Gordon Banks

Lore & Background

Banks joined Chesterfield in March 1953 and played for their youth team in the 1956 FA Youth Cup final. He made his first-team debut in November 1958 and was sold to Leicester City for £7,000 in July 1959. He played in four cup finals for the club, as they were beaten in the 1961 and 1963 FA Cup finals before winning the League Cup in 1964 and finishing as finalists in 1965. Despite this success and his World Cup win in 1966, Banks was dropped by Leicester and 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, but was absent due to illness as England were beaten by West Germany in the quarter-finals. Banks was Stoke City's goalkeeper in the 1972 League Cup win, the club's only major honour. He was still Stoke's and England's number one when a car crash in October 1972 cost him both the sight in his right eye and, eventually, his professional career. He played two last seasons in the United States for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1977 and 1978, and despite only having the vision in one eye, was NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977 after posting the best defensive record in the league. He briefly entered management with Telford United but left the game in December 1980. Banks was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1972 and was named FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year on six occasions. The IFFHS named Banks the second-best goalkeeper of the 20th century, after Lev Yashin.

In Their Own Story

The stadium at Wembley roared as Pelé surged forward, the Brazilian maestro seemingly unstoppable. The ball was struck with precision, aimed directly at the top corner where no human should be able to reach it. Yet, Gordon Banks was there. In a blur of white and green, he launched himself sideways, his fingertips brushing the leather just inches from the net. Time seemed to freeze as the ball trickled harmlessly over the crossbar, leaving Pelé in disbelief and the English crowd erupting into a frenzy that would echo through history.

Reader's Guide

Banks was born in Abbeydale, Sheffield, on 30 December 1937, and brought up in the working-class area of Tinsley. The family later moved to the village of Catcliffe after his father set up a (then-illegal) betting shop. This brought greater prosperity but also misery; one day, Banks's disabled brother was mugged for the shop's daily takings and died of his injuries some weeks later. Banks left school in December 1952, aged 15, and took up employment as a bagger with a local coal merchant, which helped to build up his upper body strength. He spent a season playing for amateur side Millspaugh after their regular goalkeeper failed to turn up for a match; the club's trainer spotted Banks amongst the spectators and invited him to play in goal as he was aware that Banks had previously played for Sheffield Schoolboys. His performances there earned him a game in the Yorkshire League for Rawmarsh Welfare. However, a 12–2 defeat to Stocksbridge Works on his debut was followed by a 3–1 home defeat, and he was dropped by Rawmarsh and returned to Millspaugh. Still aged 15, he then switched jobs to become a hod carrier. Banks was scouted by Chesterfield whilst playing for Millspaugh and offered a six-game trial in the youth team in March 1953. He impressed enough in these games to be offered a part-time £3-a-week contract by manager Teddy Davison in July 1953. The reserve team were placed in the Central League on account of a powerful club director rather than on merit, and Banks conceded 122 goals in the 1954–55 season as the 'Spireites' finished in last place with only three victories. Banks was posted to Germany with the Royal Signals on national service, and won the Rhine Cup with his regimental team. He recovered from a fractured elbow to help the Chesterfield youth team to the 1956 final of the FA Youth Cup. There they were beaten 4–3 on aggregate by Manchester United's famous 'Busby Babes'—a team that included both Wilf McGuinness and Bobby Charlton. Banks was given his first-team debut by manager Doug Livingstone, at the expense of long-serving Ron Powell, in a Third Division game against Colchester United at Saltergate in November 1958. The game ended 2–2, and Banks kept his place against Norwich City in the following match; by the end of the 1958–59 season, he had missed only three games, those owing to injury. With no goalkeeping coach to guide him, Banks had t

Did You Know?

• Banks made his first-team debut for Chesterfield in November 1958 against Colchester United.
• He was sold to Leicester City for £7,000 in July 1959.
• Banks made one of the game's greatest saves to prevent a Pelé goal in the 1970 World Cup.
• He was named NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977 despite having only the vision in one eye.
• The IFFHS named Banks the second-best goalkeeper of the 20th century, after Lev Yashin.