Former Wolves captain Bailey dies aged 84

• Published 17 August 2026

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Mike Bailey has died at the age of 84 after a long illness.

The midfielder, who was capped twice by England, started his career at Charlton Athletic before moving to Molineux in 1966.

He made 436 appearances and scored 25 goals for Wolves, lifting the League Cup in 1974, after helping the West Midlands club reach the Uefa Cup final two years earlier.

"As Wolves enjoyed a revival in the English game in the late 1960s and 1970s, Bailey was the club's leader on the pitch, with the midfielder enjoying an incredible Old Gold career spanning 11 years," Wolves said in a statement.

"During that popular Wolves stint, Bailey was known by those on the Molineux terraces for his love of a tackle, creative passing and eye for the occasional spectacular strike, but more than all that, his leadership."

Bailey went on to have a brief stint in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with Minnesota Kicks before returning to England to become player-manager of Hereford.

He later took charge of Charlton, Brighton, Greek club OFI and non-league side Leatherhead.

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• Football
• Wolverhampton Wanderers
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