England face Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday, aiming to lift a major men’s trophy for the first time in 58 years.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at the team that won the 1966 World Cup with a 4-2 victory over West Germany at Wembley Stadium. Of that final team, Sir Geoff Hurst is the only one still surviving.
Gordon Banks
Goalkeeper Banks won 73 caps for England and played 628 club games over a 15-year career, winning League Cups with both Leicester and Stoke. Banks is also known for his spectacular save against Pele’s header during the 1970 World Cup against Brazil. Having led Stoke to victory in the League Cup in 1972, Banks lost an eye in a car accident in October that year, ultimately bringing an end to his professional career. He briefly managed Telford. In 2016, Banks revealed that he was battling kidney cancer for a second time. Banks, who had been Stoke’s chairman since 2000, died in February 2019 at the age of 81.
George Cohen
Fulham full-back Cohen was forced to retire due to injury at the age of 29 after making 459 appearances for the Craven Cottage club. Cohen battled colon cancer for 14 years, beginning in the 1980s. He later chose to sell his World Cup winning medal, but Fulham purchased it and put it on display at Craven Cottage. His nephew, Ben Cohen, helped England win the Rugby World Cup in 2003. Cohen, who was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2000, died in December 2022, aged 83.
Jack Charlton
The elder of the Charlton brothers, Jack played 629 games for Leeds and won 35 caps for England before turning his attention to a successful managerial career. After stints with Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle, Charlton was promoted to manager of the Republic of Ireland and led them to the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Charlton was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1974, an honorary Irish citizen in 1996 and a Freeman of the City of Dublin in 1994. He died in July 2020 at the age of 85 after being diagnosed with lymphoma and dementia.
Bobby Moore
Widely regarded as England’s greatest ever centre-back and one of the greatest players of all time, the World Cup-winning captain Moore died in February 1993 at the age of 51 from bowel and liver cancer. Capped 108 times by West Ham, Moore helped the club win the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup the following season. The defender also played for Fulham and the North American Soccer League before retiring in 1978, before having brief stints as manager of Oxford City and Southend. Moore’s widow, Stephanie, founded the Bobby Moore Foundation in 1993 to raise funds for bowel cancer research and public awareness of the disease.
Ray Wilson
England left-back Wilson was one of the least visible players in the 1966 title-winning team. After retiring from football, Wilson ran a successful funeral business in Huddersfield, retiring in 1997. He lived in Huddersfield and made over 250 appearances for the Terriers, as well as playing for Everton (where he won the FA Cup in 1966), Oldham and briefly for Bradford. He died in May 2018, aged 83, from Alzheimer’s disease.
Nobby Stiles
A key member of Ramsey’s midfield, Styles helped neutralise Eusebio’s threat in the semi-final against Portugal and was also seen dancing on the pitch with the Jules Rimet trophy after England’s victory over West Germany. A member of Manchester United’s 1968 European Cup-winning team, Styles won 28 caps for England and made 392 appearances for the Red Devils before moving to Middlesbrough in 1971. He then pursued a coaching career, with two stints at Preston and then a short stint at West Brom. Styles also coached United’s youth teams, overseeing the development of the famed Class of ’92, which included David Beckham and the Neville brothers. Styles died in October 2020 at the age of 78 after a long battle with illness following a stroke, prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Alan Ball
The youngest member of the 1966 squad, Ball was just 21 when England were crowned world champions. The midfielder moved to Everton and became part of the Merseyside club’s “Holy Trinity” alongside Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall, who helped the team win the league in 1970. Ball later moved to Arsenal, where he reached the 1972 FA Cup final. He also had spells with Southampton in the US, his former club Blackpool and Bristol Rovers before retiring. He spent 15 years as a manager, most notably with Portsmouth, rivals Southampton and two spells with Manchester City. Ball died in 2007, aged 61, after suffering a heart attack while trying to put out a bonfire in his garden.
Sir Bobby Charlton
Jack’s younger brother Bobby played at Manchester United and later became a director. Bobby played 106 international games between 1958 and 1970 and was England’s record scorer until he was overtaken by Wayne Rooney, who eventually surpassed Charlton’s total number of goals for the club. A survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, Charlton won the Ballon d’Or in 1966 and helped rebuild the club after the tragedy, scoring two goals as United beat Benfica to win the 1968 European Cup. After retiring, he had short stints as manager of Preston and Wigan. In early November 2020, his wife, Norma, confirmed that Charlton had been diagnosed with dementia. The news came just two days after Stiles’ death. Charlton’s death at the age of 86 was announced on 21 October 2023, sparking tributes from across the sporting world.
Martin Peters
Renowned as a complete midfielder, Peters scored England’s second goal in the final and played alongside Moore and Geoff Hurst at West Ham. He joined Tottenham in 1970 and won the UEFA Cup and League Cup twice before moving to Norwich, where he made over 200 appearances, and later served as player-coach at Sheffield United. Capped 67 times by England, Peters worked in the insurance industry after retiring but maintained a connection with his former club as an ambassador. Peters was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease three years ago and passed away in December 2019, aged 76.
Sir Geoff Hurst
Hurst, the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final until France’s Kylian Mbappé does so in December 2022, made more than 400 appearances for West Ham before joining Stoke in 1972 and later playing in the United States. Like his good friend Peters, Hurst worked in the insurance industry and after retiring he managed Telford, Chelsea and Kuwait. Knighted in 2004, the 82-year-old Hurst now lives near Cheltenham. Capped 49 times by England, Hurst continues to raise awareness for charities fighting the disease that afflicted some of his 1966 team-mates.
Roger Hunt
Striker Hunt made more than 400 appearances for Liverpool, winning two titles and an FA Cup, and held the club’s Anfield scoring record until overtaken by Ian Rush. Hunt, who won 34 caps for England and later played for Bolton and briefly in South Africa, joined the family’s haulage business after retiring from football. Hunt was awarded an MBE in 2000 and inducted into the England Hall of Fame six years later, living in Lancashire away from the football spotlight. On 28 September 2021, Liverpool announced that Hunt had died at the age of 83 after a long illness.
A former Southampton and Tottenham full-back, Ramsey gained managerial experience at Ipswich, leading the Suffolk club from Third Division South to First Division champions in 1962. Ramsey led England to the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup, where they lost 3–2 to West Germany despite leading 2–0. After England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, Ramsey left the Football Association, subsequently working for Birmingham and Greek club Panathinaikos. Ramsey returned to Ipswich to spend his retirement years. He died in April 1999, aged 79, after suffering a stroke and battling Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer.