Former United star Albert Johanneson will be commemorated by the FA, the PFA and the Football Unites, Racism Divides project at the National Football Museum on Thursday evening.

Members of Albert’s family have been flown over from the USA to present his 1965 FA Cup runners’ up medal, 50 years on from the winger making history by becoming the first black player to appear in an FA Cup final.

His family will then be special guests at Saturday’s Wembley showpiece between Arsenal and Aston Villa. A specially-commissioned comic ‘Hurry Hurry Albert’, which charts his days growing up in apartheid South Africa, will also be launched.

Speaking to TheFA.com, former United striker Brian Deane recalled Albert’s influence on his own career.

"As young, football-crazy lads growing up in Chapeltown, Leeds, in the early 1970s, Albert Johanneson was a name that we were all familiar with," he said.

"Although his career was over, we knew he had been a great player for Leeds United and an inspiration for the next generation of black footballing talent in the city.

"He was a true pioneer, and one can only imagine how hard it must have been for Albert as the only black person in the stadium, never mind just on the pitch, in an age when there was open hostility against people purely because of the colour of their skin.

“I know he received some terrible stick from opposing fans, but he persevered and became a hero both to the Leeds supporters and the black community in the city and beyond.

"It is brilliant that his achievements are now being recognised, 50 years after being the first black footballer to appear in a Wembley Cup Final."

Click here to read our recent feature on Albert Johanneson becoming the first black player to feature in an FA Cup final.