Which forgetful footballers have failed to turn up for a match? | The Knowledge

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“In light of Jack Grealish’s recent celebrations possibly putting his England call-up to the back of his mind, has any player failed to show up for a match because he simply forgot it was happening?” tweets Andy Brook.

Footballers have been going awol since Moses wore short pants – here are some examples – but it’s rare for somebody to actually forget they were supposed to be playing in a game. We’d imagine at least one of these stories is apocryphal but, well, who cares.

Sheffield Wednesday were one of the strongest clubs in the country in the 1880s, but their progress was interrupted by the threat of a split in 1886, when half the side threatened to join another local team. Their main grievance was that Wednesday were not playing in that year’s FA Cup, then the only national competition. The reason they were not in the draw was simple: the club secretary plain forgot.

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