Gordon Banks

Lore & Background

Banks was born in Abbeydale, Sheffield, on 30 December 1937, and brought up in Tinsley. 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 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. 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 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.

Reader's Guide

Gordon Banks is remembered as one of the greatest goalkeepers ever. Key moments include his 1966 World Cup victory with England, his save from Pelé in the 1970 World Cup, and his League Cup wins with Leicester City (1964) and Stoke City (1972). He 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, after Lev Yashin.

Did You Know?

• He joined Leicester City in July 1959, not 1956.
• He was sold to Stoke City in April 1967, not to Aston Villa or Tottenham Hotspur.
• His famous World Cup save was from a Pelé goal in 1970, not a Geoff Hurst penalty in 1966.