Football Icons: Paul Ince
It's time to explore another football icon
Paul Ince is a former English footballer and manager, who was most recently manager of Reading.
Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West Ham United and later representing Manchester United, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swindon Town and Macclesfield Town in England, as well as Inter Milan in Italy.
An interesting fact
With a combined total of 271 league appearances for the two, Ince is one of the few players, especially in the Premier League era, to have represented both of arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.
A closer look at his career
Ince spent the majority of his playing career at the highest level; after breaking through with his boyhood club West Ham United in the Second Division.
He joined Manchester United in 1989, where he won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup twice and the Football League Cup once during his six-year spell at Old Trafford.
After falling out with manager Alex Ferguson, Ince was sold to Inter Milan of Serie A in 1995, where he was a runner-up in the 1997 UEFA Cup.
After two years in Italy, Ince returned to the Premier League with Liverpool. This shocked a huge amount of Manchester United fans who still adored him despite his departure back in 1995.
He later represented Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the top flight.
Ince was capped 53 times by the England national team, scoring two goals.
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International Career
He played at Euro 1996, the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000, and became the first black player to captain England.
Ince the manager
After a spell as player-coach of Swindon, he retired from playing while player-manager of Macclesfield Town in 2007. He went on to manage Milton Keynes Dons, Blackburn Rovers, Notts County and Blackpool.
What did you think of Paul Ince as a player?
Liam C, a Manchester United fan, told us: "Is he the most underrated player in the history of Manchester United? He was a phenomenal player. Even in ’93 and ’94, when Eric got all the attention."
Liam added: "Paul Ince, for me, was our driving force, week in, week out, delivering 8 or 9 out of 10 performances. Keane took a back seat to Ince in his first season at the club, but what a pair they were."
Peter Grainger added: "Ince could do everything to a high standard, but his drive from the edge of our own box to the opposition box, his passing, shooting and tackling made him outstanding and he was a real big game player and leader."
