Dennis Allen Walker is the first Black footballer to play for English Premier League giants – Manchester United. He was born to Mary Walker in Norwich Cheshire, England. Sadly, his father, an Afro-Iranian, passed on before his birth.
Walker was involved in football at a young age. However, it was at age 12 that he was integrated into the youth ranks of Manchester United in 1956. Walker was nearly selected to join England’s U15 team at the time, yet could not make the squad as he had already signed a contract with Manchester United before his call to the youth national team.
1961 was the turning point for Walker. He was promoted to Manchester United’s senior team but only made his debut for the England giants in 1963. That was the final game of the 1962/1963 English League season, as the then Manchester United coach Matt Busby rested most of his regular team players for an upcoming FA Cup final which was to start five days later.
Walker then went on to make his debut appearance, substituting iconic legend Bobby Charlton, and became the first Black man to play for Manchester United.
Due to the immense competition within the then Manchester United squad that won their first European Cup title as well as England’s first and only World Cup title in that decade, Walker departed the club to York City and played at Cambridge United and Montreal Olympique in the latter years of his career, scoring 23 goals at club level in 211 games.
After he retired from the sport in the late 1970s, he secured the role of operations manager at the Manchester Arndale shopping centre and supported the idea for many Englishmen to depart the Corporate Street building in the 1996 Manchester bombing.
The English giants regard Walker as one of the pioneers who have inspired the future generation and broke the barricade for the inclusion of Black footballers in the sport.
The club honored Walker’s memory on October 26, 2021. It carried his impact in their fold with many black players now from Europe and Africa like Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Andre Onana in the team.
In his final years, Walker was unfortunately paralyzed on the right side of his body and passed on in 2003 from a stroke illness. Nonetheless, his impact on Manchester United and the English game will never be forgotten by many.
