Gordon Banks, the England football team's goalkeeper when they won the 1966 World Cup, died aged 81.
His former club Stoke announced this on Tuesday (Feb 12) and Banks' family said he died peacefully in his sleep overnight.
Here are seven things about the former star.
1. Â Was picked up by amateur side Millspaugh after their regular goalkeeper went AWOL
He was a teenager then. A Millspaugh coach recognised Banks among the spectators and remembered he played for Sheffield Schoolboys. This was in the 1950s, and Banks had already left school by age 15 and was also working as a bagger with a local coal merchant.
2. Banks' first professional club was Chesterfield
This is where he signed a part-time £3-a-week contract in 1953.
However, he had to start from the reserves, where he conceded 122 goals in the 1954-55 season as they finished bottom of the Central League. Nevertheless, he improved and was awarded his first team debut in 1958.
3. He moved to Leicester City in 1959
He made the move for a £7,000 transfer fee and saw his wages increased to £15 a week. His career took off with the Foxes as he put in extra hours after training and devised his own drills in an era where there was no goalkeeping coaches.
Gordon Banks vs Pele World Cup Save
Banks was called up to the England team and made his international debut in a 2-1 loss to Scotland in 1963. He set the record straight when he ended his international career with 73 caps and a 1-0 win over the Scots in 1972.
4. Won his first piece of silverware via the 1964 League Cup with Leicester
That preceded the biggest prize of them all - the 1966 World Cup. By now, Banks was England No. 1 and kept four straight clean sheets in the three group games and quarter-final.
There was some concern ahead of the semi-final against Portugal when a coach forgot and had to rush to buy chewing gum which Banks used to make his gloves stickier and improve his handling. Banks was beaten only by an Eusebio penalty, ending an England record of 721 minutes without conceding and the Three Lions won 2-1. They would go on and beat West Germany 4-2 in the final.
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5. Despite winning the World Cup, he was dropped
Leicester dropped him at the end of the 1966/67 season with Peter Shilton on the rise. He won the League Cup again in 1972 and during his time with the Potters, he also played on loan in America with the Cleveland Stokers and in South Africa with Hellenic.
6. His was possibly the first goalkeeping save that went viral
Banks scrambled to his right to flick Pele's header, which was planted at almost ground level, over the bar. Pele was already celebrating and later called it the greatest save ever, while England captain Bobby Moore merely quipped: "You're getting old, Banksy, you used to hold on to them."
Brazil would win that 1970 World Cup group game 1-0 and go on to win their third world title.
7. A car crash in October 1972 took away the sight in his right eye and his professional career
Incredibly, he returned to play for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1977 and 1978 with just one good eye, and even won the North American Soccer League Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977 for the best defensive record.
Gordon Banks earned just £100-a-week, lost his eye in a car crash and was forced to sell his 1966 World Cup medal. But he was a true inspirational hero with the REAL hands of God
Football: Gordon Banks' illustrious career extended beyond iconic save Gordon Banks, the England football team's goalkeeper when they won the 1966 World Cup, died aged 81. His former club Stoke announced this on Tuesday (Feb 12) and Banks' family said he died peacefully in his sleep overnight.
Football: England bids farewell to World Cup-winning 'keeper
Gordon Banks tribute: A man whose golden legacy extended far beyond one of the best saves of all time. From the moment he emerged at Chesterfield and then Leicester City in the late 1950s, Banks
Gordon Banks tribute: A man whose golden legacy extended far
sportstons.com/soccer/gordon-banks-tribute-a-man-whose-golden-legacy-extended-far-beyond-one-of-the-best-saves-of-all-time/
Gordon Banks tribute: A man whose golden legacy extended far beyond one of the best saves of all time The most powerful tributes to Gordon Banks came not from the team-mates who played with him, or the strikers who were thwarted by him, or the journalists who chronicled his 20-year career for club and country.
Gordon Banks tribute: A man whose golden legacy extended far
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Football: Gordon Banks' illustrious career extended beyond
Gordon Banks, the England football team's goalkeeper when they won the 1966 World Cup, died aged 81. His former club Stoke announced this on Tuesday (Feb 12) and Banks' family said he died
Football: Gordon Banks' illustrious career extended beyond
Banks
That meant the end of Banks' illustrious career in England at the age of just 34, although he did enjoy a swansong in the North American Soccer League, representing Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1977 and 1978 and renewing acquaintances with the likes of George Best, Pele and Carlos Alberto.
Gordon Banks was a true inspirational hero with the REAL
The most powerful tributes to Gordon Banks came not from the team-mates who played with him, or the strikers who were thwarted by him, or the journalists who chronicled his 20-year career for club
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Gordon Banks tribute: A man whose golden legacy extended far
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