Top facts about Gordon Banks, Banks of England

Gordon Banks OBE was a goalkeeper in the English professional football league. During his 20-year professional career, he made 682 appearances and gained 73 caps for England, including starting every game of the country's 1966 World Cup championship.

Banks joined

in March 1953 and appeared in the 1956 FA Junior Cup final with the club's youth squad. In November 1958, he made his first-team appearance. He produced one of the game's great saves to deny a Pelé goal in the 1970 World Cup, although he was out due to sickness when England lost to West Germany in the quarter-finals.

Banks was the goalie for Stoke City when they won the League Cup in 1972, the club's lone major honor. When he lost the sight in his right eye and, subsequently, his professional career in a vehicle accident in October 1972, he was still Stoke's and England's number one.

In 1977 and 1978, he played two last seasons in the United States with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and despite only having one eye, he was named NASL Goalkeeper of the Year after earning the league's best defensive record. He managed Telford United for a short time before retiring in December 1980.

Some of the highlights of the top facts about Gordon Banks are: In 1972, Banks was crowned FWA Footballer of the Year, and six times he was named FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year. Banks was ranked the second-best goalkeeper of the twentieth century by the IFFHS, behind Lev Yashin (1st) and ahead of

(3rd).

A concise article containing the rarest and most top facts about Gordon Banks, Banks of England

In this article of top facts about Gordon Banks, we will take a look at the goalkeeper's life as well as parts of his successful career. The ultimate goal of the article is to present any kinds of facts that might be well hidden in Gordon Banks biography.

Thus, without further ado let us hop into going on a voyage in this article of

top facts about Gordon Banks

.

Gordon Banks information

We want you to provide a solid foundation for the rest of the top facts about Gordon Banks by beginning with the most basic information you can find on the goalkeeper.

Furthermore, for those who are unfamiliar with our narrative's hero, it is recommended that they first learn about the athlete before entering into the story.

Personal information

• Full name:

  Gordon Banks

• Date of birth:

  30 December 1937

• Date of death:

  12 February 2019

• Aged:

  81

• Nationality:

  English

• Place of birth:

  Sheffield, England

• Marital status:

  Married

• Religion:

  Christianity

Football information

• Position:

  Goalkeeper

• Last team played for:

  St Patrick’s Athletic

• Total appearances:

  755

• Club appearances:

  682

• National appearances:

  73

Physical stats and appearance

• Height:

  1.85 m

• Hair color:

  Salt and pepper

• Skin color:

  White

• Facial hair:

  Clean

Now that you've learned everything there is to know about Gordon Banks, we can go on to the next section of the

top facts about Gordon Banks

 article, which will go into the specifics and ramifications of everything you've learned thus far.

Gordon Banks prime years

Banks did not have a vivid childhood, instead, his family went through a lot of pain, having to deal with the loss of their child, Gordon's brother.

The goalkeeper was born in Abbeydale, Sheffield, and raised in Tinsley, a working-class neighborhood. After his father opened a (then-illegal) betting store, the family relocated to the village of Catcliffe.

This brought more riches, but also more suffering; the sad part of top facts about Gordon Banks is when one day, Banks's crippled brother was mugged for the shop's daily takings, and died a few weeks later from his injuries.

Banks dropped out of school in December 1952, at the age of 15, and went to work as a bagger for a local coal merchant, which helped him gain upper body strength.

He played for Millspaugh for a season when their regular goalkeeper failed to show up for a match; the club's trainer noticed Banks among the fans and offered him to play in goal since he knew he had previously played for Sheffield Schoolboys.

His efforts won him a game for Rawmarsh Welfare in the Yorkshire League, but a 12–2 loss at Stocksbridge Works on his debut was followed by a 3–1 home loss, and he was dropped by Rawmarsh and returned to Millspaugh.

Another interesting fact of top facts about Gordon Banks is that he subsequently changed careers to become a hod carrier when still 15 years old.

While playing for Millspaugh, he was seen by Chesterfield and granted a six-game trial with the junior squad in March 1953. In July 1953, manager Teddy Davison gave him a part-time £3-a-week deal based on his performance in these games. This was the beginning of his club career.

Gordon Banks Fort Lauderdale Strikers record

Even at the end of his playing career, Gordon was destined to shine. In April 1977, he joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League (NASL) as a designated superstar.

In 1977, the Strikers won their division, and Banks was voted NASL Goalkeeper of the Year after allowing only 29 goals in 26 games, which was the best defensive record in the league.

He also played for St Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over

at Richmond Park on October 2, 1977. In 1978, he returned to Fort Lauderdale and appeared in 11 games.

Let us talk about Gordon's international career and why he gained his infamous nickname in the next sector of

top facts about Gordon Banks

.

Gordon Banks international and managerial career

In 1961, Banks earned two caps for England's under-23 side, in matches against Wales and Scotland. As Banks grew to popularity, England's goalkeeper was Ron Springett, but following the 1962 World Cup in Chile, Alf Ramsey, a former England right-back, was named as the new coach.

Ramsey insisted on having complete control of the team and began planning for the next World Cup. Banks earned his first cap against Scotland at

on April 6, 1963, when Springett was dropped due to poor performance.

Banks maintained his position as England's first-choice goalkeeper by playing regularly. In 1963, he was selected to play against the rest of the world in a commemorative match to honor The Football Association's 100th anniversary.

Alongside 59 appearances under his belt, Banks entered the 1970 World Cup as England's number one, with understudies Peter Bonetti (six caps) and Alex Stepney (one cap). He struggled to adapt with the heat and altitude in Guadalajara, Mexico.

was wrongly accused of stealing the notorious "Bogotá Bracelet," which hampered the team's efforts to acclimate.

Despite this, a Geoff Hurst goal was enough to defeat Romania in their first match. On June 7, England would meet Brazil in a considerably more difficult test. Banks was told the day before the match that he had been granted an OBE.

On May 27, 1972, Banks played his 73rd and last game for England, a 1–0 triumph over Scotland at Hampden Park. In 73 international games, he has 35 clean sheets and only nine losses.

Gordon Banks personal life

Let's take a couple of steps away from his career and get to know his family in this section of top facts about Gordon Banks.

During his national duty in Germany in 1955, Banks met his wife Ursula for the first time. Robert, Julia, and Wendy were their three children. During his stay in America, he was separated from Ursula, but the pair reconciled when Banks returned to England.

In October 1972, Banks was involved in an automobile accident near his house in Madeley Heath while driving on the wrong side of the road in his Ford Consul. Glass fragments had penetrated his right eye, damaging the retina, necessitating 100 micro sutures in the eye and 200 more in his face.

Nick Banks, the drummer for the band Pulp, is Banks's nephew.

Eamonn Andrews surprised Banks for an episode of This Is Your Life shortly after his retirement. Later, he became the CEO of a Leicester-based hotel firm.

When his firm failed, he lost a substantial amount of money, but

stepped in to bail him out by offering him a late testimonial match.

Following the death of

, he was named president of Stoke City. He has been a member of the three-man pools panel since the 1980s.

In 2001, he sold his World Cup winner's medal for £124,750 at Christie's, as well as his international cap from the final for £27,025.

Gordon Banks quotes

Before we get to the last part of top facts bout Gordon Banks, let us review 3 of the best quotes that this man has ever said.

Gordon talked about his against Pele a lot and his first quote refers to this amazing save: “I've met Pele several times since that day, and he always mentions that save and gives me an affectionate hug and a smile.”

How did Gordon become famous? Gordon thinks that the save was all that he needed to become popular: “That save from Pele's header was the best I ever made. I didn't have any idea how famous it would become - to start with, I didn't even realize I'd made it at all.”

And finally, Gordon was happy with who he had become and with what he had done in his life: “I am proud to be the hero of an amazing person and writer, who indeed has made his own significant contribution to society.”

Gordon banks legacy

In this last section of the top facts about Gordon Banks article, we will take a look at the last days of this legendary goalkeeper and what he has left after his death.

In 2002, Banks was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame for the first time as an inaugural inductee. Pelé named him one of the top 125 living players in the world in March 2004. In February 2006, Keele University bestowed an honorary doctorate upon him.

Banks was the first 'legend' to be admitted into a new Walk of Fame in front of Sheffield Town Hall in May 2006, with a plaque set in the pavement.

presented a monument outside the Britannia Stadium in July 2008 depicting Banks performing his legendary 1970 World Cup save. Along with Roy Sproson, he was inducted into the Stoke-on-Trent Hall of Fame in March 2011. Banks became a close friend of Pelé, who praised him as a "magical goalie" after his death.

Banks's autobiography, Banks of England, was released in 1980. In 2002, he released Banksy: My Autobiography, which was a more thorough account of his life. In 2006, Don Mullan, an Irish investigative journalist, authored Gordon Banks - A Hero Who Could Fl, a boyhood memoir in which he discussed the impact of England goalkeeper Gordon Banks on his life.

He was diagnosed with kidney cancer in December 2015 and began getting treatment.

Banks, who was 81 years old at the time of his death, died peacefully in his sleep on February 12, 2019.

The legend was laid to rest at Stoke Minster on March 4, 2019. Joe Anyon (Chesterfield), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Joe Hart (England), and

were among his pallbearers (Leicester City).

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