By Adam Shergold
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Sir Geoff Hurst has spoken of the ‘extreme sadness’ he feels when he sees a picture of England‘s 1966 World Cup winners – with the hat-trick hero now the only surviving member.
Hurst famously scored three as Sir Alf Ramsey’s side beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley to win the national men’s team’s only major trophy 58 years ago.
The death of Sir Bobby Charlton at the age of 86 last October following a battle with dementia left Hurst – who spent the bulk of his career at West Ham – as the only remaining hero of 1966.
‘It’s no fun getting old. There’s an element of lottery about it,’ Hurst, 82, told The Times. ‘About how long you’ve got and what you might get.
‘Every time I see a picture [of the 1966 team] or see a game we played, I feel extreme sadness. To go through what we did together… They were a great bunch of lads and a great bunch of players.’
Sir Geoff Hurst (right) with a wreath in remembrance of Sir Bobby Charlton following his 1966 England team-mate’s death last year – Hurst is now the sole survivor of the 1966 team
Hurst famously scored a hat-trick as England beat West Germany 4-2 in the 1966 final
A number of the 1966 England side have died in recent years. Ray Wilson passed away in 2018 aged 83, Gordon Banks (81) and Martin Peters (76) went in 2019, while Jack Charlton (85) and Nobby Stiles (78) died in 2020.
Roger Hunt was 83 when he passed in 2021 and George Cohen the same age when he died in 2022.
Captain Bobby Moore died of bowel cancer aged 51 back in 1993, while Alan Ball suffered a fatal heart attach aged 61 in 2007.
Ramsey himself died of a heart attack in 1999 at the age of 79.
Hurst also reflected on the major changes in football since his playing days.
‘The only thing that is the same is the goalposts,’ said Hurst, an ambassador for AbilityNet, a charity supported by BT Group that offers help with technology for older people.
‘It’s still a fantastic game, although there are one or two things I dislike. One is VAR – I think it’s spoiling the game.
Hurst parades the Jules Rimet trophy with Nobby Stiles, Bobby Moore and Martin Peters in ’66
Hurst opened up on the ‘extreme sadness’ he feels when he thinks about the 1966 team
‘And, second, the diving and feigning of injuries. I find that absolutely disgraceful.’
Gareth Southgate and his England players will try and end that agonising 58-year wait for success at this summer’s European Championship in Germany.
‘I think they’re the best bunch of players we’ve had since ’66, and with Southgate we’ve already got to the semi-final of the World Cup and the final of the Euros.
‘So I am extremely hopeful we could win it. That would be fantastic.’
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
