Gordon Banks

Lore & Background

Banks joined Chesterfield in March 1953 and 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. A car crash in October 1972 cost him the sight in his right eye and ended 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.

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 briefly entered management with Telford United but left the game in December 1980.

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 made his first-team debut for Chesterfield in November 1958.
• Banks was Stoke City's goalkeeper in the 1972 League Cup win, the club's only major honour.