Gary Speed was beloved by the footballing world, and countless positive stories have emerged about the Wales legend since his sad passing 14 years ago.
The former Newcastle United and Leeds United legend had been the manager of Wales before his tragic passing, and throughout his career he came into contact with countless footballers.
Speed represented Wales on 85 occasions as a player and was manager of his country from 2010 to 2011, putting in place the foundations for Chris Coleman to guide the nation to their historic European Championship campaign in 2016.
It is clear he touched the hearts of many and provided support for several, and now one Wrexham hero has opened up about the time he was helped by Speed.
Wrexham hero Mickey Thomas was helped by Gary Speed while in huge debt
Mickey Thomas grew up in North Wales and featured for some of the biggest clubs in England, as he played for clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea.
However, he ran into major financial difficulties after blowing an estimated £500,000 on gambling, as he previously admitted to Wales Online about his gambling addiction.
Speaking several years after the former Wales manager’s death in 2011, as reported by Wales Online, he said: “He was such a great bloke. After I hit hard times financially later in life, if he saw me, he would always ask if I was all right for money. One day, I went to his house when he was with Newcastle United, and he asked me if I wanted any boots.
“It was up to me what I did with them, maybe sell them to make a few quid to ease the debts. I ended up coming out of his garage with around 30 pairs. That’s how generous he was. I will never forget his kindness.”
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Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have previously acknowledged the impact of Mickey Thomas
Mickey Thomas began and ended his career with Wrexham, beginning his senior career at the Red Dragons in 1972, making 230 appearances in his first stint before making the move to Manchester United.
He would rejoin Wrexham to see out his career in 1991 for two years, featuring a further 34 times for the Welsh club before announcing his retirement.
This impact was celebrated by Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac as the club won promotion from League One to the Championship.
As Reynolds said: “Our goal is to make it to the Premier League. It just seemed like an impossible dream, but as storytellers, you look as much as you can at the macro view of history.
“Without it I would not be here. You can go all the way back from the Gresford Disaster to Mickey Thomas, who is a huge point of aspiration for this club. And the goal was to reach that feeling – and it is a feeling.”