Gordon Banks
English goalkeeper, World Cup winner, and one of the greatest of all time.
Gordon Banks (30 December 1937 – 12 February 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he made 679 appearances during a 20-year professional career, and won 73 caps for England, highlighted by starting every game of the nation's 1966 World Cup victory. Born in Sheffield and raised in the working-class area of Tinsley, Banks left school at fifteen to work as a bagger for a coal merchant, a job that built his upper body strength. He began playing in goal for amateur side Millspaugh after their regular keeper failed to appear, and his performances earned him a trial with Chesterfield in March 1953. After national service with the Royal Signals, he helped Chesterfield’s youth team reach the 1956 FA Youth Cup final, where they lost to Manchester United’s “Busby Babes.” He made his first-team debut in November 1958 and was sold to Leicester City for £7,000 in July 1959. At Leicester, he overcame competition from five other goalkeepers to become first-choice, playing in four cup finals: losing the 1961 and 1963 FA Cup finals, winning the League Cup in 1964, and finishing as finalists in 1965. Despite this success and his World Cup win, he 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 deny Pelé, but illness kept him out of England’s quarter-final defeat to West Germany. He was Stoke’s goalkeeper for their 1972 League Cup win, the club’s only major honour. A car crash in October 1972 cost him the sight in his right eye and ended his professional career. He later played two seasons in the United States for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, where, with vision in only one eye, he was named NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977. He briefly managed Telford United before leaving football in December 1980. Banks was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1972 and FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year six times; the IFFHS ranked him the second-best goalkeeper of the 20th century, behind Lev Yashin.
- born
- 30 December 1937
- died
- 12 February 2019
- field
- Football (goalkeeper)
- nationality
- English
- known_for
- Starting every game of England's 1966 World Cup victory; making one of the game's greatest saves to prevent a Pelé goal in the 1970 World Cup
Lore & Background
Banks was born in Abbeydale, Sheffield, on 30 December 1937. He 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: beaten in the 1961 and 1963 FA Cup finals, 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. A car crash in October 1972 cost him 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 was NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977. He briefly entered management with Telford United but left the game in December 1980.
Reader's Guide
Banks’s playing style was defined by his vocal command of the defensive line and his relentless self-improvement, a necessity given that he had no formal goalkeeping coach during his early career. He developed his technique by learning from on-field mistakes and through extra training sessions he devised himself, focusing on weaknesses such as catching crosses. His career was marked by both triumph and adversity. After helping England win the 1966 World Cup, he produced what is widely considered one of the greatest saves in football history during the 1970 World Cup, denying a goal from Pelé. However, he missed the subsequent quarter-final due to illness, a match England lost. Domestically, he played in four cup finals for Leicester City, losing two FA Cup finals before winning the League Cup in 1964 and being a runner-up in 1965. Despite this success and his World Cup win, he was dropped by Leicester and sold to Stoke City. At Stoke, he was the goalkeeper for their 1972 League Cup victory, the club’s only major honour. His career was cut short when a car crash in October 1972 cost him the sight in his right eye. He later returned to play two seasons in the United States for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, where, despite having vision in only one eye, he was named NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977 for posting the league’s best defensive record. He briefly managed Telford United before leaving football in 1980. His legacy is reflected in being named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1972, winning FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year six times, and being ranked the second-best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS.
Did You Know?
- Banks started every game of England's 1966 World Cup victory.
- He made a famous save to prevent a Pelé goal in the 1970 World Cup.
- Despite losing sight in his right eye in a car crash, he was NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977.
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