RIP Gordon Banks: England’s World Cup-Winning Goalkeeper Passes Away Aged 81

Chris Wright

12th, February 2019

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Unfortunately, we’re kicking off Tuesday with the unwelcome news that Gordon Banks, one of the finest English goalkeepers of all time, has passed away at the age of 81.

Famed as England’s World Cup-winning ‘keeper in 1966 and for *that* iconic save against Pele at the 1970 finals, Banks also won the FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year award on no less than six occasions.

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Added to that, he also won two League Cups with both Leicester and Stoke City as well as being named FWA Footballer of the Year with the Potters in 1972 – the season that Leeds and Derby dominated the domestic scene.

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Here’s Banks taking us through that Pele save in forensic detail, but still in the typical jovial, humble, self-deprecating fashion that was entirely his own…

RIP Gordon Banks, 1937-2019

Suggested further reading…

Retro Football Photos: Gordon Banks Dives To ‘Save’ Runaway Dog During Match Against Manchester United, 1965
20 Beautiful Vintage Photos Of Goalkeepers In Full Flight
Retro Photos: Car Crash Robs Great Gordon Banks Of Sight In Right Eye, 1972