Peter Reid
A tenacious midfield general on the pitch, he later channeled his combative intelligence into a career as a straight-talking manager and pundit.
Born 1956 (age 70)·English footballer, manager, and pundit·Birthday: June 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Peter Reid's football life is a study in Scouse grit and football intelligence. As a player, he was the engine room of Howard Kendall's great Everton side of the mid-1980s, a midfielder who won tackles, dictated tempo, and possessed an underrated creative vision. His partnership with Paul Bracewell provided the platform for Everton's league titles and European success, with Reid himself being crowned the Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1985. His playing style—all bone, bite, and clever passes—embodied the city of Liverpool. Management was a natural, if turbulent, progression. He achieved remarkable success at Sunderland, taking them to two consecutive seventh-place Premier League finishes with a direct, passionate brand of football. Later stints were less stable, but his analytical mind found a perfect outlet in television punditry. On screen, Reid is known for his candid, no-frills assessments, delivering his hard-earned wisdom with the same directness he once used to break up opposition attacks.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Peter was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Peter Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Peter's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two First Division titles, the FA Cup, and the European Cup Winners' Cup with Everton in the 1980s.
- Named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1985.
- As manager, guided Sunderland to two consecutive 7th-place finishes in the Premier League (1999-2000, 2000-01).
- Earned 13 caps for the England national team, playing in the 1986 World Cup.
Did You Know?
He began his professional career at Bolton Wanderers before his transformative move to Everton.
He was part of the England squad for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, playing in the infamous quarter-final against Argentina.
After management, he served as a coach for the England national team under Stuart Pearce and Roy Hodgson.
He is a lifelong fan of Everton and remains a prominent figure at the club.
“You win the ball, you give it simple, and you get on with it.”
