Gordon Banks

Lore & Background

Banks joined Chesterfield in March 1953 and made his first-team debut in November 1958. He was sold to Leicester City for £7,000 in July 1959. He played in four cup finals for Leicester, winning the League Cup in 1964. He was sold to Stoke City for £50,000 in April 1967. In the 1970 World Cup, he made one of the game's greatest saves to prevent a Pelé goal. He was Stoke's goalkeeper in the 1972 League Cup win. A car crash in October 1972 cost him the sight in his right eye and eventually his professional career. He played two seasons in the United States for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1977 and 1978, and was NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977. He briefly managed Telford United, leaving the game in December 1980.

In Their Own Story

The November air at Goodison hung thick and cold, the floodlights cutting through a low mist that clung to the terraces. Banks crouched in his white kit, fingers taped and chalked, the leather ball a pale disc against the grey sky. The opposing striker swung, and the ball left his boot with a sound like a cracked whip. Banks was already moving — a lateral burst, arms outstretched, fingertips trailing the leather as it kissed the underside of the crossbar and dropped, harmless, to his palm. The crowd behind the goal roared, a sound that vibrated in his chest. He tucked the ball under his arm, looked up at the delirium in the stands, and nodded once. Then he called for the next one.

Reader's Guide

Banks was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1972 and FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year on six occasions. The IFFHS named Banks the second-best goalkeeper of the 20th century, after Lev Yashin. He was awarded an OBE in 1970.

Did You Know?

• Banks was born in Abbeydale, Sheffield, on 30 December 1937.
• He left school at age 15 and worked as a bagger for a coal merchant.
• He played for Chesterfield's youth team in the 1956 FA Youth Cup final, losing to Manchester United's Busby Babes.
• His iconic save in the 1970 World Cup denied a header from Pelé.
• Despite losing sight in his right eye in a car crash, he became NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977.