Although Alan Ball will be remembered principally for the invaluable role he played in England’s World Cup triumph of 1966, he made his mark on English football in other ways.

He broke the English transfer fee record twice. He was the first player to make more than 100 league appearances with four different clubs. He was the youngest member of that 1966 side and – conforming to the stereotype of the fiery redhead – he was one of the few players to be sent off while playing for his country.

Famous for his dry, squeaky voice and shock of ginger hair, Ball was a powerhouse of a mid-fielder, renowned for his ball-control, speed and inventiveness. At his peak with Everton, Ball formed with Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey the mid-field “Holy Trinity” that made the Toffees such a formidable (albeit underachieving) team in the late 1960s.

But it was often remarked that Ball’s career climaxed too early: 1966 was his annus mirabilis, yet he was only 21. He subsequently managed to win only one domestic trophy. A later spell with Arsenal was disappointing, and his time at Southampton proved to be unmemorable.

Ball’s career in management was plagued by misfortune. Although he guided Portsmouth to the First Division in 1987, he never enjoyed a sustained period at any club, and he suffered relegation on five occasions as a manager.

Yet Ball deserves to be remembered as a player who was feisty, tenacious, unpredictable and, for a brief time in the mid1960s, one of the stars of English football.

Alan Ball was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, in 1945. His father, Alan Sr, was a non-league footballer who went on to manage Preston North End and Halifax. He obsessively coached the young Alan, chastising his son when he deemed his performances to be below par.

The young Ball attended Farnworth Grammar School where his talents came to the attention of Bolton Wanderers, who signed him as an amateur. He failed to make an impression at his local club, but he was subsequently taken up by Blackpool, for whom he signed professionally.

He made his senior debut for the club in a 2-1 win over Liver-pool at the age of 17 and in the ensuing years he made 116 league appearances, scoring 41 goals. His reputation was never that of a disciplined player. He was first sent off at the age of 12 in a school match for answering back to a teacher who was refereeing the game. And at Blackpool he earned the nickname “Big Head”, such was his propensity to be selfish with the ball.

He had to endure taunts regarding his stature. He was only 5ft 6in (1.67m) tall and weighed 9st 10lb (62kg) – indeed he was once told by a teacher that he would never make anything but a jockey. Yet, as a determined, robust and free-scoring inside-forward, he proved an invaluable asset to the 1960s Tangerines’ side, which, unlike the great team of the 1950s, was finding life in the First Division decidedly difficult.

His central role in Blackpool’s perennial relegation battles brought him to the attention of the England manager, Alf Ramsey, and Ball made his international debut in 1965 in a 1-1 draw against Yugoslavia in Belgrade. Initially placed at inside-left, he was switched to inside-right and in the subsequent two games of England’s Eastern European tour that year he scored his first goal.

Ball matured noticeably during the 1966 World Cup tournament. In the final he shone brilliantly, setting up the third, controversial, goal in the 4-2 victory. He may have been the youngest player in the encounter against West Germany, and one of the smallest, but his performance against the tall, experienced full-back Karl-Heinz Schnellinger was one of the highlights of the encounter. So often an ill-tempered hogger of the ball, on that day he was disciplined, intelligent and skilful.

Ball made 72 appearances for England, and in his club and international career he was sent off on five occasions. His international dismissal came in a World Cup qualifying clash against Poland in June 1973 when, after Cmikiewicz clashed with Martin Peters, he ran over to the Pole and with a knee raised, grabbed him by the throat.

Such was his poor disciplinary record that, before an England game in 1975 against West Germany, voices were raised in parliament objecting to his captaining the national side. The Labour MP Walter Johnson protested that “Ball’s past record proves he is the wrong type of player. He sets a thoroughly bad example not only to other players but to young spectators who cause trouble both inside and outside the grounds.”

Ball moved from Blackpool to Everton in August 1966 for a fee of £110,000, making his the first £100,000plus transfer between two British clubs. Even he was rather alarmed at the amount of money that was paid for him: “I’m not worth it . . . Nobody is. Fees are being blown sky high.” Although Everton lost to West Bromwich Albion in the 1968 FA Cup Final, Ball helped Everton to win the First Division title in 1970.

In the season that followed, Ball’s form deserted him. He was also dogged by injuries and Everton’s manager Harry Catt-erick began to lose patience with his cocky attitude. Nevertheless, Arsenal paid £220,000 for his services in December 1971, making him the most expensive player in English football for a second time. But his form did not pick up at Highbury and he continued to be plagued by injury. The closest he came to gaining a trophy with Arsenal was in the FA Cup Final of 1972, which the club lost 2-0 to Leeds United.

Although Ball regularly appeared as Arsenal captain, he felt the club in its postdouble era of 1971 lacked ambition. After a transfer request, he was sold to Southampton in 1976, where he became England’s highest-paid player at £500 per week, even though the Saints were a Second Division side. He earned a League Cup runners-up medal with Southampton in 1979, and after a spell as player-manager with Blackpool he returned to the Dell in 1981, before joining Bristol Rovers in 1983. He eventually retired from the outfield game a year later, having made 743 first team appearances in the league over a 21-year period.

His first appointment as full-time manager was with Second Division Portsmouth. At first it seemed a wise one. In the 1986-87 campaign he guided Pompey to the top tier for the first time in 28 years.

But in the subsequent season in the First Division an ageing and unfit Portsmouth side were woefully out of their depth. To make matters worse, the club’s assets were frozen by the bank, and the chairman had to pay the players’ wages himself. Portsmouth were relegated, and Ball and the club soon parted company.

After a spell as coach with Colchester United, he took over the helm at Stoke City. In 1991 he left them, announcing his retirement from football altogether. He became a publican, but after five months he returned to the game as manager of Exeter City. A stint at Southampton alongside Lawrie McMenemy followed before his most prominent posting came in July 1995, when he was made boss at the Premiership side Manchester City.

But he did not endear himself to the players, introducing himself on his first day as “Alan Ball, the World Cup winner”. He then sold five of City’s most senior players. City were relegated to the second tier of English football on the last day of the season on goal difference. Ball returned to Portsmouth in 1998 but was sacked a year later. He nevertheless remained a visible presence as a television football pundit.

In May 2005, in order to secure the financial future of his family, he sold his World Cup winner’s medal for £164,800. He had been appointed MBE in 2000.

Ball’s wife, Lesley, died of cancer in 2004. He is survived by a son and two daughters.

Alan Ball, MBE, footballer, was born on May 12, 1945. He died of a heart attack on April 24, 2007, aged 61