Hugh McIlvanney invented new ways of describing sport’s beauty, power and fun | Barney Ronay

The work of McIlvanney, Britain’s most widely cherished sportswriter who died on Thursday aged 84, was marked by a powerful sense of character, place and a vivid internal life

Johan Cruyff once said something very wise about the way the best footballers show a part of themselves on the pitch, revealing their character in outline through the way they apply their craft. The same principle applies in every form of work where human beings immerse themselves in what they do, not least in the simple business of writing.

So it was with Hugh McIlvanney, who died on Thursday aged 84, who remains the most distinct, widely cherished sportswriter Britain has produced and whose work was always marked by such a powerful sense of character, place and a vivid internal life.

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