Banks

Gordon Banks earned his first cap in 1963 and, following that debut, was a fixture in the England side for nearly a decade, including the glorious 1966 World Cup cannpaign. But perhaps his most memorable moment came on 7 June 1970 when, as the finest goalkeeper of his age, he thwarted the world’s greatest player with probably the best save ever seen. Pele’s crashing downward header was miraculously scooped off the line by Banks ten minutes into the England v Brazil World Cup group match at Guadalajara, Mexico. England lost that game but made it through to the quarter-final, where Banks’ late withdrawal through illness was widely seen as a key factor in the team’s defeat in the match against West Germany.

Career was cut short

Banks began his career at Chesterfield and established his reputation after a move to Leicester City, who he joined in 1959. In the 1961 FA Cup Final he was on the losing side when his team went down 0-2 to Tottenham Hotspur; he picked up another losers’ medal two years later Banks moved to another unfashionable club. Stoke City, in 1967. Five years later in 1972, soon after he had signed a long-term contract with the Potteries side, his career was cut short by a car accident in which he lost an eye.