ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 6.

BIRTHS

GYULA LORANT (1923-1981)

Former Hungarian Footballer who played for the national team during their golden years in the 1950's. Some of his noteworthy achievements include a Gold Medal for Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics and a Runner's up medal at the 1954 FIFA World Cup.

BILLY WRIGHT (1924-1994)

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender who became the first footballer to reach the 100 cap milestone at international level. Represented England at 3 World Cups between 1950-1958 and enjoyed three premiership trophies with the Wolves during the 1950's.

MARCO ANTONIO (Born February 6, 1951)

Former Brazilian footballer who was part of Brazil's 1970 World Cup winning squad (playing two matches in total during the tournament), Marco Antonio had a fairly modest career at club level. Between 1968-1984, Marco played for a number of clubs which included stints at Botafogo and Fluminense FC.

TIM SHERWOOD (Born February 6, 1969)

Tim Sherwood enjoyed an 18 year strong career in which he played for a number of top flight English clubs. His career highlight came in 1995 when Blackburn Rovers won the league title over season favourites Manchester United in the 1994/95 season. More personal achievements followed in 1999 when, after impressive performances for Tottenham Hotspur, he received a call up to the England national team. In total, Sherwood picked up 3 International caps for England, all of which came in 1999. Sherwood retired from Football in 2005 at the age of 36 and is now manager of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

DEATHS

FAREWELL TO THE BUSBY BABES

On this day in 1958, a horrific plane crash in Munich, Germany claimed the lives of 23 passengers on board, eight of which were travelling players from Manchester United FC. After playing Red Star Belgrade in a European Cup match, United players and staff were on their way home when the plane they were travelling in had to stop off in Munich to refuel. After a third attempt to take off from the runway, the plane suddenly crashed and eventually exploded after impact, killing 23 of the 44 passengers on board. 8 of the 23 fatalities that day involved the Busby Babes (a name given to Manchester United's youngsters in the 1950's) and the other 15 passengers were made up of the club's staff, the pilot, airplane steward and travelling journalists. The United players who perished in the Munich air disaster were Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards (died 15 days later in hospital), Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam "Billy" Whelan. 21 of the remaining passengers all survived this horrific incident, including Sir Bobby Charlton and coach Sir Matt Busby along with 7 other Manchester United players. 56 years on, and that fateful afternoon in Munich will never be forgotten by their families, friends and the wider football community.

Below are a list of the 23 passengers who died in the Munich Air Disaster in 1958:

Captain Kenneth Rayment (Pilot)
Tom Cable (Cabin steward)
Geoff Bent (Busby babe)
Roger Byrne (Busby babe)
Eddie Colman (Busby babe)
Duncan Edwards (Busby babe)
Mark Jones (Busby babe)
David Pegg (Busby babe)
Tommy Taylor (Busby babe)
Liam "Billy" Whelan (Busby babe)
Walter Crickmer (Club secretary)
Tom Curry (Trainer)
Bert Whalley (Chief coach)
Alf Clarke (Journalist)
Donny Davies (Journalist)
George Follows (Journalist)
Tom Jackson (Journalist)
Archie Ledbrooke (Journalist)
Henry Rose (Journalist)
Frank Swift (Journalist)
Eric Thompson (Journalist)
Bela Miklos (Travel agent)
Willie Satinoff (Friend of Sir Matt Busby)

Written by Alex Stilianos.