Geoff Hurst's 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time

by Geoff Hurst

Overview

Half a century on from his Wembley hat-trick, England World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst risks controversy as he narrows down football's finest to a select 50.
Which of his 1966 teammates have earned their place among the all-time greats? Would he have had Franz Beckenbauer in his XI ahead of Bobby Moore? What are his memories of playing against Pelé and Eusébio? And which England stars of later generations would Sir Geoff have loved to play alongside?
With first-hand tales of former teammates and rivals, along with tributes to those he's admired from the terraces, Geoff Hurst's Greats is essential reading for football fans of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781906850807
Publisher:	Icon Books, Ltd. UK
Publication date:	11/06/2014
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sir Geoff Hurst MBE is the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final – for England in their historic 4–2 victory over West Germany at Wembley in 1966.
Having shown an early flair for cricket – playing a first-class match for Essex against Lancashire in 1962 – Hurst opted for a career in football, and with West Ham United he scored 248 goals in 499 first team appearances. There he won the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup 1965. He was selected by Alf Ramsey to lead England's attack between 1966 and 1972 – the longest run of any forward under Ramsey, scoring 24 goals in that time.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

The 50 Greatest Footballers 11

50. Paolo Maldini 12

49. Fabio Cannavaro 16

48. Andrés Iniesta 19

47. Lev Yashin 23

46. Johnny Haynes 26

45. Garrincha 29

44. Zico 32

43. Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima 37

42. Bryan Robson 40

41. Martin Peters 44

40. Dave Mackay 48

39. Kenny Dalglish 51

38. Alan Ball 55

37. Paul Gascoigne 59

36. Franco Baresi 63

35. Steven Gerrard 66

34. Yaya Touré 70

30=. Eric Cantona 74

30=. Dennis Bergkamp 74

30=. Gianfranco Zola 74

30=. Thierry Henry 74

29. Tom Finney 84

28. Peter Schmeichel 88

27. Lothar Matthäus 91

24=. Carlos Alberto Torres 95

24=. Roberto Rivelino 95

24=.Jairzinho 95

23. Gordon Banks 104

22. Luis Figo 108

21 Josef Masopust 112

20. Cafu 116

19. Luis Suárez 120

18. Duncan Edwards 124

17. John Charles 127

16. Fercnc Piukás 131

15. Denis Law 136

14. Gerd Müller 140

13. Jimmy Greaves 144

12. Franz Beckenbauer 148

11. George Best 153

10. Bobby Moore 157

9. Eusébio 162

8. Zinedine Zidane 167

7. Bobby Charlton 172

6. Cristiano Ronaldo 177

5. Alfredo Di Stéfano 183

4. Lionel Messi 190

3. Diego Armando Maradona 196

2. Johan Cruyff 204

1. Pelé 212

Acknowledgements 223