Back when a 4-4-2 was the staple diet, Sir Geoff Hurst would not have been allowed to lead his team’s frontline without a mate to accompany him – now he is the ultimate lone striker.
The West Ham United and England legend is, quite literally, in a league of his own. At the age of 82 years old, Hurst has retained the tall and slender figure that helped him barrage opposing defenders at a time when two-footed tackles were barely acknowledged and a leg breaker would just about earn a yellow card.
Hurst’s life is one of absolute triumph and unprecedented joy. Up until Kylian Mbappe’s performance in 2022, the ex-striker was the only player in history to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final when he notched three against West Germany on that beautiful afternoon at Wembley Stadium.
His eyes light up when he talks about his iconic hat-trick sealing goal, his controversial second which may or may not have crossed the line and the incredible celebrations he had with his team-mates. When his stories reach their climax, reality painfully reminds him that, since the death of Sir Bobby Charlton at the age of 86 in October last year, Hurst is now the only player from Sir Alf Ramsey’s team who can tell the tale. Now he reflects on those memories with his beloved wife Judith, who he married two years before that World Cup triumph.
In an exclusive interview with Mirror Football at Wembley Stadium, Hurst, who was promoting Budweiser’s Bring it Home campaign ahead of Euro 2024, looked back on his former team-mates and friends who are no longer with us. “It’s very sad, naturally,” Hurst replied, thinking about all those years.
“I spent so much time with those players, not just playing but we had many golf days afterwards for many, many years. Every time now I see a picture of the team or just the two or three of us doing something that we did in all the pictures over the years, it fills me with great sadness.
“Yeah, it’s as simple as that, really. It’s extremely sad. They’ve all gone. I’m still not the oldest yet. I’ve still got a bit to go. You know Jack (Charlton) was older than me, George (Cohen) was older, Ray (Wilson) was older, so I’ve still got a bit to go to be the oldest one.”
Hurst officially became the only living player from the boys of 66 when Charlton passed away soon after suffering an accidental fall in his Knutsford nursing home. Sadly, it had been many years since Hurst had spoken with the Manchester Unitedlegend.
When asked if he could remember his final conversation with Charlton, Hurst took a deep breath and said: “No. Once we finished the golf days I didn’t see or hear much of him. I started to become aware things were not right when I started looking at him at the Manchester United games in the crowd.
“They’d always focus naturally on Bobby. Then all of a sudden, you know, he’s not there. Nothing much was said, it was kept very, very sensibly quiet on everything. So there was very little contact after we really finished the golf days, many years before. But, Bobby Charlton, I mean, he was just unbelievable. You just talk about him. One of our true greats then and forever.
“For Man United, 750 games, 250 Goals from midfield. England, 106 games, 49 goals from midfield. Harry Kane’s beaten his record now, but he’s a front player. Wayne’s beaten his other record, but, again, he was a front player and Bobby scored all of his from midfield. Astonishing.”
Hurst was on the bench for the opening three matches of the tournament. He had to play second fiddle to the great Jimmy Greaves, who was considered one of the best strikers in the world.
But a splendid performance and the winning goal against Argentina in the quarter-finals that was followed up by an assist against Portugal in the semi-finals meant Ramsey had no choice but to deploy him in the final. The England boss’ staggering decision to choose Hurst over Greaves, at a time when there were no substitutions in football, was repaid with Hurst’s hat-trick.
Hurst can recite the tiny movements and intricate details of his goals like he had scored them yesterday. For Hurst, it is no longer about him. He wants to see Gareth Southgate emulate Ramsey, Jude Bellingham emulate Charlton and Kane emulate his astounding ruthlessness in front of goal.
“I focus on that expression we use now bring it home,” Hurst added, referring to the campaign. “We want to win the Euros. We’ve had enough disappointments, so it would be really fantastic if we can. And I want to say to the players ‘Come on!’
“We’ve got a very good squad. We talked about the squad, it’s one of the best squads that we have had for some time and the team spirit is very good. We’re favourites, that doesn’t mean we’re going to win, but we’re favourites. So it is about time. I’d like to see us win a major trophy in my lifetime. I’m 82 now, so I never thought we’d be talking about this 60 years after winning it.”
