Sir Geoff Hurst, the last surviving member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team, has delivered an emotional message to the current squad: win the World Cup for the 'Boys of 66'. The 84-year-old legend, who scored a hat-trick in the final, spoke exclusively to the Mirror at the same hotel where the victory banquet was held after the 1966 triumph at Wembley.
Emotional Appeal from a Legend
Fighting back tears, Hurst said: "It's so sad I'm the last survivor from 1966. But we can win it and I hope we do." He pulled out his mobile phone to show a black-and-white photo of himself, his wife, and teammate Martin Peters on the night of the match. "People say to me: 'you don't want them to win it?' No one would be happier than me if we were successful. All the lads would have said the same," he added with a joke: "I've had a good run."
Message to Thomas Tuchel and the Squad
Hurst urged manager Thomas Tuchel, captain Harry Kane, and the entire squad to seize the moment. "You're playing in the biggest sporting tournament in the world. The whole country is behind you," he said. "It's an opportunity to do what we did all those years ago. Get your mindset right, work hard, and you can do it. We do have a chance. Anything less than a semi-final would be a bitter disappointment."
Life-Changing Victory
Reflecting on the impact of winning, Hurst said: "Winning it certainly does change your life. People come up to me and say 'I was at Wembley that day.' Just the other day, a guy in Waitrose said I gave him the best day of his life. It's 60 years since we last won — it's crazy that a major footballing nation hasn't won it since."
Team Spirit and Comparisons to 1966
Hurst noted similarities between Tuchel and 1966 manager Sir Alf Ramsey, both emphasizing teamwork over individual stars. "It's evident that Tuchel and Ramsey went down the same route. We had team spirit and great camaraderie, which is vitally important. Tuchel has touched on that."
Memorabilia and Memories
Speaking at a World Cup Budd's auction surrounded by shirts and memorabilia, Hurst recalled the red shirts worn in 1966. "We lost the toss to wear white, so red became part of our history forever." Among the items were Alan Ball's 1966 final shirt and Gordon Banks' 'save of the century' shirt from 1970.
Hurst also thanked the Mirror for recovering the 1966 match ball from a German garage in 1996. He remembered the German player Helmut Haller taking the ball after scoring the first goal, and later recreating the goal with West German goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski at a pitch in Hatfield Heath. "It was great fun, but it certainly wasn't Wembley!"
On his controversial 'did-it-cross-the-line' goal, Hurst said simply: "People ask me about VAR. If we had VAR today, it would have clearly been over the line."
