England 1966 team now: Where are World Cup winners who beat West Germany?

Sir Geoff Hurst is the last remaining World Cup winner from England's triumphant 1966 squad
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World champions: England in 1966
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Alex Young @alexwsyoung21 October 2023

Sir Bobby Charlton has sadly become the latest member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning heroes to pass away.

Manchester United announced on Saturday, October 21, that one of their greatest ever players had died at the age of 86.

Charlton was not the captain of Sir Alf Ramsey’s side but arguably the talisman as the Three Lions famously went all the way on home soil. He earned 106 international caps and scored 49 goals.

He made more than 758 appearances for the club, scoring 249 goals, and helped guide United to European Cup success in 1968 and three first division titles.

England's 1966 World Cup Final win against West Germany remains the pinnacle of footballing achievement in the country.

Here's what happened to England's 1966 World Cup heroes after the final...

1 Gordon Banks | 1937 - 2019

Went on to win 73 England caps and make 628 club appearances in a 15-year career. Still famed for his stunning save from Pele's header in England's 1970 World Cup clash with Brazil. Helped Stoke to the 1972 League Cup though lost the sight in one eye in a car crash in October later that same year, that ultimately ended his professional career. Enjoyed a brief managerial stint with Telford United.

2 George Cohen | 1939 - 2022

Fulham defender Cohen was forced to retire through injury aged 29, having amassed 459 appearances for the Craven Cottage club. Cohen struggled with bowel cancer for 14 years in the 1980s. He later opted to sell his World Cup winner's medal, though Fulham purchased the item to display it at Craven Cottage. Nephew Ben Cohen helped England win the Rugby World Cup in 2003. Awarded the MBE in 2000.

3 Ray Wilson | 1934 - 2018

England's left-back kept the lowest profile of the 1966 winners. Wilson built a successful undertaker's business in Huddersfield after his football career, but retired from his second career in 1997.

4 Nobby Stiles | 1942 - 2020

Midfielder Stiles ended up with 28 England caps but went on to rack up 392 appearances for Manchester United before a move to Middlesbrough in 1971. A career in coaching followed, with two stints at Preston, before a short-lived tenure at West Brom. Stiles worked as a youth team coach at Manchester United between 1989 and 1993, helping oversee the development of the renowned class of '92 that included the likes of David Beckham and the Neville brothers. He suffered with dementia for several years and passed away in October 2020.

5 Jack Charlton | 1935 - 2020

Made 629 appearances for Leeds and collected 35 England caps, before turning attention to a successful managerial career. After stints with Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle, Charlton stepped up to lead the Republic of Ireland. Against the odds, he led them to the Euros in 1988, the last eight of Italia 90 and then the last-16 of the 1994 World Cup. Appointed OBE in 1974 and awarded honorary Irish citizenship in 1996, being made a freeman of the city of Dublin in 1994. He died in July 2020 after battling lymphoma and dementia.

6 Bobby Moore | 1941 - 1993

Widely accepted as England's greatest centre-half and one of the best of all time globally, the World Cup-winning captain died from bowel and liver cancer in February 1993, aged 51. Won 108 caps for England, representing West Ham with distinction, before enjoying spells at Fulham and in America. Moore's widow Stephanie founded the Bobby Moore Fund in 1993 to raise money for research into bowel cancer and raise public awareness of the disease. His statue stands outside the new Wembley to commemorate English football's greatest day.

England's 1966 World Cup

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7 Alan Ball | 1945 - 2007

Ball - the youngest of the World Cup winners - died of a heart attack in April 2007, aged 61. The combative midfielder excelled in stints with Blackpool, Everton and Arsenal, while also winning 72 England caps. After more than 800 club appearances, Ball then moved into management, twice taking charge at Portsmouth along with stints at Southampton and Manchester City.

9 Sir Bobby Charlton | 1937 - 2023

Bobby, younger brother to Jack, was a true global icon. He amassed 106 England caps between 1958 and 1970 and was for decades England's leading goalscorer. He had an unsuccessful managerial stint at Preston before becoming a director at United in 1984 and sat on the club's board of directors until his death. He was knighted in 1994. In November 2020, Sir Bobby’s dementia diagnosis was confirmed by his wife, Lady Norma.

1966 World Cup Final - England vs West Germany

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16 Martin Peters | 1943 - 2019

Moved into the insurance business after retiring from professional football in 1981, following 67 England caps and lengthy stints with West Ham, Tottenham and Norwich. He was briefly manager of Sheffield United. Sat on Tottenham's board of directors in the late 1990s. Peters battled Alzheimer's disease in his later years.

10 Sir Geoff Hurst | born 1941

Still the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, Hurst made more than 400 appearances for West Ham and won 49 England caps. Short-lived managerial stints with Telford United, Chelsea and even a foray into club management in Kuwait punctuated work in the insurance trade after his playing career. He was knighted in 1998 and lives in Cheltenham.

21 Roger Hunt | 1938 - 2021

Liverpool stalwart Hunt made more than 400 appearances for the club, along with winning 34 caps for England. Held Liverpool's all-time scoring record until overhauled by Ian Rush, although he remains the leading League scorer. Joined his family's haulage business after retiring from football. The man, known as ‘Sir Roger’ by the adoring Reds fans, passed away on September 27, 2021 following a long illness.

Sir Alf Ramsey (Head Coach) | 1920 - 1999

The former Southampton and Tottenham full-back continued at the England helm until 1974, when failure to qualify for the finals in West Germany cost him his job. Stints at Birmingham and Panathinaikos followed, before he spent his retirement in Ipswich. Ramsey died in April 1999 aged 79, less than a year after suffering a stroke, and after battling Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer.

Les Cocker (trainer) | 1924 - 1979

Cocker represented Stockport County and Accrington Stanley as a striker during a 12-year playing career. After his retirement in 1958 he turned his hand to coaching with both Luton Town and Leeds United before being offered a role with England. He was Team Trainer in 1966 but was not awarded a medal - like the majority of the non-playing staff and reserves - until June 2009, posthumously.

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