Bobby Moore, such a football legend that he has a statue at Wembley, passed away on this day 21 years ago. He was 51 years old.
Bobby was capped 108 times for England and captained his country on 90 occasions, a record he shares with Billy Wright. With West Ham United, the club he served for 15 years, he won The FA Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup – both as skipper.
Now he looks over spectators as they make their way along Olympic Way to the Stadium, his imposing 20ft statue sculpted by Philip Jackson.
The Bobby Moore statue at Wembley Stadium
The inscription reads: “Immaculate footballer. Imperial defender. Immortal hero of 1966. First Englishman to raise the World Cup aloft. Favourite son of London’s East End. Finest legend of West Ham United. National Treasure. Master of Wembley. Lord of the game. Captain extraordinary. Gentleman of all time”.
I met Bobby many times in my first three years at The FA, having joined the staff as Sir Alf Ramsey’s assistant in the International Department after the Mexico World Cup of 1970.
He was always helpful when I had to get balls signed for hospitals at the Bank of England Sports Ground where England used to train, getting the other players to sign. I once took a projector and film of our World Cup quarter-final with West Germany to the team hotel and sat at the back between Bobby and Gordon Banks.
A few years later, in 1981, we invited all the FA Cup-winning captains to a banquet to mark the 100th Final and Bobby sat opposite me. He was such a huge figure in the game but was always modest, polite and down to earth.
He always struck me as a man of few words but the respect he commanded, particularly from the other players, was really noticeable.
This was someone you always wanted in your team. I don’t think there has ever been anyone like him.
People often call him ‘Sir Bobby Moore’ and that doesn’t surprise me at all.
