Ryan-Zico Black

Ryan-Zico Black (born 4 August 1981) is a Guernsey footballer who plays as a midfielder for Guernsey in the Isthmian League.

He is named after Zico, a Brazilian footballer admired by Black's father. Brazilian broadcaster Globo interviewed Black and presented him with a video message from his famous namesake as well as a signed shirt. In 2012 Black was invited to participate in Zico's annual charity match in Brazil, but had to pull out through injury. However, in 2013 Ryan-Zico was again invited and this time played in midfield and then defence in a match in front of 70,000 fans at Brazil's famous Maracana stadium. Although his team lost 7–3, Black scored a goal and afterwards said of the experience "it has to be the highlight of my career".

He released an autobiography in 2008.

Early life and career

Ryan-Zico's father Dessie Black is an Irish Celtic supporter from Belfast. Dessie played football for the Star of the Sea youth club in north Belfast, where he was teammates with Bobby Sands and Raymond McCord as well as players who went on to join Loyalist paramilitary organisations. After moving to England, Dessie played for Fareham and Eastleigh while Black's mother Sue was training to be a nurse in Southampton. The couple returned to Sue's native Guernsey when she had finished her studies and was pregnant with Ryan-Zico.

When Black was born on 4 August 1981, his father wanted to name him Zico in homage to the star Brazilian footballer. Black's mother insisted on Ryan, in case the child disliked football, and a compromise was reached with Ryan-Zico. A sister, Dionne-Maire, was born in 1984 and the family lived in homes with the football-inspired names Rio de Janeiro and San Siro Milan. Black was brought up as a Roman Catholic and attended Notre Dame du Rosaire Primary School and St Peter Port Secondary School.

Black inherited his father's obsession for football and was attached to Southampton between the ages of 11 and 14, travelling over from Guernsey in the school holidays. In Southampton Black stayed in "digs" with the family of one of the club's scouts. When the scout fell into dispute with Southampton and moved to Bournemouth, Black followed him and signed schoolboy forms with the Dorset club.

Bournemouth refused permission for Black to trial with Premier League Leeds United, but at the end of the season did not offer a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) contract. He had already begun playing senior football for Vale Recreation and had broken his arm in a Priaulx League match three weeks before his last training stint at Bournemouth. Also suffering from an ear infection, Black was below par in two under 18 matches before being given the bad news by youth coach Sean O'Driscoll.

Returning to play at Vale Recreation, Black found himself "back at square one". He was still determined to get a YTS contract and embarked on a series of trials with clubs in southern England. He damaged ankle ligaments one day into a six-week stay with Plymouth Argyle then spent two days with Reading. After twice being invited to Exeter City to play in trial games, Black was frustrated to receive a letter stating the club would only take on local players.

At the end of that season, with Black about to turn 17, his hopes of a professional career were receding. His childhood friend Scott Bradford lived in Lancashire after he had won a YTS contract with Preston North End. Calculating that his own chances would be improved if he was based in England, Black moved in with his friend's parents. Bradford had been released due to injury but was allowed to do his preseason training with Preston, and the club allowed Black to join him.

After leaving Preston, the duo played in two preseason friendlies for North West Counties League minnows Squires Gate. Bradford was then offered a trial with Morecambe, of the Football Conference. While watching his friend Black heard about Morecambe starting a new academy. After a successful two week trial he was offered a place on the two year course which combined full-time training under Morecambe's manager Jim Harvey with study at Lancaster and Morecambe College.

During the first season Black left his lodgings abruptly after a controversial bedroom flooding incident. In season 1999–00, Black represented the Lancashire County Football Association at under 19 level, while attending Lancaster and Morecambe College. The College were also runners-up in the English Schools' Football Association under 18 Colleges' Trophy, losing 2–1 to Cirencester College in the final at The Hawthorns.

Club career

Morecambe

1998–99

In his first season at the academy, Black had broken into the reserve team. After being called into the Northern Ireland youth team, he was pulled aside after training and put on a professional contract: £20-per-week basic with a £30 appearance bonus. Grateful if underwhelmed by the money on offer, Black understood the club's rationale: "I suppose it was in case we done well and got snapped up by another club, Morecambe wouldn't get a penny for us."

1999–2000

In summer 1999 Black was called into pre-season training with Morecambe's first team. He was in the squad for the first game of the 1999–2000 Football Conference season, at home to wealthy bookmakers' favourites Rushden & Diamonds. During the second half he emerged from the substitutes' bench to make his senior debut. He made a further five substitute appearances in the Football Conference, mostly towards the end of the season. At the culmination of his academy course, Black signed a one-year professional contract with another year's option. His wages increased to £120-per-week with an £1,000 signing-on fee. Black was also forced to change lodgings under inauspicious circumstances for a second time, when the hosts – a lesbian couple in their fifties – pummelled youth team player Carl Stanford.

2000–01

Black scored his first senior goal in August 2000, turning in Stewart Drummond's cross for the fourth goal in Morecambe's 4–2 home win over Nuneaton Borough. In October 2000 he then scored one goal and created the other for Phil Eastwood in Morecambe's 2–1 win over Rushden & Diamonds. "Ryan-Zico is full of trickery and inspiration", enthused Harvey to ''The Daily Telegraph''.

When Morecambe faced Ipswich Town in the third round of the 2000–01 FA Cup in January, Black's exotic moniker provided the national media with a useful angle for editorial coverage of the event. Ipswich were third in the Premier League and non-League Morecambe required a "giant killing" to beat them. Black started the match on the left wing and missed Morecambe's best chance in their 3–0 defeat; a moment of hesitation allowed Ipswich's England goalkeeper Richard Wright to smother the chance. Black made a total of 34 league appearances in the 2000–01 Football Conference season, as Morecambe finished in 19th place and narrowly escaped relegation.

2001–02

Morecambe fared better the following season, finishing sixth in the table. During the campaign Black engaged the services of an agent, hoping to facilitate a transfer to a Football League club. But the move backfired by causing a rift with manager Jim Harvey: "The fact was I didn't benefit one little bit and was worse off because Jim had the hump with me for ages and wouldn't play me."

2002–03

In April 2003 Black scored twice in a 3–2 win at Farnborough Town after entering play as a substitute, securing Morecambe's place in the promotion play-offs.

Black left Morecambe with a reputation for being versatile, talented but inconsistent.

Kettering Town

In November 2005, Black garnered national media attention in becoming Paul Gascoigne's first signing as manager of Conference North club Kettering Town. The move involved a £10,000 transfer fee and made Black one of two full-time professional players at the club, on a two-and-a-half-year contract with an annual salary of £20,000. Somewhat hampered by a hamstring injury, Black was unable to make an impression as Kettering performed poorly and Gascoigne was sacked after 39 days.

Gascoigne's predecessor Kevin Wilson was re-installed as manager and quickly consigned Black to the reserve team. Disheartened, Black asked for his contract to be paid off, only to be told: "no chance". A prospective transfer back to the North West with Barrow also fell through when Kettering demanded a fee to recoup at least part of their outlay. After a month on the sidelines, Black came back into favour with Wilson and scored in a 2–0 win over Lancaster. His enthusiastic goal celebrations upset some players and supporters at his former club.

When Wilson was also sacked shortly afterwards, Morrell Maison became Black's third manager in a matter of weeks. Unimpressed with Maison, Black again requested a transfer at the end of the season: "I didn't feel I could play another season under him. He was a likeable person, but he did my head in at times." Black accepted two months' salary as settlement of the remaining two years on his contract and returned to Lancaster City.

Barrow

Black immediately negotiated a contract with Barrow, at £60-a-week less than his basic Lancaster City deal, but the difference was more than made up by a lump sum signing-on fee to be paid in three instalments. He started his Barrow career in good form; scoring three goals in his first six games and playing in his favoured central role alongside loanee Tom Pope.

A red card in an FA Trophy defeat at Worcester City, for elbowing Dennis Pearce, led to a three match ban which derailed Black's progress. He returned to the starting line-up two months later but was sent-off again, much to the fury of his manager Phil Wilson. In the next match Black came on as a substitute, but was himself substituted later in the same game; "probably one of the most humiliating things that can happen to you as a footballer."

Frozen out by his manager and with his enthusiasm for the English non-League scene abating, he went on holidays during the season to Guernsey, Rome and Prague with girlfriend Becky. He also stepped-up his social activities, including fondly remembered team nights out in Leeds and Barrow-in-Furness, while considering a fresh challenge in his football career.

Spain

In the summer of 2007 – after a holiday to India – Black went to Spain with the intention of landing a contract with a local lower division club. The first team he visited, Santa Pola CF, said they already had their squad of 25 and were a closed shop. After approaching around eight different teams, Black was annoyed by their refusal to even let him train: "It's like racism, but not black and white. They don't like the English and want to keep their teams Spanish." CD Jávea eventually did offer terms but Black calculated it was not enough to live on. He was also baffled by the actions of Jávea's English manager Kenny Brown who proffered the contract offer without watching Black play or train.

Back in Lancashire

Back in Lancashire with renewed respect for English non-League football, Black accepted an offer to rejoin Lancaster City. The club were languishing in the Northern Premier League First Division after reforming in the wake of their financial collapse. He made his debut in a 2–1 home win over FC United of Manchester in front of 2,300 fans. Black continued playing on non-contract terms to keep fit and earn some money while looking to return to a higher level.

In March 2008, out of favour Black was released by City to allow him to join their local Division One rivals Bamber Bridge. Another debut against FC United saw Black set up two goals, but his side lost the promotion play-off 3–2 at Gigg Lane. Early in the following season, Black rejected suggestions that he was returning to Guernsey to play for a new Guernsey United team in the Kent League: "I wouldn't think about dropping any lower than what I'm playing in now. I've dropped a couple of divisions to play in this league."

Australia

Black quit Bamber Bridge in February 2009, to join Australian club Sunshine George Cross of the Victorian Premier League. When his appearances became sporadic, Black moved on to nearby Morwell Pegasus who played at the lower level Victorian State League Division 2. "I was in and out of Sunshine George Cross because they had a massive squad. Morwell offered me a good deal and the opportunity to play every week. I jumped at the chance."

Lancashire again

The 2009–10 campaign began with Black back at Bamber Bridge. He was banned for 56 days for being sent-off in a reserve game then arguing with the referee. In November 2009, he signed for AFC Fylde who played in the same division. Injuries caused further disruption to Black's season, before he accepted an offer to join Rossendale United, also of the Northern Premier League First Division North but at the bottom of the table, in March 2010.

Return to Guernsey, via Spain

In October 2010 Black realised his ambition of playing in Spain, when he joined San Fulgencio CF after recovering from an operation. The team was based on the Costa Blanca and managed by former Morecambe player Gary Williams. He returned to Guernsey in January 2011, signing for Vale Recreation. After receiving clearance from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Black scored three goals in his first two games but was then sent-off in Vale's Guernsey FA Cup semi-final defeat.

For 2011–12, Black signed up with Guernsey; a new club who were joining the English Combined Counties Football League. He scored the club's first ever goal in a 6–5 preseason friendly defeat to AFC Wimbledon at Footes Lane. After scoring eight goals in 32 appearances as Guernsey FC secured a league and cup double, manager Tony Vance told the BBC
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