Frank Soo is not a name known to many but one English property developer is trying to change that. Soo was the first non-white player to represent England at football and remains the only Asian to have played for the Three Lions. The midfielder played for England during the second world war in several Wartime and Victory internationals. Frank Soo from Liverpool died largely unknown in his own country, despite playing for England, Chelsea and Brentford during the war. pic.twitter.com/u9tYHL0uSE — BBC North West (@BBCNWT) 4 January 2017 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> His first appearance was in 1942, 36 years before Viv Anderson became the England senior side’s first black player in 1978. Soo’s nine caps are all unofficial as the Football Association does not recognise games when the league was suspended for war. Injury prevented him from earning a full cap after the war. “Our Victoria Park development is being delivered on the former Victoria Ground, which was Stoke City’s home for over a century,” said Gillian Sabin, sales and marketing director at property developer St. Modwen Homes. “We are very keen that the site continues to play a role in the community, and one way of doing this is by naming the streets in honour of legendary Stoke City players. George Best, Bobby Moore and Arie Haan: when Hong Kong football attracted World Cup and Champions League winners Frank Soo's @England @FA Senior Appearances #EnglandHero @DannyTLynch @LCFC pic.twitter.com/Yqg2D7OYLe — Kevin Coleman (@kevinrcoleman) 8 December 2016 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> “Frank Soo was chosen because he was the first player of Chinese origin to play in the English Football League. “The inspirational player is often referred to as the forgotten man of twentieth-century football, so this street name will help his memory live on.” The street sign went up in November ahead of residents moving into their new homes at the end of the month. Mauricio Pochettino heads the queue to replace Jose Mourinho but Manchester United could unseat rivals Liverpool and City Frank Soo - a Stoke immortal! pic.twitter.com/NqYEtgqK4B — StarverseStoke (@StarverseStoke) 26 June 2015 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> Soo’s England appearances came while he was working at the Michelin factory in Stoke and when he was later called up to the RAF, whose football side he would captain. He also represented Stoke City, Everton and Chelsea during the war. Born to a Chinese father and English mother, Soo was raised in Liverpool and before war broke out the midfielder had been one of the stars of a Stoke City side that included Stanley Mathews, a player he would play alongside for club and country. Ignore the haters, play China and rethink the Hong Kong Premier League – advice for the next HKFA chief from Mark Sutcliffe Yes, that really is Stoke’s Frank Soo’s engraved pen-knife. Good grief! #scfc #city He played with Stan Matthews in the 1930s, born Buxton. pic.twitter.com/dsB1nO7aZb — David Lee (@stoke_city_pub) 7 October 2018 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> Soo had become the first player of Chinese heritage to play in the English Football League, with his Stoke debut coming in 1933. He left Stoke for Leicester City and once his playing days ended he moved into management. This took him around the world with spells at Italian side Padova, Scunthorpe United and in charge of the Norway team at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. It was in Scandinavia where he spent most of his time at clubs including Swedish giants AIK Stockholm. He was also linked with managing the Hong Kong team at one point. Possibility of naturalised players in the Chinese Super League puts a different complexion on football’s future In the Army now. Joe Mercer, Frank Soo, Jack Taylor, Frank Swift, Stanley Matthews and Matt Busby pic.twitter.com/jRPs7jQrf3 — The League Magazine (@Theleaguemag) 17 March 2017 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> The street is not the only way that people are trying to preserve the memory of the first and so far only Asian player to represent England – a remarkable feat given over 1,000 players have turned out for the Three Lions during the past 140 years. A biography, The Wanderer: The Story of Frank Soo , written by Susan Gardiner was published in 2016 and it is awaiting being published on the Mainland having been translated into Chinese. “I first came across Frank Soo when I was researching football in the 1930s for my first book,” she said. “I was puzzled because I’d never heard of him, so I decided to find out a little bit more about him and the more I found out, the more astonished I was that this extremely talented footballer – who had been famous around the world for thirty years – had been forgotten. “He was an inspirational person and deserves to take his place among the great figures in world football history.” Muzepper case hints at future of Chinese national team – multicultural, middle class and maybe not doomed to mediocrity Stoke City's Frank Soo is one of the first ethnic minority players in England’s Football League, here he is in 1933. pic.twitter.com/MztqauvzzI — The Antique Football (@AntiqueFootball) 19 April 2014 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> The author is also part of the Frank Soo Foundation, which was set up to bring through the next England player of East Asian heritage. The Frank Soo Foundation’s Chinese Community Challenge Cup, an annual five-a-side tournament will mark its 10th year in 2019, while they have organised games in London, Manchester and Birmingham. Who are Asia’s highest paid sports stars? Frank Soo lining up with England before a Wartime international vs France. pic.twitter.com/tYqwEWcEvQ — Susan Gardiner (@SusanG_writer) 4 December 2016 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> There is talk also of Stoke opening a museum at the Bet365 Stadium and a Soo exhibit has been mentioned in proposals. Soo, who died near Stoke in 1991, has joined the ranks of footballers with streets named after them. Sir Matt Busby Way, named after the Manchester United manager who was a peer of Soo’s in his playing and service days, and Sir Alex Ferguson Way are outside the club’s Old Trafford Stadium, while one of Ferguson’s players, Park Ji-sung, had a motorway named after him in his native South Korea. Frank Soo of Stoke City pic.twitter.com/VVukdBLLLA — The League Magazine (@Theleaguemag) 29 June 2013 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> There is an Alan Shearer Way in Blackburn named after the former Rovers striker, while Sydney’s Cahill Expressway was temporarily renamed the Tim Cahill Expressway after the Socceroos qualified for the World Cup. Nigeria striker Emmanuel Eminike has a street named after him in Lekki, Nigeria, while Avenida Jose Mourinho is a beachside promenade in the coach’s hometown of Setubal, Portugal.
