Sir Geoff Hurst will forever be at the centre of English football’s greatest-ever achievement.
The former West Ham striker’s iconic hat-trick saw the Three Lions conquer the world at Wembley 60 summers ago, but just months earlier, his place at the 1966 World Cup was far from assured.
It would take patience, preparation and an unfortunate injury to Jimmy Greaves for Hurst to get his opportunity under Sir Alf Ramsey.
Geoff Hurst on waiting for his England chance
As Hurst looks back on his rise into the England starting XI that summer, he admits that he was eager to keep his expectations in check in the run-up to the tournament,
“Well, you don’t get too far ahead of yourself,” Hurst tells FourFourTwo. “You might find it surprising but, although we were successful at West Ham, it was never really on my radar.”
Hurst’s approach of letting his club football at Upton Park do the talking would pay off, though, as the call did come just in time.
“It was quite a surprise when I received a letter from the FA in December ‘65 saying I was picked for the game in February against West Germany at Wembley. You come and play and do your best, and hopefully the manager sees enough in you.
“Thankfully, he did. It wasn’t just me, either. Martin Peters, my team-mate at West Ham and room-mate on England duty, played his first game in May that year. He went on to score the other goal in the final, of course. We were cutting it fine!”
While Hurst was named in Ramsey’s 22-man squad for the World Cup, he didn’t actually start a game until the quarter-final win over Argentina, after first-choice striker Jimmy Greaves injured himself in the final group game. But was that a source of frustration for Hurst?
“Not for one second,” he insists. “I was honestly just so ecstatic to be in the squad for a home World Cup.
“I often joke that Alf Ramsay picked two average players ahead of me, in Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt, before finally getting it right. But, of course, those two were phenomenal strikers and I was thrilled to support the team however I could.
“That was a good attitude because, when your chance comes in life, you have to be ready to take it and I did.
“Saying that, I was honestly so sad for the great Jimmy Greaves, who damaged his leg against France. He deserved to play on.”