STOKE-ON-TRENT (REUTERS) - Crowds of mourning fans joined luminaries of English football for a final farewell on Monday (March 4) to Gordon Banks, a steelworker's son who became one of the world's greatest goalkeepers and will be remembered for his miraculous save against Pele.
Teammates from England's 1966 World Cup win and members of former clubs Stoke and Leicester came to join a cortege from the Stoke stadium to the funeral for Banks, who died aged 81 last month.
"He was so humble, honest to God, he didn't really understand what he had achieved in life and why people made such a fuss of him," friend Terry Conroy, who starred with Banks and scored in Stoke's 1972 League Cup win, told Reuters.
Banks was best known for the stunning one-handed save from a Pele bullet header that bounced awkwardly in front of him during England's group-stage game against Brazil at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
"With the luck of the gods, the angle at which I'd managed to lift that ball was perfect, and it ballooned in the air and over the bar," the genial Banks said in one of the many recountings begged by fans and the media.
Footage shows Banks chuckling afterwards, as England's Bobby Moore jokingly chides him for not catching the ball.
His achievements went far further than stopping Pele.
Â
Â
Â
Banks won 73 international caps, played nearly 500 times for Leicester and Stoke and won two League Cups, before a car crash blinded him in one eye.
He remained in Stoke, a former mining and pottery city, where he would watch games, attend charity events and take a weekly walk round Trentham Gardens.
"He donated his tie to a charity event I was involved in and we raised £200 (S$358.44). Such a gentleman," reminisced Phillip Steele, 76, next to a statue of Banks at the hilltop stadium decked in flags, scarves and flowers.
Favourite saves
Some 2,000 fans were at the stadium to watch proceedings on a big screen. Others lined the route of the funeral procession, which was to stop outside the old Victoria Ground where Banks plied his trade before ending at Stoke Minster for a religious service.
Goalkeepers Jack Butland, Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel were to be pall-bearers. Fellow World Cup winners Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst were also expected.
In a largely working-class city obsessed with football, Banks was viewed as a reminder of simpler days before the Premier League's mega-millions.
Everyone had their favourite save.
"Mine was a penalty he stopped against Geoff Hurst at Stoke's 1972 League Cup semi-final at West Ham," Conroy said. "If he hadn't saved that, we wouldn't have been in the final and won our first trophy in more than 100 years."
Banks used to pick out a 1963 FA Cup semi-final when Leicester scored with their only shot on goal while he single-handedly thwarted chance after chance for Liverpool.
Born in the northern city of Sheffield, Banks worked as a coal packer and apprentice bricklayer as a teenager before an inauspicious start at Chesterfield's reserves: he let in 122 goals in the 1954-55 season. After military service, he got a first-team contract at Chesterfield - for £7 a week.
Anecdotes from Banks' life tell of a different era to that of today's cosseted players. Before kick-off at the 1966 World Cup semi-final, he ran out of the gum he used to chew to generate spit for his hands - so the England trainer popped out of Wembley and down the road to buy some from a news kiosk just in time to stave off Banks' panic.
Cardiff City's Kenneth Zohore struck deep into stoppage time to secure a crucial 2-1 win on Saturday at fellow Premier League strugglers Southampton, who thought they had snatched a point with a
Zohore gives Cardiff win over Southampton in frantic finale
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announced that Virgil van Dijk is doubtful for Wednesday's game against Leicester City. It will mark the first time this season that Van Dijk has missed a Premier League match for Liverpool after helping the club to the top of the standings and a league-best of just 13 goals conceded in 23 games.
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in doubt for Leicester game
Atletico slump to biggest defeat of season against ruthless
Shape up or ship out: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warns his Manchester United squad they must be fit before pre-season or they will not go on tour. dailymail.co.uk - Joe Bernstein. Manchester United players have been given strict training programmes for their summer holidays — and been told to reach peak fitness before they …
Step Up or Ship Out - YouTube
NYTimes.com Site Map. For a comprehensive guide to our site, please see the Site Index.
Subscribe to Read Articles from February 1978 Part 3 - Site
Football: Female staff member of Hougang United charged with CBT over $278,000 clubhouse funds. An employee of Singapore Premier League club Hougang United has been charged over the loss of
Female staff member of Hougang United charged with CBT over
Premier League voices fears over proposed Champions League
Jun 06, 2012 · The Guardian - Back to home. Slaven Bilic: 'Croatia can win it. When we take off, it's an explosion' At Croatia, we have always tried to play and we always look better when our opponents
Croatia (handball) live score, schedule and results - SofaScore
Mar 30, 2019 · Southampton climbed five points clear of the relegation zone and drew level with Brighton after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's goal gave them a priceless victory. Ralph Hasenhüttl surged on to the
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on February 03, 2019, with the headline 'Irving sends teaser with July 1 remark'. Print Edition | Subscribe.
The Teaser Video of Capt. Barrington Irving Flying with the U
Aubameyang brace gives Arsenal win over Burnley Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shot to the top of the Premier League scoring charts with two goals in Saturday's 3-1 home win over struggling Burnley.
MAURIZIO SARRI apologised to angry Chelsea fans who confronted him after the humiliation at Bournemouth. The Italian tactician locked his Blues stars in the dressing room for clear-the-air talks
Maurizio Sarri: Chelsea boss says sorry after Man City rout
But Geylang International Under-18 midfielder Azri Suhaili impressed their senior team's coach Mohd Noor Ali so much that he lasted the full match, becoming the youngest player to do so in the
Mikey Harris: Salisbury manager unfazed at being youngest
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks on at Etihad Stadium in Manchester January 26, 2019. — Action Images pic via Reuters. LONDON Feb 15 — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola predicts his side will "suffer" against fourth-tier Newport County in their FA Cup fifth round match tomorrow but has urged his players to adapt to a battered playing surface at Rodney Parade.
Guardiola expects Man City to suffer in tricky trip to Newport
Man Utd's Martial, Lingard to miss Chelsea, Liverpool matches Manchester United will be without Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard for Monday's FA Cup clash at Chelsea with both sidelined for up to three weeks after picking up injuries during Tuesday's Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.
Football: Man United's Martial, Lingard to miss Chelsea
watch champions league live streaming live free
watch coppa america live streaming tv
watch premier league games live stream
soccer tv live football streaming portugal
watch coppa america live streaming zee5
watch soccer games online free streaming live
free watch champions league live streaming
watch arsenal southampton premier league live stream
watch the champions league live stream
watch uefa champions league draw live streaming youtube
best site to watch live soccer streaming
watch uefa champions league final live streaming free online
watch coppa america live streaming juventus
watch afghanistan premier league live stream
watch champions league live streaming putlockers
watch soccer live streaming kenya vs ethiopia
watch soccer live streaming juventus vs manchester united
watch champions league live streaming jamaica
watch soccer games live stream free
watch champions league live streaming live
watch premier league live streaming youtube
watch coppa america live streaming mexico
watch coppa america live streaming without cable
watch sky sports premier league live streaming
watch premier league live streaming live free
watch coppa america live streaming hd
watch uefa champions league draw live streaming
watch coppa america live streaming bein sport
watch champions league live streaming zee5
watch coppa america live streaming canada
how to watch soccer live streaming free
watch karnataka premier league live streaming
watch champions league draw live streaming
watch coppa america live streaming india vs england
watch english premier league live streaming hd
watch premier league darts live stream
watch champions league live streaming kenya
watch champions league soccer live streaming
watch soccer online free streaming live cricfree
watch coppa america live streaming vivo
watch soccer online free streaming live in english
watch coppa america live streaming free
watch champions league final live streaming
watch coppa america live streaming live free
watch champions league draw live stream total sportek
watch soccer live streaming reddit
watch coppa america live streaming yify
watch uefa champions league quarter final draw live streaming
watch soccer online free streaming live south africa
watch coppa america live streaming mobile
watch coppa america live streaming xbox one
watch champions league live streaming now free
watch live stream soccer games online free
watch coppa america live streaming crictime
watch soccer live streaming xbox
watch coppa america live streaming app
watch soccer online free streaming live p2p
watch coppa america live streaming xbox
watch coppa america live streaming juventus vs manchester united
watch soccer live stream hunter
watch champions league live streaming xfinity
watch soccer online free streaming live batman
watch real madrid vs juventus live streaming of champions league
watch coppa america live streaming hd free
watch sky sports premier league online free streaming live
watch soccer online free streaming live arabic
watch bangladesh premier league live streaming online free
watch soccer online free streaming live manchester united
watch coppa america live streaming zip
watch premier league live streaming yify
watch live soccer stream android
watch coppa america live streaming barcelona
watch live soccer game today
watch champions league live streaming bt sport
watch soccer live streaming xfinity
watch coppa america live streaming indosiar
how to watch premier league live streaming
watch the premier league live stream
watch coppa america live streaming pc
watch live premier league football streaming online for free
watch coppa america live streaming jamaica
watch soccer live streaming qatar
watch coppa america live streaming total sportek
watch coppa america live streaming online
watch coppa america live streaming hotstar
watch champions league live streaming zee tv
watch champions league draw live streaming free
watch soccer am online live streaming
watch coppa america live streaming bt sport
watch live soccer streaming free android
watch premier league live streaming vf
watch champions league live streaming pakistan
watch coppa america live streaming direct
watch champions league live streaming bein sport
free live football streams watch live streaming tv premier league
watch champions league live streaming vk
watch soccer online free streaming live canada
watch coppa america live streaming vf
watch uefa champions league live streaming youtube
watch coppa america live streaming qatar
watch coppa america live streaming world
watch live streaming soccer games
watch us soccer live stream
watch soccer online free streaming live iphone
watch premier league live streaming quality
watch live streaming of premier league football
how to watch uefa champions league live streaming
watch champions league live streaming ptv sports
watch coppa america live streaming espn
watch champions league live streaming cricfree
watch champions league live streaming malaysia
watch coppa america live streaming reddit
watch live english premier league online free streaming
watch soccer online free streaming live liverpool
watch soccer online free streaming live dracula
#afcnews #seriea #freekicks #villarealcf #frasirap #bundesliga #fcbarcelona #footballmemes #oasisofficial #manchestercity #kopisusu #leomessi #mane #fut #cristiano #nutmeg #golazo #coyg #visubal #arsenalfantv #romania #ignoranza #risate #golf #league2 #gym #rockstar #Liverpool #neymar #ucl #premierleague #vip #oudmehta #winner #league1 #coffeebreak #kroenkeout #hotcoffee #gunners #panini #soccer #manchestercity #Barcelona #firmino #zinedinezidane #footballschedule #insegreto #thomasmeunier #salah #livestreaming #pagani #chocolatecoffee #sunderlandafc #cr7 #lovefootball #GarageCafeDxb #nationsleague #mancityvsliverpool #henderson #Vip45 #realmadrid #battuteepiche #Bar #manchestercity #footballdubai #champion #conference #trollfootball #JUVENTUS #footballfans #MyDubai #lfc #soccerbible #zidane #bayernmunich #linkstreaming #londoncity #BMW #premierleague #oasisengland #copaamerica #watchlive #frasitrap #klopp #soccermemes #championsleague #footballstreaming #alissonbecker #liverpool #chocolate #arsenalnews #portsmouthfc #goodday #acmilan
No comments:
Post a Comment