Frank Soo: England's pioneer who died with a tale untold
The article also revealed that the honeymoon would be spent in Bournemouth. The media rarely published details about footballers' personal lives, but Soo's stardom caused this excitement.
His Chinese heritage was part of the intrigue.
"It was regarded as a novelty," said Susan Gardiner, author of The Wanderer: The Story of Frank Soo.
"They were intrigued by the fact that this very young, talented Chinese player had joined Stoke City... rather than [being] hostile towards him."
Nevertheless, Soo had to deal with regular references to his race and his name being used in disrespectful pun-filled headlines.
Ronnie Soo, Frank's nephew, said in the documentary Frank Soo: The Forgotten Legend, external that there were "cartoons of him as a Chinese character with a football at his feet".
Generally, Soo received positive coverage and, seen grinning in photographs of the time, it is easy to understand why he was referred to as 'The Smiler'.
Soo served in the Royal Air Force in World War Two but continued to play club football after the Football Association suspended the Football League and organised regional Wartime Leagues. He also captained the Royal Air Force and Forces XI.
Soo played nine games for England, including a 3-2 win over Scotland in front of 133,000 fans at Hampden Park in 1944.
However, because he only played during the war and games were deemed unofficial by the FA, those appearances were never recognised with caps.
The usual club competitions were suspended at the outbreak of war and the practicalities of conflict affected international games.
"Players in the services or civilian work could only play if it did not interfere with their military service or war work," said Dr Alexander Jackson, curator at the National Football Museum and author of Football's Great War.
"While the FA encouraged good relations with the armed forces and the release of service players for international games, due to their value in raising morale and raising funds for charity, it could not compel the forces to release a player.
"The deployment of military personal abroad, and the loss of players through military service, meant that the FA was restricted in who it could select.
"The war would have placed obstacles in the way of FA selectors observing players and recommending them for international honours in the same way as in peacetime."
Soo was 25 when war broke out, the peak of many playing careers. By the time the war was over, he was 31.
He still came close to making his England career official. Called up for another peacetime England international in 1946, Soo pulled out with an ankle injury and was replaced by bright young star Billy Wright.
Wright, a future England captain, won his first official cap against Ireland eight months later, supplanting Soo in the team and ensuring his international career would never be officially recognised.
