Video: Black Flash - Sad story of pioneering black Leeds footballer Albert Johanneson

PELE called him a trailblazer, while George Best said: “He’s a brave man with a lot of skill.”

They could easily have been talking about fellow footballing legends such as Franz Beckenbauer or Johan Cruyff but they weren’t, they were talking about Albert Johanneson – a man who escaped the poverty and apartheid of South Africa to become part of Don Revie’s famous Leeds United side of the 1960s.

He was the first black player to appear in a cup final at Wembley and during his nine years at Leeds he made over 200 appearances and scored 68 goals, becoming a firm favourite with the Elland Road faithful who dubbed him “the black flash.”

But he also endured shocking racist abuse throughout his life and after his career finished prematurely he fell on hard times and died in the city where he was once revered, as an alcoholic, penniless, recluse.

Now, Paul Harrison, a writer and lifelong Leeds United supporter, has written an unflinching biography of the man he feels has become the forgotten hero, not only of Leeds United, but football in general. Harrison was helping write Johanneson’s autobiography at the time of his death and, 17 years later, with encouragement from the player’s friends, has pieced together his remarkable, inspiring and tragic life in The Black Flash – The Albert Johanneson Story.

“Albert lit up the darkest Yorkshire days,” says Harrison. “The Don Revie team of the 60s was difficult to beat and they got the job done, but Albert offered something different. He wasn’t built to be a clogger, he was quick and skilful and could fly past defenders on the wing.”

Harrison first met Johanneson in a pub in the early 80s in Leeds long after his football career had finished. “I was out with some friends and this man walked in and people started shaking his hand. I didn’t recognise him at first so I asked someone who he was and they said ‘it’s Albert Johanneson.’ I couldn’t believe it,

“I went over to say ‘hello’ and he was the most gentle and humble man you could hope to meet. But he couldn’t understand why people wanted to speak to him, it was sad because you could see all the self-confidence had been knocked out of him.”

He bumped into him occasionally over the next few years, usually in a pub, but each time Harrison would sit and talk to him and found himself intrigued by Johanneson’s fascinating, if troubled life, and began working on what would eventually become his book.

Johanneson was brought up in the heaving poverty of a black township in Johannesburg. As a teenager he showed promise as a footballer and in 1961 was offered a trial at Leeds United having been spotted by talent scouts from England. He left South Africa and his family in January, 1961, to embark on a journey that would change his life irrevocably.

But if he thought he was coming to the promised land of opportunity and equality he was in for a nasty surprise, as Harrison explains. “He was waiting in the concourse at Heathrow Airport to be picked up by someone from the club when a white man knocked him over as though he didn’t exist and said, ‘get out of my way nigger.’ No-one stopped to help him and he said later he felt sickened by the incident. It was like ‘welcome to England’... smack.”

Although apartheid didn’t exist in Britain, black people were regularly the victims of openly racist abuse. “There was a lot of ethnic tension in Britain at that time and racism was rife, it was just accepted,” he says.

Johanneson initially struggled with the climate and culture but persevered on the training pitch and became Revie’s first signing as the new manager in March that year, making his Elland Road debut the following month. “Leeds had never had that kind of player before. We’d had John Charles who was brilliant, but he was a different type of player, just as Billy Bremner was. Albert was exciting and quick.”

He became an integral part of Revie’s team and played a lot of games reaching his peak in the mid-60s. He had the ability to win games either by scoring himself or setting up chances for his team mates. “He was the first black player to appear in a cup final at Wembley and he remains the only Leeds United player to score two hat-tricks in Europe.”

But Harrison says he was a pioneer off the field as well. “He was the first footballer to voluntarily go out into schools and help train youngsters and I think he deserves more credit for this than he’s received.”

He won over the Leeds supporters, though whether these same fans would have hurled abuse at him had he been playing for another team is a moot point. “The fans took to him because he was different, he was like a whippet which is why he got the nickname ‘the black flash.’ Opposition fans and players abused him but the Leeds supporters took him to their hearts because he was one of them.”

His team mates also stood up for him whenever they saw him being singled out by opposition teams. “Billy Bremner was one of those players who looked after those he felt couldn’t always look after themselves and Albert never had a bad word to say about Eddie Gray,” says Harrison.

But despite his popularity, Johanneson was dogged by racism wherever he went. “The players would go to cafés and restaurants and the owners would welcome them in, but Albert often had to eat out in the back because they didn’t want to frighten off their other customers. It was a real kick in the teeth for Albert. Every Saturday the fans supported him when he was out on the pitch, but off it he wasn’t accepted as an equal and this ground him down.”

Despite his pace and skill, opposition players realised that if they kicked him they were able to stop him influencing matches. By the end of the 60s, inconsistent form on the pitch and the constant abuse he endured off it were taking their toll both mentally and physically and as first team opportunities became increasingly limited, he turned to the bottle.

In 1970, following a spate of injuries and with his star clearly on the wane, he was released by Revie. He joined York City, then in the old Fourth Division, where he played 26 matches in two seasons before retiring from football.

In the years that followed, Johanneson fell on hard times and his health suffered as he became dependent on alcohol, causing a rift between him and his family. He had been a popular figure with his team-mates, some of whom attempted to help him over his difficulties, in his later life.

However, in 1995 he died alone in a tiny council flat in a Leeds tower block, aged only 55, and had reportedly been dead for several days before his body was discovered. It was a pitiful end for a man who, in his pomp, had thrilled huge crowds and earned their affection.

Harrison says if today’s footballers suffer problems they have the support networks to go to for advice and help, but that didn’t exist back in the 60s.

“Albert didn’t have people he could go to for help. There was no infrastructure or support there for him and eventually he turned to the bottle.”

The issue of racism has also been back in the news recently. The Euro 2012 football championships, held in Poland and Ukraine, have been marred by racist incidents. At an open training session in Krakow, Dutch players were subjected to monkey chants, while Croatia were fined £64,561 after their fans were found guilty of racially abusing Mario Balotelli during their match against Italy last week.

It’s a reminder that although great progress has been made in the fight against racism in the years since Johanneson was abused week in and week out on the terraces, it hasn’t been stamped out entirely.

Harrison agrees that in many ways Johanneson’s life can be viewed as tragic, but he also believes it’s inspirational. “He came to the UK on a wing and a prayer to follow his dream. How many people can say they have done that? I don’t think he was naive, I actually think he was very brave, but unfortunately he struggled to cope with the pressures both on and off the pitch.

“I spoke to other authors and experts in racial equality and they were all of the opinion that Albert was one of the most influential figures on the British game. He came to a white country and a white city and changed the way people looked at black footballers. He proved he could do things just as well if not better than white players.”

He paved the way for successive generations of black footballers. “If Albert had not come to England and achieved what he did, other black footballers may not have come over as soon as they did. They saw him playing at Wembley and realised they could go to England as a black player and succeed.”

• The Black Flash, The Albert Johanneson Story, published by Vertical Editions, is out now priced £15.99