Gordon Banks is all things to all English football fans. The English number 1 won the World Cup with England in 1966, starred for Leicester City and Stoke along with getting an OBE from. One his greatest moments and possibly the greatest save ever seen in a World Cup game in the heat of Mexico in 1970 that was doubled with an amazing tackle by their heroic captain Bobby Moore.
England went to the 1970 World Cup as champions and one of the favourites to go back to back. The trouble was they were drawn with Brazil who were equally if not better than them and looking to make history themselves as the first three time winner. The preparation wasn’t top notch either with Moore arrested in Colombia after being accused of stealing jewellery and was detained for 4 days before the charges were discontinued. The great student football orientated punk band Serious Drinking in fact released a song about the incident called ‘Bobby Moore is Innocent’.
In the first match England did away with Romania 1-0 and then had Brazil lined up at the Estadio Julisco in Guadalajara. In the first 10 minutes the Brazilians seemed to have an extra player on the field and bamboozled the English with their speed and skill. After 10 minutes the captain Carlos Alberto sent a pass for Jarzinho to run on to. Jarzinho made the left back for England Cooper look ordinary and sent a brilliant cross over to the far post and some clown called Pele and lurking. Pele dived over his minder and headed the ball like a bullet down low and to the right of Banks and yelled ‘GOOALLLL!!!’ as he headed the ball such was his assumption that he was going to score. What he didn’t count on was Banks being able to get across from post to post and tip the ball away and out for a corner with his diving right hand.
On the video it looks like a physical impossibility and something that should be on mythbusters with the way Banks kept the ball out. Following the save Moore commented that Banks was getting too old and needed to hold on to those shots. Moore would also made a tackle that is seen as one of the greatest seen. Jarzinho was put through on goal with Banks managing to get a foot in and clear the ball with perfect timing.
Brazil went on to win the game 1-0 but Banks had made the save of the century that has been shown time after time and is as rose coloured historic moment for the English along with Moore’s tackle. Banks has said since that people want to talk about the save more than the World Cup Final in ’66 when they meet him. Also after this match Moore and Pele swapped shirts with the picture of the two conversing following the shirt swap one of the sports iconic photos of the time.
England would make it through the group with another 1-0 win where they would face their vanquished 1966 opponents West Germany. In the lead up to the game Banks would go down with a stomach bug and despite passing a fitness test was left out of the game to go home to the hotel after suffering a relapse. England were all over the Germans for a half of the game with Mullery and Peters both scoring to make 2-0. West Germany then got themselves together and first scored through Franz Beckenbuaer who claimed that his goal would have been saved if Banks had been in goal and not Chelsea keeper Bonnetti.
With the English wilting Uwe Seeler got the equaliser with Gerd Muller smashing a goal in in extra time to put the champs out and send the West Germans through to a semi-final clash with Italy (a memorable moment in itself). What did Banks think of all of this? He watched the game at the hotel and when England were 2-0 up he decided to go to back to toilet again to make sure everything was out and then take a nap.
When he awoke he was given the news that England had lost 3-2 and they were out. Banks would never play a major role for England at a major tournament again following a car accident that blinded him in one eye along with the emergence of Peter Shilton. Moore would continue to play and captain the England side until 1973 when they were eliminated from qualifying for the tournament in West Germany. Two classic players doing two memorable moments against Brazil in 1970.
About Dennis Gedling
RTR FM Presenter. Dilettante. Traffic Nerd. Behind the Almanac World Cup 100. Keen Cat, Cardie, Socceroo/Matilda, Glory Bhoy.
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