1966 World Cup final – England 4 West Germany 2: ‘I had no fears after 90 minutes or during the whole of the game,’ says England manager Alf Ramsey
On its 50th anniversary, the book 66: The World Cup in Real Time looks back on the greatest day in English football history
ENGLAND were crowned world champions today thanks to Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick.
And Alf Ramsey insists victory was never in doubt — despite West Germany forcing a rollercoaster final into extra-time.
Ramsey — the calmest man at Wembley as the drama unfolded — said: “I had no fears after 90 minutes or during the whole of the game.
“Winning the World Cup has become a desire. The desire has rubbed off on the players.
“It was not generally appreciated that the English players were good players. I said it would take a great side to beat us, because we are a great side.”
Reflecting on the pressures of the tournament, Ramsey added: “I did not think the strain would be so great. Even trivial things became a chore.
“The constant demands for autographs and the hundreds of letters telling me who to play and how to play.
“I have disagreed with people, I’ve been furious with people, but if you carry these troubles on your shoulders you find that you get into soup.”
Ramsey hinted he is ready to stay as manager, saying: “Don’t forget we have now qualified for the next World Cup in Mexico. It’s good to have won at home — it would be good to win there.”
After falling behind to an early Helmut Haller goal, England were on course for victory with a Hurst header and a Martin Peters strike, only for Wolfgang Weber to scramble a late equaliser.
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The hosts went ahead in extra-time with a controversial goal from Hurst, with Soviet linesman Tofik Bakhramov ruling the ball had crossed the line when it bounced down off the bar.
Any doubts were settled moments from the end when Hurst, ignoring a handful of fans who had run on to the field, lashed in his third.
The celebrations after Moore collected the trophy from the Queen topped anything the famous old stadium had seen, with a grinning, gap-toothed Nobby Stiles delighting the crowd with a victory jig while waving the cup above his head. Moore said: “On behalf of all the lads, I’d like to say that our supporters have been really marvellous. We just had to repay them by winning.”
Bobby Charlton, referring to the disputed free-kick which led to Germany’s late equaliser, said: “It’s the greatest feeling in the world — and to think we were nearly robbed!”
Midfield terrier Stiles, written off as a clogger by some and picked despite a Fifa warning for rough play, thanked Ramsey for standing by him.
He said: “What a manager, what a bloke, what an achievement. They can call me what they like from now on, but they can’t take this triumph away from any of us.”
Alan Ball — England’s youngest player, at 21 — admitted the equaliser “broke our hearts”, but his tireless running helped England bounce back.
Ball said: “My legs said I couldn’t run any more. My heart said I had to, so I did.”