The Legend of Number 6

To play every minute of all one hundred and eight international games, to have a stand in your name, and to be the only Englishman to lift the World Cup as captain doesn’t just make you a legend but a God. My younger readers may not have heard the name Bobby Moore but the Essex born defender is a national treasure at home, so much so that we put him alongside the likes of  Pele and Maradona .

The Bobby Moore Statue
outside Wembley Stadium

Robert Fredrick Chelsea Moore grew up in West Ham country.  On the 8^th September, 1958 he played out every Essex boys dream by making his debut for the Hammers against Manchester United. Moore wore the number six shirt in which he would be so famously associated with during his sixteen year stint. Winning an F.A. Cup in amongst his 544 appearances for the London based club was definitely a high point in his career. Playing for West Ham, who has not seen much success, and winning such a prestigious competition with them was only part of the legend that is Booby Moore. It was the performances on the world stage and down Wembley Way that cemented his place as one of the greatest defenders of all time.

"...best defender in the history
of the game"
Franz Beckenbauer

It all started in the unlikely place of Peru during a pre World Cup tournament in 1962. Moore was uncapped until the 4-0 victory in Lima, from then on he became an ever present in the England defence. The World Cup was played in Chile that year, with England bowing out to the eventual winners Brazil. Four years later though it would be a different story for Moore and The Three Lions. In 1966 football came home to its founding country, England. With names like Moore, Charlton, and Greaves, along with home field advantage, the nation expected (no shock there). Before the tournament though, Moore was rumoured to want out of West Ham after his contract was up that summer. FIFA rules however, ordered that any player without a club would be barred from international tournaments. The worried Sir Alf Ramsey reached out to Moore and the West Ham chairman to sit down and settle their differences. Bobby was involved in the two most memorable moments of the World Cup that year. The first being that sublime ball to another West Ham legend Geoff Hurst for the fourth goal. Second, is the picture of the captain lifted on to his team mates shoulders with the Jules Rimet trophy aloft. It was the only trophy he would win with England but to this day is the one shining moment we have had as a nation. There were other highlights on the international stage involving the Englishman, like the moment known as “The Tackle”.  England's faced Brazil during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Jairzinho, a skillful member of that great Brazilian side was dribbling towards Moore before he pulled off the perfect tackle that would stop the winger in his tracks. The 'tackle' is still spoken about today and will go down as one of the special moments in World Cup history. His 108^th and last appearance came in a friendly against Italy in 1973 where the country would say goodbye to a world class, legendary, and God like centre half.

A mutual respect
between two legends 

A year later he would also play his last game for West Ham. The London lad could not be tempted to leave the capital and went on to signed for West London outfit Fulham. My Dad, a huge Chelsea fan, would travel across town to Craven Cottage to catch a glimpse of what was remaining of Moore’s career. I think he is exaggerating by this statement but he always told me that he saw Bobby Moore play countless times and not once did he lose the ball. I guess he was trying to put across how brilliant the man was without me being able to seeing him. Pele was quoted  “He was my friend as well as the greatest defender I ever played against” and it does not stop there. Franz Beckenbauer, the German legend, also commented saying, “Bobby Moore was the best defender in the history of the game.” So listening to all three, I would say this man was a pretty good center half. Being a footballing genius at that time was not all positive.  Mr. Moore did not earn even a quarter of the money that the players receive nowadays. To make money during retirement he had to invest his hard earned cash in business adventures. The advice given was not always the best and he went through a tough time financially and personally, including a divorce with his first wife. This man captained England 90 times and led them to our only World Cup but still the English Football Association did nothing to help. This is another black mark on the F.A. which continues to be poorly run but this blog is not about them, so back to the subject at hand.

http://www.facebook.com/officialbobbymoorefund?sk=wall

Moore finished his career in America playing for two teams including one of my favourite MLS clubs, the Seattle Sounders. Tragically, Moore in his later years suffered from Cancer.  In 1993 at the age of 51 he passed away.  It was later found out he suffered from bowel and liver cancer but his legacy lives on through the ‘Bobby Moore Fund’. The charity was formed by his late wife Stephanie and Cancer Research to raise money for research on Bowel Cancer. To conclude I would like to show you a commercial that the beer company Carlsberg presented during the last World Cup. It captures the passion the English have for football and the status of immortality that the 66’ team lead by Bobby has deservedly been given. Enjoy and please click the Facebook link and support The Bobby Moore Fund.