In the first part of the new articles focusing on historical figures in sports, we will introduce the legend of British football – Gordon Banks.
Natural talent
Gordon was born in 1937 in Sheffield. He entered professional football 20 years later when he was accepted into the Chesterfield FC first team in 1958. A year later, he was sold for a laughable 7,000 pounds to Leicester City, where he played nearly 300 matches over 8 years. In 1966, he took a break to participate in the World Cup on home soil, which he won with the England national team. By the way, he only conceded two goals throughout the tournament.
At the peak
Later, as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, he transferred to Stoke City, specifically in 1967. The transfer fee was 50,000 pounds. In 1970, he went to another World Cup, which he didn't win, but he made history with several fantastic saves. The most famous one is still remembered in England during matches against the canaries, as he saved a powerful and perfectly placed header from the world legend – Pelé – in a group match against Brazil. He fell ill during the tournament, so he missed the knockout stage, where his team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by West Germany.
Premature end
In 1971 and 1972, he had a fantastic season and won the League Cup with Stoke, which remains the only prestigious trophy for the club to this day. However, his career ended that same year – in October 1972, he suffered a serious eye injury in a car accident, which forced him to retire from professional football for good. Despite his involuntary retirement, he actively supported English football and even became a coach. He is still rightly considered a giant of football on the islands.
“At that level, every goal conceded feels like a knife stabbed between the ribs.”
Gordon Banks
