For Sir Geoff Hurst and the rest of England, the wait goes on. The last surviving member of the 1966 World Cup winning team had been convinced that 58 years of hurt were finally coming to an end when Gareth Southgate’s side reached a second successive final of the European Championship.
Spain had different ideas and ensured Hurst’s iconic hat-trick that inspired victory against West Germany at Wembley remains the achievement that every England men’s side is judged on. Despite the criticism that Southgate has received since Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winning goal crushed a nation’s hopes, Hurst doubts whether even Sir Alf Ramsey could have prevented the painful defeat.
“I’m not sure that he could have done anything differently,” the 82‑year‑old says. “We didn’t even have substitutes in our day, which is obviously a massive advantage for modern managers. I thought Gareth made the right changes in the semi-final to win us the game and again in the final. But Spain had too much quality for us.
“It’s very disappointing because everyone was hoping we were going to win it this time. B ut you’ve got to look at things over a period of time – it’s not just about one football match. If you look at Gareth’s record over the last six years, two finals and a semi-final, then it has been fantastic. They were beaten by a fantastic Spanish team in the last five minutes that won all seven games, something that has never been done before.
“I may have won the World Cup once for England but we had some disappointing results as well, particularly back in 1970, and the players will soon get over it.”
Some argue that Hurst had the rub of the green in 1966 given the circumstances surrounding his controversial second goal in the final, but it is largely forgotten that he perhaps wasn’t so fortunate four years later.
Depending on who you ask, his disallowed goal against West Germany in Mexico during extra time of the quarter-final after England had blown a 2-0 lead should not have been ruled out for offside before Gerd Müller went on to avenge the defeat at Wembley by scoring the winner.
Ramsey stayed in charge for another four years before departing when England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup. Southgate has overseen 102 England matches and will be on course to surpass Ramsey’s 113 games – second only to Walter Winterbottom’s 139 between 1946 and 1962 – should he sign a new contract. Hurst hopes he will but recognises that the reaction to another runners-up finish will be brutal.
“I think some of the criticism of Gareth has been unfair but it is part and parcel of the game,” he says.
“When we drew 0-0 with Uruguay in the opening game of the 1966 World Cup we were booed off the pitch at Wembley. That is football and it will never change. It’s been a fantastic journey under Gareth Southgate. The team spirit he has generated has been one of the most fundamental aspects of England’s success. That has always been one of the most important ingredients of any winning team and it was certainly something that we had in our time.
“I’d like to see him stay. Why wouldn’t you want to keep somebody who has done what he has over the last six years in comparison with the past? But I think it will be down to Gareth – it’s an unbelievably stressful job. Jürgen Klopp is taking time off because of the gigantic pressure he had to deal with at Liverpool and you could quite understand if Gareth decided to do the same after so many years and all the criticism that you inevitably get in that job. He will have to discuss that with his family, which is far more important than managing a football team.”
Hurst was speaking at an event held at the grassroots side Youngs FC in Wembley and organised by the National Lottery, which has invested more than £440m in youth football since 1994. He believes that funding has also been vital in helping to produce some of the young players who starred for the men’s team in Germany.
“It’s having a big impact already and hopefully that will continue to grow. Seeing young guys like Kobbie Mainoo and Jude Bellingham break into the England team at such a young age can only be an inspiration for the next generation of players.”
It will be 60 years since England’s World Cup triumph by the time the 48-team World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States takes place but Hurst remains optimistic about their chances of finally emulating the boys of ’66. “Yes I am hopeful. Listen, categorically yes – you have to be positive in football to achieve what I achieved and there is no time for negativity.
“The manager and players should be proud of their efforts and there is no doubt they can go on to challenge for the World Cup with a squad that was the third-youngest at Euro 2024 and contains some serial winners. I think they are only going to get better and I look forward to it. Let’s hope that I’m around to see it.”
