If you wanted to make a film showing the difference between football today and  football 40 or 50 years ago you could do worse than tell the story of Albert Johanneson. Albert was my first Leeds United hero. He was a fast and skilful winger who helped Leeds get out of the second division in 1963/4. He then became the first black player to play in an F.A. Cup final in 1965 when Leeds lost to Liverpool. He was the nearest thing we had to a Brazilian. We even used to look forward to watching him in the warm-up before the match, because he would entertain the crowd with show-boating, ball-juggling and tricks rarely seen in those days.

   His career didn’t last long and highlights all that was nasty about the unreconstructed game then. When Leeds went up into the First Division Albert wasn’t strong enough mentally, emotionally or physically to stand up to the cynical tactics used against him. There were no systems in place to protect him from the racial abuse or physical intimidation dished out by defenders in those days ( an area in which Leeds themselves were recognised masters, it must be said of course ). And when he left Leeds and went down the divisions eventually quitting the game, there was no safety net, no large nest-egg in the bank to break his fall. Within a few years Albert was destitute. He lived as a vagrant and turned to alcohol. He died alone in a town centre flat about 20 years ago. Tell that to the Man City players recently sulking because they were only on £200,000 a week.