England fans do not have much major tournament success to cling on to but the triumph at the 1966 World Cup remains the centrepiece of national footballing pride.
But where are those heroes who won England’s only global football trophy more than 50 years ago?
Goalkeeper – Gordon Banks, Leicester City
Lauded as England’s greatest ever goalkeeper, Banks left Leicester City the year after winning the World Cup. He had been dropped for Peter Shilton and was told to move on. He joined Stoke despite interest from Bill Shankly’s Liverpool and ended up making 250 appearances and winning the 1972 League Cup.
After retiring, he spent a brief period in coaching with Port Vale and then Telford United, but ended up walking away from the game in the 1980s. He did return to Stoke as president from 2000 until he died on 12 February 2019.
Defender – George Cohen, Fulham
In a side that lacked natural width in midfield, the likes of Cohen were crucial to manager Alf Ramsey. Sadly, injury forced Cohen, a one-club man for his whole career, into retirement just three years after topping the world with England. He spent some time in coaching with Fulham, England and in non-league, but is more often seen raising money for dementia causes, a disease that has affected so many of his teammates.
Defender – Bobby Moore, West Ham
Moore went on to win a total of 108 England caps, a record for an outfield player that stood until 2009 when David Beckham surpassed it. The majority of his club career was spent at West Ham, where the No 6 shirt has now been retired in his honour, although he did spend three years at Fulham and some time playing in the USA. Like so many of the 66 heroes, management did not appear to be his calling with Oxford and Southend his only jobs in England. Moore died of cancer at the age of just 51 on 24 February 1993.
Defender – Jack Charlton, Leeds United
Unlike Moore, Charlton Sr did enjoy success as a manager after his playing career ended in 1973. After spells in charge of Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United, he went on to spend a decade with the Republic of Ireland, the highlights a 1-0 win over England at Euro 88 and a run to the World Cup quarter-finals two years later. A long-running personal feud with his brother and teammate Bobby is said to have driven the pair apart. Jack Charlton died on 10 July 2020.
Defender – Ray Wilson, Everton
Wilson had been part of the FA Cup-winning side in 1966 and was already a well-established international coming into the tournament. However, a series of injuries saw him released for free in 1969 and his career petered out at Oldham and then Bradford City. Wilson took an unusual path after retiring, running an undertakers in Huddersfield until retiring. He passed away on 15 May 2018 after suffering with Alzheimer’s for the last 14 years of his life.
Midfielder – Alan Ball, Blackpool
Still just 21 when he lifted the trophy, Ball was bought by Everton in the aftermath of the World Cup, winning the title there, and went on to Arsenal five years later. After spells at a number of other clubs, including Blackpool again, he worked as a manager for more than a decade with lengthy spells at Portsmouth, Exeter, Southampton and a season at Manchester City in the Premier League. He tragically died in 2007 at the age of 61 having suffered a heart attack while trying to put out a bonfire in his garden.
Midfielder – Nobby Stiles, Manchester United
Stiles is best remembered for his performance in the semi-final against Portugal, nullifying the prolific Eusebio, and for the pictures of him dancing on the pitch with the World Cup. (Referenced in the song “Three Lions” by the lyric “Bobby belting the ball, And Nobby dancing!”) He was part of United’s European Cup-winning side of 1968 and left the club in 1971 just five short of 400 appearances. He had a brief foray into management, but admitted that his time in charge of West Brom had brought on a bout of depression and he never took a top job again. Instead, he worked as a youth team coach at United, helping to produce the so-called Class of ’92. After suffering a stroke and prostate cancer, Stiles was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Stiles passed away on 30 October 2020.
Midfielder – Bobby Charlton, Manchester United
Charlton was already an England and Manchester United legend by the time he won the World Cup, and added another league title and the European Cup to his achievements after. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 66 and was runner up for the next two years. When he finally retired, he had scored 309 goals in 913 games as a professional. Charlton is still an influential figure at United, where there is a stand named after him, having sat on the board of directors since 1984.
Midfielder – Martin Peters, West Ham
Peter left fellow World Cup winners Hurst and Moore at West Ham in 1970 and moved to Tottenham, where he was part of the Uefa Cup winning side and twice won the League Cup. He ended his career as player-manager in the Third Division with Sheffield United in 1981. After retiring, he worked in insurance but remained involved upstairs at both Spurs and West Ham. Peters was another to suffer from Alzheimer’s in later life and he died at the age of 76 on 21 December 2019.
Striker – Geoff Hurst, West Ham
Fame and fortune beckoned for the man who had scored 40 in 59 leading up to the World Cup and then a hat-trick in the final but West Ham turned down a considerable offer from Matt Busby’s Manchester United. Instead he stayed at Upton Park, but did not add any further silverware before moving to Stoke in 1972. He eventually retired after a spell in the US in 1976 and, like so many of his teammates, made only a fleeting impact on the management side of the game, with Telford United and then Chelsea, instead opting to pursue a career in finance.
Striker – Roger Hunt, Liverpool
It seems a million miles away that Hunt started his career scoring 41 goals in the 61-62 season to help Liverpool out of the Second Division. He remained a prolific goalscorer in the top flight too, winning the title twice and the FA Cup. He was the club’s record goalscorer until Ian Rush bettered his 286-goal tally in 1992. A private man, Hunt now lives near Warrington with his wife Rowan.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3e9i1Yg
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