'I was compared to George Best – but I quit football at 23 to become Jehovah's Witness'
One of the biggest 'What if?' stories in English football history, Peter Knowles had the the world at his feet but traded stardom for religion
Peter Knowles could've been an England legend - but he has no regrets about quitting football to become a Jehovah's Witness aged 23.
The former forward, now 77, was a rising star in the 1960s. Breaking through at Wolves, he earned himself comparisons to Manchester United icon George Best for his talents on the pitch.
His goals, of which he scored 64 in 192 club appearances, earned him a international call up for the under-23s and it was just a matter of time before he made his senior debut for Alf Ramsey's reigning world champions.
But Knowles sacrificed it all after a chance meeting with Jehovah Witnesses completely changed his life. Speaking in 2018, he explained: "At the time, I was an atheist.
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"I didn’t believe in a God. I was happy to be a professional footballer, to play for Wolves. I am not bragging here but I loved it and I was good at it.
"One day, two Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on my door. I said to them: ‘Why did my dad and my two sisters, who’d done nowt wrong, die?’
“They came in and answered that question. They answered another question and then another I had never got an answer to. That’s how I became a Jehovah’s Witness. If I hadn’t met them I’d have carried on playing football."
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The celebrity status which came with being a footballer conflicted with his new beliefs, while Knowles also felt at odds with the "bad attitude towards people" which playing brought out in him.
He often showed a petulant side during games, being booked for dissent which on one occasion included kicking the ball out of the ground after scoring away at Portsmouth
Speaking in an interview with Match of the Day before his final appearance, which came in a 3-3 draw with Nottingham Forest at Molineux on September 6, 1969, he attempted to explain his decision making.
"I know the personality I am, the flair I’ve got, that one day I could break somebody’s leg. And I’d hate this on my mind," he said.
"It’s not the thought of breaking somebody’s leg, it’s just the thought that person could be out of work or a cripple for the rest of his life. I don’t want this on my conscious. I know the personality I am on the football field, that I can do this."
Wolves didn't give up hope of convincing Knowles to return, laying out his kit for the next year and keeping him on contract until he was 36 - but he stuck to his guns.
Instead, Knowles worked a variety of jobs including being a milkman, window cleaner, tile salesman, and an M&S warehouseman. That was a far cry from the grandeur he was set to enjoy.
But he has repeatedly insisted over the last 50-plus years that he wouldn't change anything, claiming: “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve never regretted it. Not once."