| Across the world, Sir Geoff Hurst certainly needs no introduction. He is a sporting legend who is still the only player ever to score a hat trick in a World Cup final.
Sir Geoff made his name with club side West Ham United, with whom he played 499 league and cup appearances, scoring 248 goals. He was Player of the year three times and won the F.A. Cup with West Ham in 1964 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1965.
However, it was playing in the national side that launched Sir Geoff as a world football icon - not only as being part of the England team that won the World Cup in 1966 but also scoring a hat trick in that final. Hence Kenneth Wolstenholme 's immortal words "They think it's all over --- it is now".
In the autumn of 1998 the BBC announced that the England fourth goal (Sir Geoff's third) with Kenneth uttering those immortal words, has been the most shown/popular sporting piece of footage ever seen on the T.V.
It has probably been shown more times than any other sporting footage.
After leaving West Ham, Sir Geoff then played for Stoke City with 100 appearances & 30 goals and then West Bromwich Albion for one year. Then he was player/ manager for Telford and also had a spell playing in America and Kuwait.
He became the assistant coach to the England National Team under Ron Greenwood from 1977 to 1982, and then became the manager of Chelsea for two years.
He has undertaken a number of speaking engagements across the world for many companies, including Proctor and Gamble, Toyota, The World Sponsorship Council, Lloyds Bank.
Some of the speeches were just an entertaining after dinner speech whilst others more of a motivational address. The standing ovations he received proved that Sir Geoff Hurst is far more than a footballer that got lucky on one hot July afternoon.
Geoff received his knighthood in 1998. |
Great Britain