News about Gordon Banks

Footballers today are too namby-pamby, and they're badly marred by gamesmanship. The sight of players diving to gain an advantage - to get a foul or win a penalty - is disgraceful. Stratospheric salaries have created a huge gap between the players and the fans whose season tickets and TV subscriptions pay their wages. The afternoon after my hat-trick, I went home to Hornchurch and mowed the lawn. The car looked like it could use a wash, so I did that, too. I think it's safe to say Judith's experience had almost nothing in common with the glamorous life of a modern footballer's wife.

JOE BERNSTEIN: Tens of thousands of Mail Sport readers have voted over the summer to choose the greatest ever player at every current Premier League club. Thank you to everyone who participated either through our online poll or by email. With the 2024-25 top-flight season beginning on Friday, August 16, we are revealing all the winners this week.

Mail Sport with the help of our readers is on a mission to find the greatest player of all-time at each of the 20 Premier League clubs. Today it's the turn to look at the legends of Leicester City, from Arthur Rowley and World Cup winner Gordon Banks to through to Jamie Vardy and his 5,000-1 Premier League title winners And once you've made up your mind who is all the best-ever, it's time to vote...

MATT BARLOW AND CRAIG HOPE: Spain will go into the Euro 2024 final against England as favourites having won all six of their matches so far. England, however, are not to be underestimated. They too are undefeated, and possess the quality to cause any side problems on their day. Bar one or two tweaks, both managers have named largely unchanged sides throughout the tournament, and the same is expected on Sunday evening.

Sir Geoff Hurst (pictured left and right, centre) shared how he is filled with 'great sadness' when he looks back on memories of his early career as the last surviving member of the 1966 World Cup-winning team. The England striker 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. But 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 from the final-winning team.

Just two months before she was killed by her son, Suzanne Henry (pictured, left) pleaded with him to stop taking drugs. 'Please, please don't do any drugs tonight,' she said in a text message to Finn (right and inset), then aged just 20. But her pleas were in vain and despite his assurances he was 'only having a smoke' he snorted Ketamine as he did most days. Weeks later, he went on another 'bender' which left him fitting in the car park of a Morrisons supermarket at 3pm in front of shocked shoppers and staff. Paramedics were called but he refused to go to hospital, instead taking more drugs - snorting it while driving his car, using his knees to steady the steering wheel as he did. Hours later he returned to his family home where he beat his petite mother to death with his fists. The six-minute assault by the experienced boxer was heard by neighbours across the street and left his mother with a severe brain injury from which she would never recover.

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.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT BARLOW: Jimmy Rimmer reaches out a hand and apologises for the state of his grip. 'Like the hands you see in horror films,' he says drily, running a finger along some of the artificial joints. 'It's not pretty is it? That's plastic in there, and that, and that's been frozen,' explains the 76-year-old former Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa goalkeeper. 'At least I'm still alive,' he laughs. 'They only gave me two days to live, you know.' This seems like a good place to start. Rimmer was living in Vancouver when he suffered a heart attack, collapsing as he climbed out of his Jeep on a routine trip to the bank.

IAN HERBERT: Pele, the 25-year-old boy who stepped out from a wooden cabin on Scotland's west coast in 1966, was immaculately dressed as the Brazilian football team was back then, boots polished to a shine, and white towel in hand. He was already a superstar on his own when he competed for the Jules Rimet trophy on English soil in July, but the Brazilian team had to prepare for Troon's improvable surrounds. The climate was supposed to suit them, but the Marine, a fine hotel, was still standing two miles up the road today, although it was not made clear that it would. They were unemployed, according to the news. It was the talk of a hosiery factory near Kilmarnock, where Elsie Cook, a knitter, became aware of the alert when one of the company's mechanics noticed it while trying to repair one of the machines.

ALAN MULLERY: Brazil shirts have always been yellow and green. The shorts have always been blue. Why would you change that unless you had no option? I can't believe it. Is it about the money? Ah, because I'm afraid when money comes into play, it's all makes sense. These colors represent Brazil and nobody else. Many football shirts aren't about to say so, but you can't say that about them.

BRITAIN VINER: If all goes according to plan, Jordan Pickford will become England's fifth most-capped goalkeeper, defeating Ray Clemence and the mighty Gordon Banks. But does the Everton No 1 get even half the respect Clemence received for his sterling international service, let alone Banks? Far from it.

Imagine a world where Lionel Messi could keep the goal like Gordon Banks. Where Chris Froome could win titles both on a mountain bike and a motorized one on the Isle of Man, or where Lewis Hamilton sandwiched Formula One races between hoovering up world rally championships. What price would you pay for such glorious all-round talent?How about $700million?Todd Boehly's resume in Chelsea's transfer market leaves a lot to be desired, but with his latest capture, he might be right on the money.

In her team's 3-2 loss to Fenerbahce on Monday, Besiktas midfielder Donjeta Halilaj scored one of the season's most controversial goals. Fenerbahce goalkeeper Goknur Guleryuz snuck out from behind, dragged the ball out of her hand and cranked it into the unattended net to halve the deficit, with the final seconds ticking down and her side boasting a convincing 3-1 lead.

Sir Bobby Charlton's death at the age of 86 leaves only one surviving member of England's 1966 World Cup final triumph over Germany. Sir Geoff Hurst, the team's longest player from the side that famously defeated West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley, is now the only living player from the team. Sir Bobby's family reported his death on Saturday.

Despite being sick, the 1966 World Cup winner bravely posed for snaps as he obtained his coronavirus vaccine in 2021. Sir Bobby, who was dressed in a white shirt and red jacket as he held an NHS leaflet about the jabs. It came a year after his wife Norma announced that the footballer had been diagnosed with the illness, which also claimed the lives of his brother Jack in 2020. Lady Norma, Suzanne and Andrea, and his grandchildren are the England and Manchester United players.

BY MATT BARLOW: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: During Sir Alf Ramsey's call to Alan Mullery, the England team was in Rio de Janeiro and gave instructions to hold Pele private. 'You'd know he wasn't a man who said a lot if you'd attended any of Alf's press conferences,' Mullery says. "Get out there and get in his shorts, follow him everywhere, because if they lose him and we lose you, we will win." "I followed him everywhere, and when halftime came, I followed him into Brazil's dressing room.' As I came out, Alf wanted to know where I had been. I told him I'd been doing what he asked!'

BY JEFF POWELL – The genius who was otherwise unknown as Pele was born with the gift of amazement. Residents of a poverty-stricken barrio in Sao Paulo would scream as a child from the shanty next door pulled off magical feats in a dusty street with either a rolled up sock or a grapefruit. Goals were from nowhere for Santos first team's 15-year-old boy whose family could not afford a football. He was 16, and he was playing for Brazil at the age of 17. He had scored six goals in four matches in Sweden 1958, becoming Sweden's youngest ever World Cup champion. Pele was only just getting off, but it was just getting off.