Legendary Wolves striker and club vice-president John Richards reflects on his most elegant, skilful and stylish teammates, kits and moments which make up his beautiful game.
Most beautiful player | George Best
For someone of my generation, there were two who were the best; Bobby Charlton and George Best, and they were on the same team for most of the time! But for pure talent, I would pick George, just because of his natural ability. I was fortunate enough to play against him on many occasions and I don’t think we’ve seen a player of his talent in English football since. I know he was a Wolves fan and liked to come and support the lads at the testimonial games at Molineux, but I never did play on the same side as him, which was a big shame.
Most beautiful Wolves teammate | Dave Wagstaffe
We had a lot of incredibly talented players during my era; Frank Munro, Jim McCalliog, but I would say Waggy was the best. He wasn’t fast, he wasn’t a good trainer and he used to avoid training as much as he could, but give him the ball and he could work magic. He could turn players, his crossing was unbelievable and if you were in trouble at any time during the game, just give him the ball and he’d take it down and give you a bit of time and take pressure off the defence. He was just a natural. You could ask all the guys before me who’d played with Peter Knowles, Peter Broadbent, and they’ll tell you Waggy is by far the most talented player.
Most beautiful kit | Wolves 1974 home
My 1974 League Cup final kit. I’ve still got it at home and I take it out of the cupboard every now and again to have a look at it. For fans of my generation, we see it as an iconic Wolves kit, with the three leaping Wolves in the centre of the shirt. It’s simple and it’s recognisable straight away. You can show that to any supporter of my generation and they’ll know it.
Most beautiful opposition | Liverpool
It’s got to be the Liverpool team of the early ’70s. They were a natural team, Emlyn Hughes was the captain, and they had big Ron Yates at the back, Roger Hunt up front, Ian St John, it was such a well-organised team. I could remember playing at Anfield on so many occasions that I came off and found that I’d hardly touched the ball because they were so good at keeping the ball, and they were such a difficult team to play against. The pitches weren’t like they are today, so to be able to play the type of football they did was incredible. Whether it was icy conditions, muddy conditions, Liverpool would always play the same. They were like a machine.
Most beautiful stadium | Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino
Juventus' old ground. No question about it. We played there in the UEFA Cup during the 1971/72 season and it was just amazing. I’d never seen anything like it before in my life. It was nothing like the type of stadiums we were playing at in England, which were all enclosed, Juventus’ stadium was vast and the crowd was massive. They obviously had a great team in the early 70s, and it was one of those awe-inspiring moments which you’ll never forget. Plus, we drew there, which was quite an achievement at the time as there were not many English teams getting a result against Juventus there.
Most beautiful moment in history | League Cup final success
It’s the 1974 League Cup final again. I’ve scored better goals, I’ve scored more important goals in semi-finals and in league matches to help us win games, but this moment is what people always want to talk to me about, still today, and it’s over 50 years later. Those who were there in the stands at Wembley will still talk about that moment and they’ll be able to exactly visualise that goal and them leaping up and hugging their pals and whoever else was next to them. It was one of those moments you dream about as a school kid when you’re playing in the playground, and no one will ever be able to take that moment away from me. It’s never forgotten and will never be forgotten for a lot of Wolves supporters from that generation.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2025/26 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
