stage by default, and a match against Sudan was set to decide which nation would represent Africa and Asia at the finals in Sweden.

But while Israel were being fast-tracked, Sudan were also granted a free pass after their opponents Egypt withdrew from the competition in protest at Israel’s presence in the draw as a result of conflict and tension between the two nations following the Suez Crisis. The political dispute continued as Sudan became the latest nation to refuse to play Israel. However, FIFA instructed that no team other than the hosts and World Cup holders should qualify for the finals without kicking a ball.

All the European group runners-up, including Cymru, were placed into a draw to discover who would compete against Israel for that final place. Uruguay and Italy withdrew, and Belgium were subsequently selected to face Israel in a two-legged tie to finally decide who would claim the remaining place. However, Belgium declined the offer, and a further draw saw Jimmy Murphy’s Cymru eventually paired with Israel. The two-legged tie would take place in January and February.

A plaque on the former home of Jimmy Murphy at Treherne Street in the Rhondda

The Cymru squad headed to Israel for the 1st leg, and goals from Ivor Allchurch and Dave Bowen handed the side an impressive 2-0 win. For the return match, 38,000 fans packed into Ninian Park as Allchurch once again scored before Cliff Jones completed the victory as Murphy’s side claimed another 2-0 win. A comfortable 4-0 aggregate victory meant that Cymru would head to the World Cup.

The celebrations were quickly cut short and put into perspective as news filtered through that Manchester United’s plane had crashed while attempting to leave Munich airport after refuelling. The majority of those onboard lost their lives that day, and Murphy had just four months to plan for the World Cup in the most difficult of personal and professional circumstances.

With Sir Matt Busby fighting for his life, Murphy took personal responsibility for ensuring that Manchester United would continue through their darkest period, while also preparing Cymru for their first-ever major tournament. Incredibly, Murphy also guided a young and makeshift Manchester United side to the FA Cup final that season, but a 2-0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers mattered little in the context of what the club had been through.

Sweden and Pelé – What might have been

John Charles was the talisman as Cymru made their World Cup bow, and it is fitting to his status in Welsh football history that he would score the first Cymru goal on the biggest international stage. However, injury would force the Juventus star out of the quarter-final match against Brazil, and generations of the Red Wall have speculated on what might have been ever since.

The tournament began for Cymru against Hungary in the Swedish municipality of Sandviken, and within the opening few minutes the side were behind as József Bozsik beat goalkeeper Jack Kelsey. However, Charles responded on 27 minutes and the teams would share the points in a 1-1 draw. A late equaliser for Mexico in Solna a few days later cancelled out Ivor Allchurch’s opening half goal, and the group stage would end for Cymru with a third draw against the host nation as the two teams played out a goalless affair.

Cymru returned to Solna for a play-off against Hungary in order to decide which team would progress to the quarter-finals. Although Hungary had a superior goal difference, this would not automatically take them through. Lajos Tichy handed Hungary an opening half lead, but goals from Allchurch and Terry Medwin reversed the scoreline in favour of Cymru, and Murphy’s team would progress to face the mighty Brazil in the last eight. However, the physicality of the match would rule Charles out of the next round.

In July 1957, a 16-year old Edson Arantes do Nascimento made his Brazil debut and scored in a 2-1 defeat to rivals Argentina. Known simply as Pelé, his first international goal in his first game for his country made him the youngest player ever to score on the senior international stage. He was a player destined for greatness from that moment on.

Victories over Austria and the Soviet Union either side of a 0-0 draw against England ensured that Brazil would win their group. Taking on Cymru in Gothenburg, the day would belong to the teenage Pelé. On 66 minutes, the young Santos star, just 17, received the ball with his back to goal and controlled it on his chest. Flicking the ball into space behind him with his right foot, Pelé turned and used the same foot again to volley past Kelsey and decide the match.

Pelé would score a hat-trick in the 5-2 semi-final victory over France, and would add a brace to his goal tally in another 5-2 win against Sweden in the final. Cymru had provided Brazil with their toughest test of the competition, but it was Pelé who proved to be the difference with the first of his six goals. It became his tournament, but we will never know how different it could have been if Charles had come through the play-off unscathed.

“With John Charles in the side we might have won,” said Murphy on reflection. It would be another 64 years before Cymru returned to the world stage, and his achievement in reaching the quarter-finals in 1958 on the back of the tragedy that had occurred at Manchester United just a few months before makes this accomplishment even more incredible. Murphy continued as Cymru manager until 1964, and passed away in 1989 at the age of 79, while still working as a scout at Old Trafford.

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