Football. ua tells the story of Peter Knowles - a man who refused money and glory to bring people the word of God.
In the summer of 1969, the name Peter Noles was on hearing. He predicted a place in the England squad for the 1970 World Cup, and Liverpool manager Bill Shankly did everything he could to get a talented striker. But very few people knew what was going on in Peter's soul, and what plan he had hatched in his head.
Wolverhampton scouts spotted Knowles back in 1961 and soon offered him a place in the academy of the club. Peter initially doubted, because he considered their football "too boring", but eventually accepted the invitation and immediately helped the "wolves" reach the finals of the FA Cup in 1962. The success of the talented striker did not go unnoticed by the manager of the first team, the legendary Stan Callis, and soon 17-year-old Peter signed a professional six-year contract - unprecedented generosity at that time.
Knowles debuted under the leadership of Callis in the 1963/64 season, and already in his second match scored in the Bolton goal. However, for Wolverhampton came hard times and following the campaign of 1964/65 they flew out of the First Division. For Knowles, who already regularly appeared on the field, it was a blow, and the dismissal of Stan Kallis, the coach and the man he so highly valued, prompted him to file a transfer petition. The leadership refused to Peter, so the next season he started in the Second Division under the direction of the new manager - Ronnie Allen.
Despite the fact that in his first season in the lowest division Knowles scored 19 goals and became the club's top scorer, Wolverhampton took only sixth place. Nevertheless, already in the next season they managed to earn a raise, and Knowles became a fan favorite.
Peter was a talented, stylish and charismatic guy. He grew long hair, wore fashionable clothes and around him there were always crowded girls. He acquired a new model of MG Sports, and on the side with gold letters he put his name. Peter enjoyed his reputation as a playboy.
His person was comparable to his reputation on the field. He was a very technical player, who easily left defenders and scored great goals. At the same time, Knowles was a straightforward, powerful and aggressive player. Very soon he attracted the attention of Liverpool manager Bill Shankley.
"Wolves" returned to the top division before the start of the 1967/68 season, but Peter was tortured and he missed half of the campaign. Despite this, he managed to score 12 goals and save Wolverhampton from a slide in the class. Soon he received a challenge to the England U23 team and got on the radar of Alfa Ramsey, who was preparing "three lions" for a trip to Mexico for the upcoming 1970 World Championship. In July 1968, Peter married his girlfriend Jane, and from the side it seemed that he had an ideal life.
But inside Peter feared doubts. He did not like who he turned into - an arrogant egoist who does not care about anyone but himself. The glory and adoration of the fans suddenly became for him a heavy burden.
Peter increasingly began to visit memories from childhood. He was only 11 years old when his father died prematurely, and after four weeks his younger sister disappeared. After a while, another sister died of pneumonia. Peter had many questions to which he could not find an answer.
At the end of the 1968/69 season, in which Knowles scored nine goals, Wolverhampton traveled to the United States to play in the mini-league created by FIFA to popularize the "soccer". This trip changed the life of Peter forever.
Once there was a knock at his door and he was face to face with two Jehovah's Witnesses. Many would just slam the door in front of their nose, but Peter invited them to enter. He asked them a simple question: "Why did my father and sisters die? They did not do anything wrong". In their interpretations, he began to find answers to his questions. Peter began attending meetings and came to the conclusion that God had other plans for him.
In England, Knowles returned a completely different person. He was no longer interested in public life, and football ceased to bring him pleasure. Peter just wanted to be an ordinary person again. His mother and brother Cyril, who played for Tottenham, were shocked by the treatment of Peter and tried to reason with him. They were convinced that the religious group simply took advantage of the vulnerability of Peter, who experienced a difficult period in his life. Jane was originally skeptical, but eventually became a Witness of Jehovah.
Peter did not hide his religious beliefs and even warned that he could tie with football, but no one took his words seriously.
"For some time I still play football, but I have no more ambitions. On the field, I will try my best, but I need more time to study the Bible, so I can soon finish my career ".
Once during training he just went to the trainer and said: "In six weeks I pack things".
Despite this, Wolverhampton brilliantly started the season 1969/70, winning the first four games, and Knowles scored in three of them. This was followed by two home draws and a defeat from Coventry, and the eighth match of the season, a 3: 3 draw against Nottingham Forest, was the last appearance on the field in Knowles' professional career. After the game, he did not say good-bye to anyone, said nothing at last, but simply left the stadium to not return.
Three weeks later, he turned 24 years old and began to live a "normal" life, from time to time changing the profession: first he was a milkman, then a storekeeper, and then put the goods on the shelves in the store.
Two months after his departure, Wolverhampton lost two main attackers because of injuries, and the new manager of the "wolves" Bill McGarry almost managed to convince Knowles to return to the game even on a temporary basis. After talking with McGarry on the basis of the club and visiting the training of former teammates, Peter again felt like a football player. However, returning home, he changed his mind, afraid that he could not tie a second time.
In Wolverhampton they continued to believe that Knowles would return. Club, coach, teammates, fans and the game itself missed him. But time passed, days became weeks, weeks - months, and he did not return. The management of the club continued to update the registration of Knowles year after year. Finally, at the end of the 1981/82 season, 13 years after his final match, Wolverhampton reconciled himself to the fact that Peter would not return, and decided not to include him any more in the application. By the time Peter was 36 years old.
In 1991, British musician Billy Bragg, inspired by the history of Knowles, recorded the song God's Footballer.
Now Peter Knowles 72 and during this time he never regretted his decision to leave football. Together with Jane, he lives a quiet, solitary life, continues to attend meetings and from time to time appears on the thresholds of the residents of Wolverhampton to bear them the word of God.
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