Paul Andrew Lake (born 28 October 1968) is an English former 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 le ...
who played for
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
and represented England at
under-21 and
B team
B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It r ...
level.
He had an excellent early career with Manchester City, winning the
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
in 1986 and helping the club to win promotion out of 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 1988–89. However a ruptured
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...
in September 1990 would lead to several seasons struggling with knee injuries, and he would only play four further games from that point before announcing his retirement in January 1996. Despite his career effectively ending at the age of 21 he was later inducted into the Manchester City Hall of Fame, and was seen as a player who would have been a key first team player for many years had it not been for his injury problems.
Lake went on to spend ten years as a
physiotherapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
in the game, working with
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially kno ...
and
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
. In 2008 he was recruited by Manchester City as its City in the Community Ambassador, helping to forge links with local charities. In 2013, he joined the Premier League as a Club Support Manager, liaising with various football academies across the north of England. He also works as a match day co-commentator for
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
Manchester.
Early life
Paul was born on 28 October 1968, five minutes before his twin sister Tracey, to Sheila McGinty (housewife) and Ted Lake (
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
technician).
He grew up in
Haughton Green
Haughton Green is a large village in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. It formed part of the ancient township of Haughton, Lancashire, along with Haughton Dale, Higher Haughton, Lower Haughton, Haughton Hall and Haughton itself.
History
O ...
, though both his parents came from
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of Manchester in North West England, one mile south east of the city centre. The population of the Ardwick Ward at the 2011 census was 19,250.
Historically in Lancashire, by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown from ...
.
The twins were the younger siblings of Susan (born 1962), David (1964), and
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
(born 1966). Lake had a son Zachary Lake (1997) to his first wife Lisa Johnson Lake He had a son called Edward Lake (2003) and Hannah Lake (2006) to his second wife. He spent all of his free time during childhood playing football. He grew up supporting
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, as he was taken to games at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
by the local milkman. His great-uncle
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
was on the books of Manchester City before the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Club career
At the age of eight he played for the Denton Youth under-12 side. He won the 1980 Smiths Crisps Six-a-Side Championship with his school, St Mary's RC Primary (Denton), and scored the winning goal in the
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
final against St Cuthbert's School (
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
). He was spotted by
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
scout Ted Davies playing for Denton Boys under-13s, who got him a place alongside
Andy Hinchcliffe
Andrew George Hinchcliffe (born 5 February 1969) is an English former professional footballer, sports television pundit, and co-commentator for Sky Sports.
As a player, he was a left-back from 1986 until 2002. He began his career with Manchester ...
on Blue Star, a feeder team to Manchester City.
Ian Brightwell
Ian Robert Brightwell (born 9 April 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager. As a player, he was a defender from 1986 to 2006 and who played 468 league games in a 20-year career the Football League and Premier League.
H ...
later joined the team, though by then the club had changed its name to Midas, and later Pegasus. Lake became an associated schoolboy at City in July 1983, and signed a contract to become a
Youth Training Scheme
The Youth Training Scheme (YTS) was the name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17 and was managed by the Manpower Services Commission. The scheme was first outlined in the 1980 white paper ''A Ne ...
apprentice in July 1985. He won a treble in the 1985–86 season, as the reserve team won
the Central League
The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season.
The league was formed in 1911 and ...
, the 'A' team won the
Lancashire league title, and the youth team beat
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in the
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
final. He signed professional forms with the club on his 18th birthday.
Following an injury to
David White, Lake was given his first-team debut by manager
Jimmy Frizzell
James Letson Frizzell (16 February 1937 – 3 July 2016) was a Scottish association football player and manager.
Frizzell was appointed a patron of Oldham Athletic's supporters' trust, Trust Oldham in 2004.
Playing career
Frizzell began his ca ...
on 24 January 1987 in a 0–0 draw with
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
at
Plough Lane
Plough Lane – named The Cherry Red Records Stadium for sponsorship reasons – is a football stadium in Wimbledon, south-west London, which has been the home of AFC Wimbledon since 3 November 2020. A groundshare with rugby league side London ...
. He scored on his home debut on 21 February in a 1–1 draw with
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
. New manager
Mel Machin
Melvyn Machin (born 16 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager.
A midfielder, he started his career at Port Vale in 1962, before he moved on to Gillingham four years later. He made his name at the club from 1966 to 1970, b ...
gave him more of a run in the first team early in the
1987–88 season after centre-half
Kenny Clements
Kenneth Henry Clements Note that the url is that of the site's front page; as it is a Flash-based site, a link to the specific page cannot be supplied. (born 9 April 1955 in Middleton, Lancashire) is an English former footballer who played as ...
picked up an injury. On 7 November he featured in City's 10–1 victory over
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
. He became a regular first team player, but missed the last three games of the season with a knee injury he picked up against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
.
On 11 March 1989, he came close to death when he was knocked unconscious during a match against
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
and subsequently suffered with a blocked airway whilst lying on the ground. It had taken some minutes for the City doctor to make his way from the director's box to the pitch and as a result of the incident
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
changed their rules to ensure that club doctors must remain at pitch-side during games. He played in every outfield position throughout the
1988–89 campaign as City secured promotion out of 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 ...
with a second-place finish.
Despite beating
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
5–1, the
1989–90 season saw City initially struggle to adapt to life back in the
First Division after two seasons away. Machin was sacked in November 1989, and Lake later said that his replacement,
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall (22 May 1946 – 17 October 2015) was an English footballer and manager.
Kendall joined Preston North End as an apprentice and stayed with the club when he turned professional. He was a runner-up in the 1964 FA Cup with Preston, ...
, was "the best boss I ever had". City ended the season in 14th place, five points above the relegation zone.
He was appointed as club captain for the
1990–91 season and was given a new five-year contract. However three games into his captaincy he picked up an injury against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
. An initial
X-ray
An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...
showed no broken bones and he was told it would take six weeks for the injury to heal. However, he broke down after initial straight line running work stepped up to include twisting and turning. An
arthroscopy
Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the jo ...
revealed a ruptured
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...
(ACL), and he underwent pioneering surgery to reconstruct the ligament using tissue taken from the patella tendon of the same knee; he was initially given a six-month recovery time which could have seen him back in the team at the end of that season. However, when the time again came to train with a football his knee gave way once again.
He was declared fit to play again in June 1991 following months of recovery time at
Lilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate in the fields of Lilleshall, Shropshire, England.
It is run by Serco Leisure Operating Ltd on behalf of Sport England as one of three National Sports Centres, alongside Bisham Abbey a ...
. He re-ruptured his ligaments during pre-season training and had to undergo the knee operation for a second time, despite the fact the initial operation did not appear to have worked as expected. He spent the
1991–92 season back at Lilleshall, and by the end of his time there he had spent more time at the medical centre there than any other footballer.
He returned for pre-season training in June 1992, and he played in a number of pre-season friendlies without incident, though his knee still required a lengthy period of rest after matches. Manager
Peter Reid
Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player.
A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...
stated that "it's like being handed a new £3 million player". He started the opening
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
game of the
1992–93 season on 17 August, a 1–1 draw with
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
, but was substituted 60 minutes in after feeling pressure in his knee. Despite still feeling that his knee needed rest he went on to play against
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
at
Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park was a football stadium in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Middlesbrough F.C. from its construction in time for the 1903–04 season, until the Riverside Stadium opened in 1995. It was demolished in 1997 and r ...
two days later. Ten minutes into the game his ligament snapped for the third time and he was substituted off. Six weeks later he travelled to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to see Dr Sisto, an expert on cruciate ligament injuries. Before going on the trip he told ''
The Sunday People
The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881.
At one point owned by Odhams Press
Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a ...
'' that the club and chairman
Peter Swales
Peter Swales (25 December 1932 – 2 May 1996) was a businessman who served as the chairman of Manchester City F.C. from 1973 until 1993. He held a variety of prominent positions within the game of football, including Chairman of The Football ...
had not handled his injury in the correct manner and left him feeling like "a piece of meat" as players at other clubs received specialist treatment straight away and received appearance and bonus pay during long-term absences. Despite Lake being alone in America, the club refused to pay for his girlfriend to fly out to LA to be with him during his recovery from surgery, and so
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn (honorary MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit.
As a player he was a striker who played top flight football for Arsenal, Manchester City and ...
and Peter Reid organised a whip-round to pay for her flight tickets. The lack of leg room on the economy flight back to the UK also damaged his knee, though the club had flown the fully fit club physio back to England in business class.
He made brief reserve team appearances in early 1994, but was unable to participate beyond the spring as he was fitted with a knee brace to aid with his recovery. With the likelihood of a return to fitness seeming remote he resorted to trying
holy water
Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...
,
acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientifi ...
and
faith healing
Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...
, all to no effect. As the injury saga continued he began to suffer from depression, and he was put on a course of anti-depressants for a number of years. After years of operations his knee had numerous screws inserted and he needed surgery to re-straighten his leg; he remained on a lifelong prescription for
anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing inflammation as o ...
painkillers
An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of Pharmaceutical drug, drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or p ...
. He retired from football in January 1996, after a struggle against injury which went on for more than five years, and was granted a testimonial game against Manchester United in October 1997. He was inducted into the Manchester City Hall of Fame in 2004.
International career
Lake made his debut for the
England under-21 side against
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
in September 1988. He also featured in a 2–1 win over
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
on 7 March 1989, and a 2–1 victory over
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
; both of which were qualifying games for the
1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
. However coach
Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrence McMenemy MBE (born 26 July 1936) is an English retired football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton. He is rated in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' as one of the twenty most successful managers in post-war English ...
stated that Lake "always seemed to be injured at the time of important under-21 call-ups". In January 1990
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
manager
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and football manager. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich ...
named him in his 30-man provisional squad for the
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...
. He won a cap for the
England B team against
Ireland B in March 1990, playing in an unfamiliar role of wide-left in a 4–1 defeat. He was angered by manager
Dave Sexton
David James Sexton (6 April 1930 – 25 November 2012) was an English football manager and player. He was notable for managing Chelsea to their first ever major European trophy.
Playing career
Son of former professional boxer Archie Sext ...
's decision to play him as a winger, feeling the game did not give a good chance to make a case for his inclusion in Robson's final World Cup squad. He did not make it into the World Cup squad and never won a senior cap.
Post-retirement
Following his retirement from playing football, Lake used his experience on the treatment table to train to become a
physiotherapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
. He began working on the
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
medical team in 1997, and helped
Richard Edghill
Richard Arlon Edghill (born 23 September 1974) is an English football coach and former professional footballer.
He played as a defender from 1993 to 2008, spending the majority of his career with his home town club, Manchester City. He spent ...
to recover from the same injury that had claimed his own career. The following year he was appointed first team physio at
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
. He went on to work as the physio at non-league club
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
, where he balanced the club's medical expenses on a tight budget. Like his previous positions, he remained at Altrincham for just one season, before moving on to
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
.
In 2003, he switched clubs to
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially kno ...
.
He graduated with a degree in physiotherapy at
Salford University
, caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford
, mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things"
, established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...
in May 2003. In November 2007 he joined the medical staff at
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
. He left Bolton in 2008 and ran his own physiotherapy practice in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
until March 2010, when he was appointed Ambassador for Manchester City in the Community. In June 2013, he stepped down as City's ambassador to take up a similar role with the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
.
Personal life
He married Lisa Johnson in
Denton in May 1995. The marriage was brief, but they welcomed a son, Zachary, in 1997. In 2001 he married Joanne Parker in Prestbury village, and in June 2003 the couple had a son, Edward, followed three years later by a second child, Han.
His brother
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
and niece and nephew
Annabel Lake and Charles Lake, are also former professional footballers.
Paul's father, Ted, died in Tameside Hospital in 1997.
His acclaimed autobiography, "I'm Not Really Here", was published by Century in 2011. The book, co-written with his wife Joanne, became a Sunday Times best seller and was nominated for Football Book of the Year at the 2011 British Sports Book Awards.
Lake is patron of Jump Space, a Stockport-based charity that provides specialist trampolining and rebound therapy to disabled children and young people.
Honours
Manchester City
*
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
: 1986
*
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...
runner-up:
1988–89
References
;Specific
;General
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake, Paul
1968 births
Living people
English footballers
England men's under-21 international footballers
England men's B international footballers
Manchester City F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Alumni of the University of Salford
Association football physiotherapists
Manchester City F.C. non-playing staff
Burnley F.C. non-playing staff
Macclesfield Town F.C. non-playing staff
Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff
Men's association football midfielders
Men's association football utility players
Footballers from Manchester