Albert Louis Johanneson (13 March 1940 – 28 September 1995) was a South African professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who was one of the first high-profile
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
men, of any nationality, to play top-flight football in England. He is recognised as being the first person of African heritage to play in the
FA Cup final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...
in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
for Leeds United FC .
Career
Johanneson, a skilful and swift left winger, was recommended to
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
by a South African schoolteacher and joined the club in April 1961.
He stayed there for nine years working diligently at his game, and by the 1963–64 season had established himself as a powerful attacking force providing 13 league goals, which assisted in Leeds' promotion from the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
.
In 1965, Johanneson earned his berth in the Leeds team at the Football Association Challenge Cup (F.A Cup)
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
played at Wembley Stadium. While Leeds lost the match to Liverpool, and Johanneson regrettably did not play his best, he made history by becoming the first black person to feature in the final of the world-renowned football competition.
Over following seasons, a spate of injuries and the emergence of
Eddie Gray left Johanneson on the sidelines,
and he made only 10 further starts for Leeds before manager
Don Revie
Donald George Revie OBE (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an England international footballer and manager, best known for his successful spell with Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, which immediately preceded his appointment as England manage ...
released him in 1970. Later that year, Johanneson joined
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
, scoring three goals in 26 appearances before retiring.
Life after football did not treat the South African well, and he became somewhat of a recluse, painfully suffering from a severe addiction to alcohol. Johanneson died alone of meningitis and heart failure in 1995. He is remembered fondly by Leeds' fans of the 1960s for using his distinctive natural prowess to illuminate Elland Road.
Personal life and legacy
In 1963 Johanneson married Norma Comrie, a pharmacist originally from Jamaica. Together they had two children: Yvonne and Alicia. The couple's marriage lasted 11 years, ending in divorce. Albert was dogged by problems with alcohol and ill health before his death in 1995. His body lay undiscovered for a week in his flat in Gledhow Towers, North Leeds. Albert's nephew
Carl Johanneson
Carl Johanneson (born 1 August 1978) is a British former professional boxer. He held the British super featherweight title from 2006 to 2008. His nickname, "Ingemar" is a nod to the famous Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson and is the nephew of fo ...
is a former Leeds super featherweight boxer.
In January 2019 Leeds United and
Leeds Civic Trust
Leeds Civic Trust is a voluntary organisation and registered charity established in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in 1965. Affiliated to the national charity Civic Voice, its stated purpose is "to stimulate public interest in and care for the ...
unveiled a blue plaque commemorating Johanneson, his contribution to football and the city of Leeds. The ceremony was attended by Johanneson's family and ex Leeds United footballer
Brian Deane
Brian Christopher Deane (born 7 February 1968) is an English football coach and former player. His most recent managerial position was as the manager of the Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08.
During his playing career, he played as forward from 1985 ...
.
In late 2020 a picture of Johanneson was erected on the side of a building in Leeds, featuring himself beside Kalvin Phillips and Lucas Radebe.
Johanneson in popular culture
Today, Johanneson is hailed by many as having helped pave the way for the scores of black players that make up the ranks of the English Premiership, especially those with South African roots.
He is also viewed as a courageous pioneer with regard to the racial discrimination he humbly endured from spectators who hurled
monkey chants
Monkey chanting or monkey chants are chants or calls aimed at ridiculing or denigrating Black sportspeople, usually footballers, who play in majority-White countries. The chants are intended to imitate "monkey" or " ape" noises. They may be accom ...
and bananas at him from the sidelines. In the words of footballing legend,
George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest p ...
within whose era he played: "Albert was quite a brave man to actually go on the pitch in the first place, wasn't he? And he went out and did it. He had a lot of skill. A nice man as well ... which is, I suppose, the more important thing, isn't it? More important than anything."
Johanneson features in several chapters of Kester Aspden's book ''The Hounding of
David Oluwale'', about Nigerian immigrant David Oluwale, who lived in Leeds for 20 years during the 50s and 60s. Writes Leeds United bibliographer Sam Gibbard: "Aspden details in several chapters Albert Johanneson and his experiences playing for Leeds United, drawing parallels between the two men, two of just 450 black men living in Leeds during the early 1960s. At the start, their lives couldn’t have been more different, and yet both men’s lives ended tragically and needlessly early".
Johanneson is currently featured in the Out of Africa Campaign, a UK Heritage Lottery-funded, multimedia project and touring exhibition focused on the contributions of footballers from Africa who have made a substantial contribution to transforming professional football in Britain.
[Alicia S. Johanneson]
In 2010, Johanneson was featured in an exhibition examining the history of South African footballers in the United Kingdom as part of the FIFA World Cup celebrations that took place in South Africa. The exhibit was researched by the
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
-based
Football Unites, Racism Divides
Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD) is a youth and social inclusion project and charity based in Sheffield, England which uses football as a tool to 'break down barriers created by ignorance or prejudice'. It works locally, nationally and i ...
organisation and was hosted by the historic
District Six Museum
District Six Museum is a museum in the former inner-city residential area and, District Six, in Cape Town, South Africa in an old Methodist church.
District Six Foundation was founded in 1989 and the museum in 1994, as a memorial to the forced mo ...
in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
.
In 2015, FURD and the District Six Museum and illustrator Archie Birch, from Cape Town, have joined forces to tell Albert's inspirational, yet sadly poignant story in comic book form: ''Albert Johanneson: the First Black Superstar''.
References
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External links
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Photo of Albert signing contract*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johanneson, Albert
1940 births
1995 deaths
South African soccer players
Leeds United F.C. players
York City F.C. players
Sportspeople from Germiston
English Football League players
Association football wingers
South African expatriate soccer players
Expatriate footballers in England
South African expatriate sportspeople in England
FA Cup Final players