‘Sir Roger’, as he was dubbed by Liverpool fans, played a crucial part in England’s triumphant World Cup campaign of 1966, appearing in all six games and scoring three goals.
The forward vividly remembered the treatment he received during the infamous quarter-final tussle against Argentina, saying after the game: “Never, in any other match, have I been kicked when the ball was at the other end.”
Hunt earned his England place after forging a reputation as one of the finest goal poachers of the 1960s at Liverpool, who he joined in 1959.
In his eleven-year Anfield career, he scored 286 goals in 492 games, including a club record tally of 41 League goals in 1961/62. He also racked up over 20 strikes a season seven times.
Despite this, Hunt as an England player still had his critics, coming into the reckoning at a time when Jimmy Greaves was already established as a regular scorer for the national team.
However, Hunt had that rare gift for a centre-forward of always seeming to be in the right place at the right time.
As his club manager Bill Shankly said in 1966: “Yes, he misses a few, but he gets in the right places to miss them.”
But as Hunt’s Liverpool and England records demonstrate, he didn’t miss many.