World Cup 1966
By 1966 I was absolutely fanatical about football, almost obsessive. I remember every game England played. I was away on a school trip in London when the World Cup started. We were staying in a YMCA and I remember as kids we shared the hostel with foreign people who of course were there to watch the tournament. As a kid it was so unusual to hear these strange languages being spoken, it was the first impact the World Cup had on me as up till then I hadn’t really encountered different cultures.
I remember the excruciating frustration of the 0-0 draw with Uruguay and the explosion of relief when Bobby Charlton unleashed that 25 yarder on the run against Mexico which brought us a win and I remember the game v France. Geoff Hurst’s flicked header to score against Argentina and Rattin being sent off. The great football played by both sides in the semi-final versus Portugal with Bobby Charlton again being the goal scoring hero.
As for the final itself, my most vivid memory is actually the shattering disappointment of West Germany’s equaliser to make it 2-2, that forced the game into extra-time. The goal was almost scored in slow motion, you could see what was going to happen, it was just devastating. But then there was obviously the elation of the victory in extra-time.
I feel very lucky to have been around to see England win the World Cup as the majority of England fans don’t know how that feels.
Alan Biggs @AlanBiggs1
Memory added on January 25, 2016
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