Editing Chris Waddle

{{For|the American Paralympian|Chris Waddell}}
{{Short description|English footballer (born 1960)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Chris Waddle
| image = Chris Waddle 2012.jpg
| caption = Waddle in 2012
| image_size = 
| fullname = Christopher Roland Waddle<ref>{{Hugman|20227|access-date=14 April 2017}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|12|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Felling, Tyne and Wear|Felling]], England
| height = 6 ft 0 in<ref>{{cite book |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Dunk |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=London |date=1987 |page=368 |isbn=978-0-356-14354-5}}</ref>
| position = [[Winger (association football)|Winger]], [[attacking midfielder]]
| years1 = 1978–1980
| years2 = 1980–1985
| years3 = 1985–1989
| years4 = 1989–1992
| years5 = 1992–1996
| years6 = 1996
| years7 = 1996–1997
| years8 = 1997
| years9 = 1997–1998
| years10 = 1998
| years11 = 2000–2002
| years12 = 2002
| years13 = 2002
| years14 = 2013
| years15 = 2023
| clubs1 = [[Tow Law Town F.C.|Tow Law Town]]
| clubs2 = [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]
| clubs3 = [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]
| clubs4 = [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]]
| clubs5 = [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]]
| clubs6 = [[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]
| clubs7 = [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]]
| clubs8 = [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]
| clubs9 = [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]]
| clubs10 = [[Torquay United F.C.|Torquay United]]
| clubs11 = [[Worksop Town F.C.|Worksop Town]]
| clubs12 = [[Glapwell F.C.|Glapwell]]
| clubs13 = [[Stocksbridge Park Steels F.C.|Stocksbridge Park Steels]]
| clubs14 = [[Hallam F.C.|Hallam]]
| clubs15 = [[Hallam F.C.|Hallam]]
| caps1 = 
| goals1 = 
| caps2 = 170
| goals2 = 46
| caps3 = 138
| goals3 = 33
| caps4 = 107
| goals4 = 22
| caps5 = 109
| goals5 = 10
| caps6 = 4
| goals6 = 1
| caps7 = 25
| goals7 = 6
| caps8 = 7
| goals8 = 1
| caps9 = 32
| goals9 = 1
| caps10 = 7
| goals10 = 0
| caps11 = 60
| goals11 = 3
| caps12 = 2
| goals12 = 0
| caps13 = 1
| goals13 = 0
| caps14 = 1
| goals14 = 0
| caps15 = 0
| goals15 = 0
| totalcaps = 663
| totalgoals = 126
| nationalyears1 = 1984
| nationalteam1 = [[England national under-21 football team|England U21]]
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| nationalyears2 = 1985–1991
| nationalteam2 = [[England national football team|England]]
| nationalcaps2 = 62
| nationalgoals2 = 6
| manageryears1 = 1997–1998
| managerclubs1 = [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]]
}}

'''Christopher Roland Waddle''' (born 14 December 1960) is an English former professional [[Association football|football]] player and manager. He had a spell as Burnley manager during the 1997–98 season, but has not returned to coaching since. Largely since retiring he has worked in the media for [[BBC Radio 5 Live]] as part of their [[Premier League]] and [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] team. He currently works as a commentator.

Nicknamed "Magic Chris", football journalist Luke Ginnell wrote that Waddle was "widely acknowledged as one of the finest attacking [[midfielder]]s in Europe".<ref name="ginnell">{{cite web | url= https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/09/21/waddle-at-marseille-how-magic-chris-found-freedom-in-france/ | title= Waddle at Marseille: How Magic Chris found freedom in France| first=Luke| last=Ginnell| work=[[These Football Times]] | date=21 September 2018 | access-date=3 April 2019}}</ref> During his professional career, which lasted from 1978 to 1998, he played for several clubs, including [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]], [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], [[Olympique de Marseille]] and [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]]. In 1989, his transfer from Tottenham to Marseille for £4.5 million made him the third most valuable player in the world, and he won three successive [[Ligue 1]] titles with the club and played in the [[1991 European Cup Final]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/02/22/british-footballers-abroad-rated-10-hits-10-misses/chris-waddle-british-footballers-abroad-10-hits-10-misses/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/02/22/british-footballers-abroad-rated-10-hits-10-misses/chris-waddle-british-footballers-abroad-10-hits-10-misses/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= British footballers abroad and how they rated – 10 hits and 10 misses| work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=22 February 2017 | access-date=3 April 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> While playing for Wednesday in the [[Premier League]] he was voted [[FWA Footballer of the Year]] for his performances in the [[1992–93 in English football|1992-93 season]]. He also played in the [[Premier League]] for [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], in the [[Scottish Premiership]] with [[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]] and in the [[Football League]] for [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]], [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] and [[Torquay United F.C.|Torquay United]]. He finished his career in non-League football with [[Worksop Town F.C.|Worksop Town]], [[Glapwell F.C.|Glapwell]] and [[Stocksbridge Park Steels F.C.|Stocksbridge Park Steels]], later whilst in his fifties, he continued to play at semi-professional level for [[Northern Counties East League]] side [[Hallam F.C.|Hallam]]. 
Waddle earned 62 caps for [[England national football team|England]] between 1985 and 1991, which included being a member of the teams which reached the quarter-finals of the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] and the semi-finals of the [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990 World Cup]]. He also played for England at [[UEFA Euro 1988]].

==Club career==

===Early career===
Waddle began his footballing career with Pelaw Juniors, moving on to Whitehouse SC, Mount Pleasant SC, HMH Printing, Pelaw SC, Leam Lane SC and Clarke Chapman before joining [[Tow Law Town F.C.|Tow Law Town]] before the start of the 1978–79 season.<ref name="goal">[http://www.goal.com/en/news/2274/goalcoms-top-50-english-players/2009/05/12/1260468/goalcoms-top-50-english-players-chris-waddle-35 "Top 50 English Players: Chris Waddle (35)"]. ''Goal.com. 12 May 2009.</ref>

===Newcastle United===
While working in food processing (a seasoning factory), Waddle had unsuccessful trials with [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]<ref>[http://fourfourtwo.com/interviews/one-on-one/221/article.aspx "One-on-One with Chris Waddle"]. ''[[FourFourTwo]]''. October 2008.</ref> and [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]].<ref name="toon">[http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Club/History/Legends/0,,10278~2375614,00.html "Newcastle Legends – Chris Waddle"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403143901/http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Club/History/Legends/0,,10278~2375614,00.html |date=3 April 2018 }}. Newcastle United.</ref> He joined [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] as a 19-year-old in July 1980 for £1,000.<ref name="goal"/>

He made his [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] debut for them in a 1–0 home win over [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]] on 22 October 1980<ref name="toon"/> and quickly established himself as an effective attacking midfielder, playing alongside [[Kevin Keegan]] and [[Peter Beardsley]] as Newcastle won promotion to the [[Football League Division One|First Division]] at the end of 1983–84 season.

In one of his first games in the top flight, against [[Queen's Park Rangers F.C.|Queen's Park Rangers]] at [[Loftus Road]] on 22 September 1984, Waddle scored a first half hat-trick for Newcastle, who had a 4–0 lead at half time. However, a fight back by QPR saw the game end 5–5.<ref>[http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/Chris-Waddle-article1303.html "Chris Waddle"]. ''[[Daily Mirror]]''.</ref>

===Tottenham Hotspur===
After 46 goals in 170 league games for Newcastle, Waddle joined [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] on 1 July 1985 for a fee of £590,000 (decided by a [[tribunal|transfer tribunal]]).<ref name="sh">[http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=44281 "Chris Waddle"]. ''Sporting Heroes.net''.</ref> He scored twice on his league debut, a 4–0 home win over [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] on the opening day of the league season, although Spurs had a disappointing season where they finished tenth a year after finishing third, resulting in the dismissal of [[Peter Shreeves]] as manager and the appointment of [[David Pleat]] from [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] as his successor.

He won an [[FA Cup]] runners-up medal in 1987 when Spurs were beaten by Coventry, while they also finished third in the [[Football League First Division|League]] and got to the semi-finals of the [[EFL Cup|League Cup]].

===Marseille===
On 1 July 1989, after scoring 33 times in 138 league appearances for Tottenham, Waddle moved to French club [[Olympique de Marseille]] for a fee of £4.5&nbsp;million; the third highest sum ever paid for a footballer at the time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thefootballfaithful.com/chris-waddle-tribute-legend-marseille-spurs/|title=Chris Waddle: The easy going showstopper with continental class | website=thefootballfaithful.com|date=7 February 2019|access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref> During his time in France the club were French champions three times (1990, 1991 and 1992). They were also on the losing side to [[Red Star Belgrade]] in the [[1991 European Cup Final]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-team-dismantled-by-war-red-star-belgrades-final-european-triumph/ |title=The Team Dismantled by War: Red Star Belgrade's Final European Triumph |publisher=Vice.com |last1=O'Connor |first1=Robert |date=5 June 2015 |access-date=19 December 2020 }}</ref> In 1991–92, he also played alongside fellow England midfielder [[Trevor Steven]], who spent a year in France after signing from [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]], only to return to Scotland after a single season there.

During his years at Marseille, the fans gave him the nickname "Magic Chris".<ref name="ginnell" /> He was known as the successor to former Marseille player [[Roger Magnusson]]. Waddle was also voted second best OM player of the century behind [[Jean Pierre Papin]] for the club's century anniversary in 1998.  Waddle and Marseille reached the [[1991 European Cup Final]]. Although he did not take a penalty, Waddle ended up on the losing side in a penalty shoot-out once again, after the game had ended 0–0 in normal time.

===Sheffield Wednesday===
Waddle returned to England in July 1992 in a £1&nbsp;million move to [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]], then managed by [[Trevor Francis]].<ref name="sh"/> The club reached both domestic cup finals in the 1992–93 season (losing both to [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] – Waddle scored Wednesday's goal in the FA Cup final replay) and Waddle was voted the [[FWA Footballer of the Year|Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year]] in 1993.

He helped Wednesday reach the semi-finals of the League Cup in the 1993–94 season, but this latest attempt at winning silverware was foiled by [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], and the next two seasons brought bottom-half finishes in the league for Wednesday. Waddle's past also came back to haunt him in Wednesday's exit from the [[1994–95 FA Cup]], when a tie against [[Wolverhampton Wanderers]] was decided on a penalty shoot out, Waddle again missing an attempt. Francis was axed in 1995 and Waddle's former Tottenham manager [[David Pleat]] took over.

In January 1996, [[Kevin Keegan]] attempted to re-sign Waddle for Newcastle United as cover for [[David Ginola]] during a suspension, but Keegan's £500,000 bid to re-sign the player who had played alongside him in the Newcastle team more than a decade earlier was rejected and Keegan was unwilling to meet manager [[David Pleat]]'s £1million asking price for the 35-year-old.<ref>[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Owls+block+Waddle+move.-a061311707 "Owls block Waddle move"]. ''Daily Mirror'' ([[The Free Library]]). 23 January 1996.</ref> Around this time, [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], [[Leeds United A.F.C|Leeds United]] and [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] were also interested in signing Waddle, but none of these transfers ever happened.<ref>[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CHRIS+CROSSING%3b+Yanks+tempt+Waddle.-a061326494 "Yanks tempt Waddle"]. ''Daily Mirror'' (The Free Library). 9 January 1996.</ref> [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] also expressed an interest in appointing him as their player-manager – a role he would finally take the following year – but Waddle saw out the season at Hillsborough.<ref>[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Burnley+eyes+on+Waddle.-a061158024 "Burnley eyes on Waddle"]. ''[[The Sunday People|The People]]'' (The Free Library). 18 February 1996.</ref>

Waddle's later career at Hillsborough was marred by injuries and he was released 5 games into the 1996–97 season (when the Owls were top of the premiership and having taken young sensation [[Ritchie Humphreys]] – 4 goals in 5 games – under his wing) after being frozen out of the team by David Pleat, having played 109 games and scored 10 goals with many more assists.

===Falkirk and Bradford City===
Waddle joined [[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]], in the Scottish First Division, in September 1996, but returned south of the border to play for Division One strugglers [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] the following month. Although short, his time at City was a success and he was a firm fans favourite. In a match away to [[Huddersfield Town]] he scored direct from a corner in a 3–3 draw live on TV. He also scored a goal in a 3-2 [[FA Cup]] win against [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] at [[Goodison Park]] which came second in the February 1997 Match of the Day Goal of the Month. His efforts with Bradford contributed to their survival in Division One, although he did not complete the season there.

===Sunderland===
Waddle moved to [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], the side he had supported as a boy, for a nominal fee of £75,000 in March 1997, but could not help Sunderland from being relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season, despite scoring once against Everton and providing the assist for all other Sunderland goals scored in that period.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-reid-responds-to-the-last-of-the-roker-roar-1259816.html|title=Reid responds to the last of the Roker roar |work=[[The Independent]]|date=5 May 1997 |access-date=23 March 2012}}</ref>

===Burnley===
In May 1997 Waddle was appointed player-manager of [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]], moving from Roker Park on a free transfer. Burnley had a disappointing season, only just avoiding relegation at the end of the season. He scored once during his spell at Burnley, the goal coming in a 2–2 draw with [[AFC Bournemouth]] in October 1997.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.clarets-mad.co.uk/feat/edx9/a_day_of_first_goals_for_two_burnley_managers_622362/index.shtml|title=A day of first goals for two Burnley managers|work=clarets-mad.co.uk|date=20 January 2011 |access-date=23 March 2012}}</ref>

===Torquay United===
Waddle left Burnley in the summer, and in September 1998 joined [[Torquay United F.C.|Torquay United]]. He played just 7 times for Torquay, before returning to Sheffield Wednesday as a coach. He was appointed reserve team coach in July 1999, and played for a local pub side, but left in June 2000 on the appointment of [[Paul Jewell]] as manager, just after the club (now blighted by financial problems) suffered relegation from the Premier League.

===Non-League career===
Following his departure from Torquay United, Waddle enjoyed two seasons with non-League [[Worksop Town F.C.|Worksop Town]] making 60 appearances and scoring 3 goals. His most notable appearance was in a 12–0 Northern Premier League record win against Frickley Athletic. He also had a brief spell with [[Glapwell F.C.|Glapwell]] and one appearance for [[Stocksbridge Park Steels F.C.|Stocksbridge Park Steels]] in the Northern Premier League First Division, continuing his playing career at non-League level into his early forties. Waddle later played regularly for Brunsmeer Athletic in the [[Sunday league football in England|Meadowhall Sheffield & District Sunday Football League]].

===Hallam===
Having played at amateur level in the [[Sheffield]] Wragg Over-40s league for Hallam during 2012–13 season<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hemsworthandsouthelmsallexpress.co.uk/sport/local-sport/chris-waddle-inspired-hallam-prove-too-strong-for-minsthorpe-1-4295628 |title=Chris Waddle-inspired Hallam prove too strong for Minsthorpe – Hemsworth and South Elmsall Express |publisher=Hemsworthandsouthelmsallexpress.co.uk |date=29 February 2012 |access-date=6 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212132/http://www.hemsworthandsouthelmsallexpress.co.uk/sport/local-sport/chris-waddle-inspired-hallam-prove-too-strong-for-minsthorpe-1-4295628 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> he came out of retirement after 11 years on the sidelines and signed for [[Sheffield]] based non-League side [[Hallam F.C.|Hallam]] in the [[Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division|Counties East League]] (tier 10 of the pyramid) on 22 July 2013. He made his debut against [[Chesterfield F.C.|Chesterfield]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ryan147.com/2013/07/27/hallam-2-6-chesterfield-xi-pre-season-friendly/ |title=Hallam 2–6 Chesterfield XI – Pre Season Friendly |publisher=ryan147.com |date=27 July 2013 |access-date=6 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hallamfc.co.uk/article.php?news_article_id=166 |title=Waddle on Hand at Hallam |publisher=Hallamfc.co.uk |date=17 July 2013 |access-date=6 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221065735/https://www.hallamfc.co.uk/article.php?news_article_id=166 |archive-date=21 December 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in a pre-season friendly, coming on as a substitute at half time. The game ended in a 6–2 defeat for Hallam FC. Waddle signed a one-year deal on 1 August 2013, committing to Hallam for the 2013–14 season promotion push while remaining part of the ESPN commentary team. He later rejoined in 2023.

==International career==
Despite being in his 25th year, he was called up for the [[England national under-21 football team|England Under-21 side]] and made his full squad debut against [[Republic of Ireland under-21 national football team|Ireland]] in March 1985.<ref name="rsssf" />

On 26 March 1985, when still a Newcastle player, Waddle was capped at senior level by [[Bobby Robson]]'s England for the first time in a 2–1 win over [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]. He soon became a regular member of the England squad and on 16 October that year he scored his first England goal, on his tenth international appearance, in a 5–0 win over [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]].

Waddle was in England's squad at the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]] and [[1990 FIFA World Cup]] as well as [[UEFA Euro 1988]]. Although England were eliminated at the group stages of Euro 88 after losing all three games, they did reach the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup and the semi-finals in 1990. Waddle had an eventful match in the semi-final against [[Germany national football team|West Germany]], which ended in defeat on a [[penalty shootout]]. Waddle hit the post with a shot in extra time, which could have been the winning goal, but then missed the decisive penalty in the shootout defeat as he put it inches over the bar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/27/retro-mbm-england-v-west-germany-sort-of-live|title=England v West Germany at Italia '90 – as it happened|last1=Smyth|first1=Rob|last2=Murray|first2=Scott|date=2014-03-27|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-09-23}}</ref> He says he only took the fifth penalty because [[Paul Gascoigne]], who had been suspended from playing in the next game if England progressed, was too upset to take it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://mattpomroy.com/2010/06/01/chris-waddle-what-its-like-to-miss-in-a-penalty-shootout/|title=Chris Waddle: What it's like to miss in a penalty shootout|date=2010-06-01|work=MATT POMROY|access-date=2018-07-14|language=en-US}}</ref> He subsequently blamed a chance meeting with [[Uri Geller]] and [[Michael Jackson]] prior to the tournament for missing his penalty.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jun/17/euro-2012-james-joyce-ulysses-review "Rewind radio: Euro 2012; In Our Time"]. ''The Guardian''. 17 June 2012.</ref> Waddle's performances in the 1990 World Cup were described as "superb" by Rob Bagchi, writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2010/may/26/italia-90-south-africa-2010 | title= Italia 90 had its moments at about 4am on Australia's backpacker trail| first=Rob| last=Bagchi| work=[[The Guardian]] | date=26 May 2010 | access-date=6 April 2019}}</ref>

He won the last of his 62 England caps on 16 October 1991 in a 1–0 win over Turkey, more than six years after making his international debut, and having rarely missed an England game since then. He had scored six goals for England, the last against [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] on 27 May 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englandfc.com/Profiles/php/PlayerProfileByName.php |title=Player Profile |publisher=Englandfc.com |access-date=6 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716164734/http://www.englandfc.com/Profiles/php/PlayerProfileByName.php |archive-date=16 July 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Waddle had fallen out of favour under coach [[Graham Taylor]], but when [[Terry Venables]] became the new England manager at the beginning of 1994 he was keen to include Waddle in the squad for his first game against [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]].<ref name="recall">{{cite news |last=Lovejoy |first=Joe |date=1 March 1994 |title=Anderton and Le Saux gain entry to the Venables elite: New England coach takes the broom to eight of Taylor's men and puts out the welcome mat to flair players |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-anderton-and-le-saux-gain-entry-to-the-venables-elite-new-england-coach-takes-the-broom-to-1426373.html |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=8 June 2018 }}</ref> However, Waddle was injured at the time and unavailable for selection.<ref name="recall"/>

==Media career==
In 1987, Waddle recorded the song "[[Diamond Lights]]" in a duet with Spurs and England teammate [[Glenn Hoddle]]. The song reached number 12 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] in May of that year and the pair appeared on [[Top of the Pops|Top Of The Pops]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Waddle|first=Chris|date=2009-04-24|title=23 April 1987: Hoddle and Waddle appear on Top of the Pops|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/apr/25/tottenham-hotspur|access-date=2020-06-30|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Whilst at Marseille he joined teammate [[Basile Boli]] in recording a song entitled ''We've Got a Feeling''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Basile Boli et Chris Waddle|url=http://www.bide-et-musique.com/artist/511.html|access-date=10 September 2007|publisher=Bide-et-musique.com|language=fr}}</ref>

Despite spending the 1997–98 season as a manager, Waddle never returned to the coaching side of the game following his retirement and became a TV football pundit, commentator and sports newspaper writer. He previously worked for [[Setanta Sports]] and [[BT Sport ESPN|ESPN]], he currently works as an analyst for [[BBC Radio 5 Live|BBC Radio Five Live]]'s [[Premier League]] football coverage.

Waddle appeared on [[BBC Radio 5 Live]] as a summariser at [[FA Premier League|Premier League]] matches and also writes a column in ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' newspaper. Waddle signed a deal with [[Setanta Sports]] to commentate on all England away matches in 2008–09. Waddle then went on to co-commentate for [[ESPN (UK)|ESPN]]'s English Premier League football coverage and is a pundit on Showsports Arabia, covering the English Premier League, from the studio in Dubai, UAE.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/aug/24/espn-premiership-kevin-keegan |title=ESPN signs Kevin Keegan to front its Premier League coverage |first=Mark |last=Sweney |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=24 August 2009 |access-date=8 October 2009}}</ref>

In 2003, [[Thierry Henry]] named Waddle in his all-time Dream Team Line up.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} Following [[England national football team|England]]'s heavy defeat to [[German national football team|Germany]] in the second round of the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]], Waddle criticised the [[The Football Association|English Football Association]], claiming: "The FA sit on their backsides and do nothing tournament after tournament after tournament. Why don't they listen? Why don't they look at other countries and ask 'how do they keep producing talent?' We coach talent out of players ... We lack so many ideas and it is so frustrating. The amount of money in our league is frightening and all we do is waste it on rubbish ideas ... We kid ourselves thinking we have a chance if we keep the tempo up. We can only play one way and it is poor. You can't go on playing football and hoping to win trophies playing a hundred miles an hour and putting teams under pressure for 90 minutes. You've got to be able to play slow, slow, quick and we can't do it."<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8766476.stm |title= BBC pundits on England |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=27 June 2010 |first=Alan |last=Hansen}}</ref>

In 2019 Waddle featured in the first season of [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] show [[Harry's Heroes]], which featured former football manager [[Harry Redknapp]] attempting get a squad of former England international footballers back fit and healthy for a game against Germany legends.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://talkbackproductions.tv/our-shows/harrys-heroes-the-full-english/ | title=Talkback Productions }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Waddle has one daughter, Brooke, a son called Jack. On 29 April 2012, Jack was given a one-year first-team contract at [[Chesterfield F.C.|Chesterfield]].<ref>[http://www.clubcall.com/league-1/spireites-sign-up-youngsters-1421949.html "Spireites sign up youngsters"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602223424/http://www.clubcall.com/league-1/spireites-sign-up-youngsters-1421949.html |date=2 June 2012 }}. ''Club Call.com''. 29 April 2012.</ref>
His cousin, [[Alan Waddle]], played league football for [[Halifax Town A.F.C.|Halifax Town]], [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]], [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]], [[Newport County F.C.|Newport County]], [[Mansfield Town F.C.|Mansfield Town]], [[Hartlepool United F.C.|Hartlepool United]] and [[Peterborough United F.C.|Peterborough United]].

In 2005, he was arrested following claims he was involved in a brawl in a [[pub]] in [[Dore, South Yorkshire|Dore]], [[Sheffield]].<ref>{{cite news|date=26 April 2005|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/4486251.stm|title=Waddle arrested in assault probe|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=10 September 2007}}</ref> No charges were brought due to lack of evidence.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020|reason=need a source after police investigation was closed}}

==In popular culture==
Waddle was a key part of the pool of popular culture references used in the BBC comedy ''[[The Fast Show]]''. References to, and photographs of, Waddle made regular appearances during the "Chanel 9" news segment of the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fastshow/characters/chanel9.shtml |title=The Fast Show – Character Guide |publisher=BBC |access-date=6 December 2013}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|National cup
!colspan="2"|League cup
!colspan="2"|Europe
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="6"|[[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]
|[[1980–81 Newcastle United F.C. season|1980–81]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|13||1||4||2||0||0||colspan="2"|—||17||3
|-
|[[1981–82 Newcastle United F.C. season|1981–82]]
|Second Division
|42||7||3||1||2||0||colspan="2"|—||47||8
|-
|[[1982–83 Newcastle United F.C. season|1982–83]]
|Second Division
|37||7||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||40||7
|-
|[[1983–84 Newcastle United F.C. season|1983–84]]
|Second Division
|42||18||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||45||18
|-
|[[1984–85 Newcastle United F.C. season|1984–85]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|36||13||2||1||4||2||colspan="2"|—||42||16
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!170!!46!!12!!4!!9!!2!!0!!0!!191!!52
|-
|rowspan="5"|[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]
|[[1985–86 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season|1985–86]]
|First Division
|39||11||5||2||6||1||colspan="2"|—||50||14
|-
|[[1986–87 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season|1986–87]]
|First Division
|39||6||6||2||9||3||colspan="2"|—||54||11
|-
|[[1987–88 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season|1987–88]]
|First Division
|22||2||2||1||1||0||colspan="2"|—||25||3
|-
|[[1988–89 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season|1988–89]]
|First Division
|38||14||1||0||5||0||colspan="2"|—||44||14
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!138!!33!!14!!5!!21!!4!!0!!0!!173!!42
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]]
|[[1989–90 Olympique de Marseille season|1989–90]]
|[[Ligue 1|Division 1]]
|37||9||5||3||colspan="2"|—||8||1||50||12
|-
|[[1990–91 Olympique de Marseille season|1990–91]]
|Division 1
|35||6||5||0||colspan="2"|—||9||2||49||8
|-
|[[1991–92 Olympique de Marseille season|1991–92]]
|Division 1
|35||7||3||0||colspan="2"|—||3||1||41||8
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!107!!22!!13!!3!!colspan="2"|—!!20!!4!!149!!29
|-
|rowspan="5"|[[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]]
|[[1992–93 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season|1992–93]]
|[[Premier League]]
|33||1||8||2||9||0||4||1||54||4
|-
|[[1993–94 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season|1993–94]]
|Premier League
|19||3||1||0||6||0||colspan="2"|—||26||3
|-
|[[1994–95 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season|1994–95]]
|Premier League
|25||4||3||1||0||0||colspan="2"|—||28||5
|-
|[[1995–96 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season|1995–96]]
|Premier League
|32||2||1||0||4||0||2||1||39||3
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!109!!10!!13!!3!!19!!0!!6!!2!!147!!15
|-
|[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]
|[[1996–97 Falkirk F.C. season|1996–97]]
|[[Scottish Premier League|Division One]]
|4||1||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||4||1
|-
|[[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]]
|[[1996–97 Bradford City A.F.C. season|1996–97]]
|First Division
|26||5||3||1||0||0||colspan="2"|—||29||6
|-
|[[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]
|[[1996–97 Sunderland A.F.C. season|1996–97]]
|Premier League
|7||1||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||7||1
|-
|[[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]]
|[[1997–98 Burnley F.C. season|1997–98]]
|Second Division
|32||1||2||0||2||1||colspan="2"|—||36||2
|-
|[[Torquay United F.C.|Torquay United]]
|[[1998–99 Torquay United F.C. season|1998–99]]
|[[Football League Third Division|Third Division]]
|7||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||7||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!600!!119!!57!!16!!51!!7!!26!!6!!734!!148
|}

===International===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref name="rsssf">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/waddle-intl.html|title=Christopher Roland 'Chris' Waddle – International Appearances|work=[[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF]]|access-date=18 July 2012}}</ref>
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="7"|[[England national football team|England]]
|1985||11||1
|-
|1986||12||2
|-
|1987||6||1
|-
|1988||9||0
|-
|1989||10||2
|-
|1990||13||0
|-
|1991||1||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||62||6
|}

==Honours==
'''Tottenham Hotspur'''
*[[FA Cup]] runner-up: [[1986–87 FA Cup|1986–87]]

'''Marseille'''
*[[Ligue 1|Division 1]]: [[1989–90 French Division 1|1989–90]], [[1990–91 French Division 1|1990–91]], [[1991–92 French Division 1|1991–92]]
*[[European Cup]] runner-up: [[1990–91 European Cup|1990–91]]

'''Sheffield Wednesday'''
*FA Cup runner-up: [[1992–93 FA Cup|1992–93]]
*[[Football League Cup]] runner-up: [[1992–93 Football League Cup|1992–93]]

'''Individual'''
*[[PFA Team of the Year]]: [[PFA Team of the Year (1980s)#First Division 6|1984–85 First Division]], [[PFA Team of the Year (1980s)#First Division 10|1988–89 First Division]]
*North-East FWA Player of the Year: 1985<ref>{{cite web|url=https://footballwriters.co.uk/editorial/saint-maximin-voted-north-east-fwa-player-of-the-year/|title=Saint-Maximin voted North-East FWA Player of the Year|website=footballwriters.co.uk|date=13 January 2022|accessdate=30 August 2022}}</ref>
*[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.#Player of the Year|Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year]]: 1988
*[[Onze d'Or|Onze Mondial]]: 1990, 1991<ref>{{Cite web|title="Onze Mondial" Awards|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/onze-awards.html|access-date=2021-12-17|website=[[RSSSF]]|archive-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704020132/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/onze-awards.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Onze d'Or|Onze d'Argent]]: 1991
*[[FIFA|FIFA XI]]: 1991<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/fifa-xi.html FIFA XI's Matches - Full Info]</ref>
*[[FWA Footballer of the Year]]: 1992–93 (Sheffield Wednesday)
*[[Premier League Player of the Month]]: [[1994–95 FA Premier League#Monthly awards|January 1995]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/506/Chris-Waddle/overview |title=Chris Waddle: Overview |publisher=Premier League |access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref>
*The Dream Team 110 years of [[Olympique de Marseille|OM]]: 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.om.net/actualites/140213/skoblar-dernier-joueur-de-la-dream-team-des-110-ans|title=Skoblar dernier joueur de la dream team des 110 ans|publisher=OM.net (Olympique de Marseille)|date=24 April 2010|access-date=13 June 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160827120050/https://www.om.net/actualites/140213/skoblar-dernier-joueur-de-la-dream-team-des-110-ans|archive-date=27 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
{{cite book |last1=Dickinson |first1=Jason |last2= Brodie |first2=John |year=2005 |title= The Wednesday Boys: A Definitive Who's Who of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club 1880–2005 |location=Sheffield |publisher=Pickard Communication |isbn=0-9547264-9-9}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.sporting-heroes.net/football/chris-waddle-5560/league-appearances-for-spurs_a18797/ Chris Waddle photos & stats] at Sporting Heroes.net
* {{Soccerbase}}
* {{Englandstats}}

{{Navboxes
| title = England squads
| bg = white
| fg = #CF081F
| bordercolor = #0B0B3F
| list1 = 
{{England squad 1986 FIFA World Cup}}
{{England squad UEFA Euro 1988}}
{{England squad 1990 FIFA World Cup}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list1 = 
{{1984–85 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1988–89 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{FWA Footballer of the Year}}
{{Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Player of the Year}}
{{Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Player of the Year}}
}}
{{Burnley F.C. managers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waddle, Chris}}
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