Frank Soo, the first and only player of Asian heritage to represent England’s national football team, was honoured by Google on Saturday on the anniversary of his debut for his country.
Soo, born in Derbyshire to a Chinese father and English mother in 1914, became a trailblazing figure in the sport after signing for Stoke as a teenager in 1933.
The first player of Chinese descent to play in the English Football League, he later became the first non-white player selected by England for wartime friendly against Wales in 1942.
Often referred to as England’s forgotten footballer, Soo would go on to make nine international appearances – although none were recognised as official caps during World War II.
In collaboration with the Frank Soo Foundation, Google created a Doodle of Soo on their UK homepage to honour his memory and celebrate his inspiring legacy.
Soo, who captained Stanley Matthews while playing for Stoke, also turned out for Leicester, Luton and Chelmsford City.
He left England to take over as coach of Padova in Italy’s Serie A in the early 1950s before a lengthy spell in Scandinavia with a number of different clubs.
Soo also led Norway at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.
He eventually returned to England and died in 1991 at the age of 76.
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