In this football language post we look at a headline from the front page of the Guardian newspaper from here in the UK, ‘Nobby Stiles: The Heart and Soul of the Team’. You can see more explanations of newspaper headlines here and don’t forget we have hundreds more explanations of football language in our football glossary. If you have questions or comments about this or any other phrase then email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.Newspaper Headline: ‘Nobby Stiles: The Heart and Soul of the Team’
Last weekend another one of the players from England’s 1966 winning side sadly passed away: Manchester United’s midfielder Nobby Stiles. He was a midfielder known for his good positional sense, energy and tough tackling and was well known among the English public as being a big character and for not having any front teeth!
The newspaper gave the whole front page from its sports section to the player and showed him holding the World Cup trophy, compete with his famous toothless grin. The headline is simple – the name of the player and then a quote suggesting that Nobby was ‘The heart and soul of the team‘ – which means that he was the player that influenced the team both on and off the pitch and which demonstrates his importance.
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