On that famous day I was a 12 year old boy experiencing my first ever holiday abroad with my parents in Majorca.
On the morning of the final, much to my annoyance, we were on a coach trip which didn't get back to the hotel until minutes before kick off time. Our hotel was so new they hadn't got round to installing a television in the TV Room so I had to literally run across the road to the nearest hotel that was showing the match.
By the time I got there the room, which was the dining room converted into a temporary TV Room, was packed so I had to stand at the back of the room straining my eyes to see a small black and white television set with commentary in Spanish! To make matters even worse the hotel was German run, which meant there was a distinct Teutonic atmosphere to the place. When Wolfgang Weber equalised in the last minute of normal time I swear the hotel roof nearly came off with the cheer from the Germans. I was gutted. I vividly remember the controversial Hurst goal in extra time and the dirty looks I got as I jumped up and down when the goal was confirmed (I'm still not convinced it crossed the line though).
However, the abiding memory I have of that day is being congratulated after the match by several Germans as they trudged back to their sun beds. Consequently I've always had the utmost respect for the Germans since that fantastic day. Even the Spanish waiters at dinner that night were genuinely pleased for us. We were world champions and it made me feel so proud to be English - the first time I had ever experienced such a feeling.
Tony Buckingham
Memory added on April 20, 2016
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