36 Facts About Geoff Hurst

Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst was born on 8 December 1941 and is an English former professional footballer.

Geoff Hurst went to play football in Ireland and the USA before returning to England to manage non-league Telford United.

Geoff Hurst coached in the England set-up before a two-year stint as Chelsea manager from 1979 to 1981.

Geoff Hurst later coached Kuwait SC before leaving the game to concentrate on his business commitments.

In total, Geoff Hurst scored 24 goals in 49 England appearances, and as well as success in the 1966 World Cup he appeared at UEFA Euro 1968 and the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

Geoff Hurst had a brief cricket career, making one first-class appearance for Essex in 1962, before concentrating on football.

Geoff Hurst was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, on 8 December 1941.

Geoff Hurst's family moved to Chelmsford, Essex when he was six years old.

Geoff Hurst's father, Charlie Hurst, was a professional footballer who played at centre-half for Bristol Rovers, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale.

Geoff Hurst played one first-class cricket match for Essex, against Lancashire at Aigburth in 1962, although it was not a successful outing: he made 0 not out in the first innings, and was bowled by Colin Hilton, again for 0, in the second.

Under his father's management of the club, Geoff Hurst played once for Halstead Town reserves at the age of "about 14".

Geoff Hurst scored his side's second equaliser with a header that bounced under the crossbar and ended up just over the goal line.

Geoff Hurst took the penalty and struck a powerful shot into the top corner which was saved by Gordon Banks, who succeeded in deflecting the ball over the bar.

Geoff Hurst was struck down with pneumonia early in 1973 and went to South Africa to recover, playing on loan for Roy Bailey's Cape Town City.

Geoff Hurst missed just four games for Stoke and upon his return he helped the side to maintain their First Division status.

In January 1974, "Potters" manager Tony Waddington asked Geoff Hurst to take in new signing Alan Hudson as a lodger so as to provide the talented but troubled midfielder with a stable home during his Stoke career.

Geoff Hurst later acknowledged that at the age of 34 he was too old to lead the line in the "Baggies" push for promotion out of the Second Division.

Geoff Hurst signed for Cork Celtic in January 1976, and remained in Ireland for one month.

Geoff Hurst signed for the Seattle Sounders of the NASL in 1976.

Geoff Hurst rapidly proved his worth, and became a valuable member of the Sounders team.

Geoff Hurst was the team's second-leading scorer, helping the Sounders make it to the play-offs for the first time in their brief history, with eight goals and four assists in 23 regular season games, and one goal in the play-offs.

Geoff Hurst made his senior England debut against West Germany on 23 February 1966.

Geoff Hurst played well, and further performances against Scotland and Yugoslavia secured him a place in the squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

Greaves and Hunt were indeed picked for the three group games against Uruguay, Mexico and France, but in the latter game, Greaves suffered a deep gash to his leg which required stitches, and Geoff Hurst was called up to take his place in the quarter-final against Argentina.

The game was still tightly contested as it entered its final 15 minutes, but then Martin Peters swung over a curling cross from the left flank and Geoff Hurst, anticipating his clubmate's action, got in front of his marker to glance a near post header past the Argentine keeper.

Geoff Hurst thus became the first player to score a hat-trick in the Men's World Cup final, a feat that remained unmatched until 2022, when Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick for France against Argentina.

Geoff Hurst remains the only man to score a hattrick in a World Cup Final and end up on the winning team.

Geoff Hurst scored the only goal of England's opening game against Romania after being sent through by a pass from Francis Lee.

Geoff Hurst was named in the squad for the second leg against West Germany after Allan Clarke and Francis Lee picked up injuries, but had to pull out of the squad after picking up an injury himself.

Geoff Hurst spent three years as player-manager of Telford United in the Southern League before being recruited by Ron Greenwood in the England coaching set up in 1977.

Geoff Hurst travelled with England to help Greenwood at UEFA Euro 1980 and the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where England failed to make it past the group stages on both occasions.

In 2003 Geoff Hurst was included in The Champions, a statue of 1966 World Cup winning footballers, by sculptor Philip Jackson.

Geoff Hurst is one of the few footballers who have been knighted.

Geoff Hurst is shown alongside two other World Cup winners born in the area, fellow 1966 squad member Jimmy Armfield, and Simone Perrotta, who won it with Italy in 2006.

Geoff Hurst had one brother, Robert, who died by suicide in 1974.

In November 2020, Geoff Hurst offered to donate his brain after his death for research into dementia.