June 21, 1970: Brazil's Masterpiece

June 21, 1970, 50 years ago: The World Cup Final is held before 107,412 fans at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. It was the 1st World Cup televised in color around the world, and, as a recent article stated, the way it was broadcast and merchandised suggested that it was closer in style and form to the most recent World Cup, in Russia in 2018, than it was to the one it followed, in 1966 in England.

Let me get "the local angle" out of the way first. America -- or "the United States," if you prefer -- did not qualify for the 1970 World Cup. We did try, but, as was the case for every one between 1950 and 1990, we simply weren't good enough.

CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, put the U.S. in a Qualification Group Stage with Canada and Bermuda. On October 13, 1968, we lost 4-2 to Canada at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. On October 26, we beat Canada 1-0 at Atlanta (later Atlanta-Fulton County) Stadium. On November 2, we beat Bermuda 6-2 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. And on November 11, we beat Bermuda 2-0 at their National Stadium in Hamilton.

So we advanced to the Semifinal, where we faced Haiti, a team we should have beaten, but didn't. On April 20, 1969, we lost 2-0 Stade Sylvio Cantor in Port-au-Prince. And on May 11, we lost 1-0 at San Diego (later Jack Murphy) Stadium, ending our bid. Haiti then lost the Final to El Salvador, who eliminated neighboring Honduras, a series of events that included a 2-day "Football War" between the countries.

So the 16 teams involved were:

* From CONCACAF: Mexico (as the host, they qualified automatically) and El Salvador.

* From CONMEBOL, the governing body for South America: Brazil, Peru and Uruguay.

* From UEFA, the governing body for Europe: England (as the defending champions, they qualified automatically), Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Romania, the Soviet Union, Sweden and West Germany.

* From CAF, the governing body for Africa: Morocco.

* From AFC, the governing body for Asia: Israel.

* From OFC, the governing body for Oceania (centered on Australia): No teams qualified.

The Israelis were making their 1st appearance. It remains their only one. Eventually, the Muslim nations of the Middle East would refuse to allow their national teams play them, and would refuse to allow their club teams to play Israel's, resulting in FIFA, the governing body for world soccer (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), moving them into UEFA.

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This was the 1st time the World Cup was held in a CONCACAF nation. The advantage to playing in Mexico was that the infrastructure was already in place, due to Mexico's solid Liga MX, and also to the country having hosted the Olympics in 1968. The disadvantages to playing in Mexico were the weather (much of the country is desert, so it was hot) and the elevation (the highest in World Cup history, even higher than the mountainous nations of Sweden in 1958 and Chile in 1962, thus the air was thinner, possibly dangerous when hot).

But the infrastructure already being in place meant that it wasn't an especially expensive World Cup to put on -- which helped in 1983, when Colombia, chosen as host for 1986, accepted that their internal strife was too much, and became the only nation ever to bow out as a World Cup host. As FIFA tended to alternate between Europe and Latin America, and Spain had hosted in 1982, they decided that the host had to be another Latin American nation. Mexico had done well as host in 1970, so they put it there again, and it worked pretty well again.

Brazil had hosted in 1950, but lost the Final to neighboring Uruguay, as devastating a loss as has ever been suffered in sports. In 1954, they won their Group, but were defeated in the Quarterfinal by a Hungary team known as "The Magnificent Magyars," which would also be stunned in a Final, by West Germany.

But in 1958, with 17-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento, a.k.a. Pelé, Brazil won their 1st World Cup, beating host nation Sweden in the Final. In 1962, in Chile, they won again, with a Final win over Czechoslovakia. Their 1966 experience was hard, with neighbors and arch-rivals Argentina literally kicking Pelé out of the tournament. England won the Final on home soil, over West Germany in extra time.

In the interim between 1966 and 1970, Brazil, as it occasionally does, fell to an autocratic government. What's more, the manager, João Saldanha, refused to pick Pelé for the 1970 team. He also refused to pick Dario José dos Santos, or simply "Dario." (Brazilian stars tend to be known by either just their first names, or nicknames as in Pelé's case.) Told that the military President, Emílio Garrastazu Médici, considered Dario one of his favorite players, and that Saldanha should pick him, Saldanha said, "Well, I also have some suggestions to give in the President's ministry choices."

Finally, his assistant manager quit, saying he was "impossible to work with." So Saldanha was fired. Mário Zagallo, who had played on the 1958 and '62 Cup winners, and had been managing Rio de Janeiro team Botafogo, was named to replace him. He named both Pelé and Dario to the team -- or, in Portuguese, O Seleção, "the Selection."

Mário Zagallo

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Venues for the World Cup were:

* Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the 107,000-capacity (now 87,000-seat) home of Club América, the country's most successful team, and also of club sides Necaxa, Atlante, and soon Cruz Azul and the now-defunct Atlético Español.

* Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara, then home to Guadalajara (a.k.a. Chivas, or Goats) and Jalisco; and, then as now, home to Atlas and Leones Negros (Black Lions).

* Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, home of Puebla F.C.

* Estadio Luis Dosal in Toluca, home of Deportivo Toluca. It is now named Estadio Nemesio Díez, and, like the home of Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is nicknamed La Bombonera, or "The Chocolate Box."

* Estadio León, home of Club León. The stadium is nicknamed the Nou Camp, after the home of FC Barcelona in Spain.

Estadio Azteca

As I said, this was the 1st time the World Cup would be broadcast around the world in color, so no longer would teams be seen in shades of gray. Host Mexico would be in green. England, the Soviet Union, Belgium, Bulgaria, Morocco and Peru wore red. Brazil, Sweden and Romania wore yellow -- Brazil's shirt being nicknamed O Canarinho, "The Canary." Italy wore royal blue. Uruguay and Israel wore sky blue. El Salvador and Czechoslovakia wore white for all of their matches. Peru wore white with a red sash. West Germany wore green once, and white for the rest of their matches.

Traditionally, the hosts play the 1st match, and Mexico opened against the Soviets on May 31, playing a 0-0 draw at the Azteca. Both advanced from Group 1. Italy and Uruguay advanced from Group 2, with Israel losing 2-0 to Uruguay, drawing 1-1 with Sweden, and bravely holding Italy to a 0-0 draw. West Germany and Peru advanced from Group 4.

The match everyone wanted to see was in Group 3, in Guadalajara on June 7. A cross at the corner from Jairzinho went right where he wanted it to, a spot soon met by the head of Pelé. As soon as he hit it, Pelé yelled, "Gol!"

This was a man who had already scored over 1,000 goals in all competitions -- and, contrary to what modern fans, citing Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as the "GOAT" (Greatest Of All Time) would say, they were no more "all against farmers" than those current pretenders' goals have been -- so he usually knew what he was talking about.

Not this time. Gordon Banks, as much a reason as anyone why England won 4 years earlier, had been facing Jairzinho, expecting a shot to his left. He had just enough time to switch dive to his right, stick out his right hand, and knock Pelé's shot over the crossbar.

Pelé, who did already speak English: "I thought that was a goal."
Banks: "You and me both."
Bobby Moore, England centreback and Captain: "You're getting old, Banksy. You used to hold on to them." (Banks was 32, Moore 29, Pelé also 29.)

It's been called the greatest save in the sport's history. But Brazil would not be denied. In the 59th minute, Jairzinho put one past Banks, and it was 1-0 Brazil, and would end that way. After the game, Moore, white, and a defender, swapped shirts with Pelé, black, and an attacker, each country's greatest sports legend joining for an act more important than anything that happened in the game.

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In spite of the loss, England did advance to the knockout round, as did Brazil. The Quarterfinals, all played on June 14, were loaded with drama. Brazil had a little trouble with fellow South Americans Peru, but beat them 4-2. Uruguay and the Soviets went to extra time at the Azteca. Just when it looked like there might be a penalty shootout, Victor Espárrago scored in the 117th minute, allowing Uruguay, the 1930 and 1950 winners, to advance.

At Toluca, Italy eliminated the hosts. Mexico took an early 1-0 lead, but an own goal tied it up. In the span of 13 minutes in the 2nd half, Luigi "Gigi" Riva, whose spectacular strikes had given Sardinia-based Cagliari its only league title ever a few weeks earlier, scored 2 beauties. In between, Italy also got a goal from perhaps the greatest player they'd ever produced, A.C. Milan star Gianni Rivera.

At León came a rematch of the 1966 Final: England vs. West Germany. Banks came down with food poisoning, and, to this day, there are conspiracy theories that a German fan may have done it to him deliberately. (Shades of what would allegedly happen with Arsenal and Tottenham in 2006.) At gametime, manager Alf Ramsey, so dependent upon Banks 4 years earlier, dropped the Stoke City netminder for Chelsea's Peter Bonetti.

At first, things went well for England. Alan Mullery of Tottenham Hotspur scored in the 31st. In the 49th, Martin Peters of West Ham, who had scored in the '66 Final, tallied. Three-quarters of the way through the game, England were up 2-0, and looked like they were headed for a Semifinal date with Italy, who had won Euro 68.

But Franz Beckenbauer of Bayern Munich scored in the 68th minute. And then Uwe Seeler of Hamburg tied the game in the 82nd. The game went to extra time at 2-2, as had the '66 Final. This time, it was "Ze Germans" who found the 3rd goal, from Bayern striker Gerd Müller.

Looking at the tape of the game, I am firmly convinced that Banks would not have stopped any of the 3 German goals. It was England's vaunted defense that was to blame: Moore was the only '66 holdover, and newcomers Terry Cooper of 1969 Football League Champions Leeds United, and Brian Labone and Keith Newton of 1970 Champions Everton were not up to the task.

Another conspiracy theory says that this defeat so depressed the people of England that it held down turnout in the United Kingdom's general election, allowing the Conservative Party to knock the Liberal Party out of power, resulting in Harold Wilson being replaced as Prime Minister by Edward Heath. This theory makes a bit more sense than the one about Banks being intentionally poisoned.

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The Semifinals were played on June 17. It had been 20 years, minus a month, since Uruguay had humiliated Brazil in the World Cup Final at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio, an event known as Maracanaço, "The Agony of Maracanã." O Seleção wanted revenge.

And, for most of the 1st half in Guadalajara, it looked like they wouldn't get it. Uruguay took a 1-0 lead after just 19 minutes. But Clodoaldo scored near the end of the half. Jairzinho scored the winner in the 76th, and Rivelino added insurance in the 89th, giving Brazil a 3-1 win.

The other Semifinal, between Italy and West Germany at the Azteca, was a wild one, and has gone down in history as "The Game of the Century." It was a lot like the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a.k.a. "The Greatest Game Ever Played," in that it wasn't especially compelling most of the way, but became so, and went to overtime (or "extra time," as soccer calls it), and had a dramatic ending.

Roberto Boninsegna of Internazionale Milano put Italy on the board in the 8th minute. And 1-0 to the Azzurri (Blues) it remained. For whatever reason, Italy manager Ferruccio Valcareggi decided that he couldn’t make his country’s 2 best players, Gianni Rivera and Boninsegna's Inter teammate Sandro Mazzola work together. So, for the 2nd half, he took Mazzola off, and put Rivera on.

Ironically, it was an A.C. Milan player, and a centreback to boot, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, who got Germany the equalizer in the 90th and last minute of normal time. As German TV announcer Ernst Huberty said, "Schnellinger! Ausgerechnet Schnellinger!" (Schnellinger, of all people!)

After the restart, an Italian defensive error led to a goal by Müller in the 94th. But 4 minutes later, another defender leveled the game -- and, perhaps answering fate for fate, it was an ethnic German, Inter's Tarcisio Burgnich, a native of Udine near Italy's border with Austria and Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia).

Riva scored in the 104th minute, and it looked like a 3-2 Italy win. Müller scored in the 110th, and, as English announcer Brian Moore might have said, it was up for grabs now. But just after the restart, Rivera came in and buried one past Bayern goalkeeper Sepp Maier. Italy's famed defense held on for the 4-3 win.

West Germany, having won the World Cup in 1954, would win Euro 72 and the 1974 World Cup. But, for now, it was Italy, winners in 1934 and 1938, against Brazil, winners in 1958 and 1962.

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It was June 21, 1970, half a century ago. One nation, Brazil, was under a military dictatorship. The other, Italy, was constantly changing governments, as multi-party coalitions fell apart, with the current Prime Minister being Mariano Rumor. The host nation, Mexico, was effectively a one-party state, with Gustavo Díaz Ordaz as President.

The recently crowned champions of the various European leagues were Everton in England (with Chelsea having won the FA Cup), Celtic in Scotland, Saint-Étienne in France, Atlético de Madrid in Spain, Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany, Cagliari in Italy, Red Star Belgrade in Yugoslavia, Legia Warsaw in Poland, and CSKA Moscow in the Soviet Union. Feyenoord of Rotterdam became the 1st team from the Netherlands to win the European Cup, the tournament now known as the UEFA Champions League.

The titleholders in major North American sports were the New York Mets in baseball, the Kansas City Chiefs in football, the New York Knicks in basketball, the Boston Bruins in hockey, and the Rochester Lancers in the North American Soccer League. Joe Frazier was officially recognized as the Heavyweight Champion of the World, but the undefeated Muhammad Ali was waiting for his chance to take back the title that had been stripped from him.

The President of the United States was Richard Nixon. The Governor of the State of New York was Nelson Rockefeller. The Mayor of the City of New York was John Lindsay. The Governor of the State of New Jersey was William T. Cahill. The New York Nets were playing on Long Island, and the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils did not exist yet. The New York Red Bulls and New York City Football Club? The New York Cosmos did not even exist yet.

The Prime Minister of Canada was Pierre Trudeau (father of the current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau); and of Britain, as I said, Edward Heath. Queen Elizabeth II was head of state of both nations -- that hasn't changed. The Pope was Paul VI. The United Nations' International Labour Organization was the holder of the Nobel Peace Prize. There were still surviving veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Boer War.

Joe Biden had just been elected to his 1st public office, the New Castle County Council in Delaware. Donald Trump had... recently begun working at Elizabeth Trump and Son, his father's company, learning how to institute racist renting practices in apartment complexes. Biden was 27 years old, Trump 24.

Recently-released films included Patton, A Man Called Horse, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Two Mules for Sister Sara, and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. McCloud had recently debuted on television; soon to do so were The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Flip Wilson Show, The Partridge Family, Josie and the Pussycats, and, more to the point for American sports fans, ABC Monday Night Football.

The Number 1 song in America was "The Long and Winding Road," a record 20th and last chart-topper for the recently broken-up Beatles. The Jackson 5 had recently hit it big. Elvis Presley released the live album On Stage. The Who released Live at Leeds, and gave the 1st performance of their rock opera Tommy at the home of American opera, the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York. Bob Dylan released Self-Portrait, The Grateful Dead Workingman's Dead, and Diana Ross her self-titled solo debut album.

Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $6.65 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 6 cents, and a New York Subway ride 30 cents. The average price of a gallon of gas was 33 cents, a cup of coffee 44 cents, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) 94 cents, a movie ticket $1.55, a new car $3,543, and a new house $27,000. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the preceding Friday at 720.43.

The Empire State Building in New York was still the tallest building in the world, but, downtown, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were going up. So was the Sears Tower in Chicago. There were telephones in cars, but not "mobile phones" like we would come to understand the term. There were no desktop computers, nor home video game systems, nor an "Internet" as we would know it: Steve Jobs and Tim Berners-Lee were 15 years old, Bill Gates 14.

Man had first landed on the Moon 11 months earlier. Automatic teller machines were still a relatively new thing, and many people had never seen one. 1968-82: There were heart transplants, liver transplants and lung transplants, and artificial kidneys, but no artificial hearts. There were birth control pills, but no Viagara.

In June 1970, Britain granted independence to the Pacific island nation of Tonga. Norway announced it had found rich oil deposits of its North Sea coast. The U.S. Army announced that Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington would be its 1st female generals. The U.S. Senate repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964, and President Nixon withdrew ground troops from Cambodia after 2 months. This would be, perhaps, an even bigger mistake than sending the troops in the first place.

The Cincinnati Reds moved out of Crosley Field, and into Riverfront Stadium, and soon hosted the All-Star Game there. The Pittsburgh Pirates moved out of Forbes Field, and into Three Rivers Stadium. The Philadelphia Phillies would wait until the end of the season to close Connie Mack Stadium, formerly known as Shibe Park, and the following Spring to move into Veterans Stadium. The football teams in those cities would also move into the new stadiums.

The NBA would soon welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Buffalo Braves, the team now known as the Los Angeles Clippers. The NHL would soon welcome the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks. Terry Sawchuk, perhaps the greatest goaltender in hockey history, and still an active player, died after a fight with a teammate exacerbated his liver damage from years of heavy drinking.

E.M. Forster, and Alexander Kerensky, and Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ray Schalk died. Gabrielle Giffords, and Mike Modano, and Alexi Lalas were born.

On the very day of the World Cup Final, Sukarno, the 1st President of Indonesia, under house arrest since a 1967 military coup, died. The Penn Central Transportation Company, formed by the 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroads, went bankrupt.

Also on that day, Ball Four was published. It was pitcher Jim Bouton's diary of the 1969 season. Other players hated it because it showed them to be vain, immature and unfaithful to their wives. Team owners hated it because it showed just how badly they had been ripping the players off. Bouton stood by his story for the rest of his life, and Ball Four remains the best-selling sports-themed book of all time – and maybe the funniest.
Also on that day, the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 9-8 in 12 innings at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Indians led 6-1 after 2 innings, 8-5 after 6, and 8-7 after 7, and blew it. Tiger starter Mike Kilkenny didn't get out of the 1st inning, and Indian starter Rick Austin didn't get out of the 3rd. Tom Timmerman pitched 3 scoreless extra innings to become the winning pitcher.
Tiger shortstop Cesar Gutierrez tied a major league record by going 7-for-7: He singled to right in the 1st, singled to left in the 3rd, beat out a grounder to short in the 5th, doubled to left in the 7th, singled to right to drive in a run in the 8th, beat out another grounder to short in the 10th, and singled to center in the 12th.

None of his hits were home runs. But Jim Northrup hit 2, and Al Kaline and Mickey Stanley each hit 1 for the Tigers, Stanley's in the 12th making the difference. Tony Horton, Chuck Hinton and Ted Uhlaender each hit 1 for the Indians.

That's what the world was like on June 21, 1970.

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In America, ABC acquired the rights to broadcast the Final. But instead of airing it live, they waited several months and broadcast it on ABC Wide World of Sports on Christmas Day. The Spanish International Network, which later became Univision, recognized the unserved soccer audience, and provided much more extensive television coverage of the games. Local Spanish UHF stations, such as WXTV-Channel 41 in New York and KMEX-Channel 34 in Los Angeles, broadcast the tournament.

In the end, with 107,412 fans watching at the Azteca, it didn’t matter that Valcareggi couldn’t make Rivera and Mazzola work together. Because this was the climax of Brazil’s show. It showed them to be the best national soccer team ever assembled, and Pelé, the best player ever. And if you think either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is better, you are a fool.

Pelé opened the scoring with a header in the 18th minute. Boninsegna tied it in the 37th, and the teams went into halftime at 1-1.

All through the 2nd half, Brazil passed the ball around in the way that led Pelé to call soccer O Jogo Bonito: "The Beautiful Game." Gérson picked the perfect time for his 1st-ever international goal, the 66th minute of the World Cup Final. Jairzinho put the game away 5 minutes later, becoming the 1st man ever to score in every round of a World Cup. Carlos Alberto, the Captain, put the cherry on the sundae in the 86th.

It ended Brazil 4, Italy 1. Brazil were the 1st 3-time winners of the World Cup. Zagallo became the 1st man ever to both play on and manage a World Cup winner.

Hail the Champions: 

1 Félix Miélli Venerando, or Félix, goalkeeper, who played his club soccer for Fluminense of Rio de Janeiro. 1937-2012.

2 Hércules de Brito Ruas, or Brito, centreback, Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro. Born 1939 and still alive.

3 Wilson da Silva Piazza, or Piazza, centreback, Cruzeiro of Belo Horizonte. Born 1943 and still alive.

4 Carlos Alberto Torres, a.k.a. Carlos Alberto, or "Capita," right back, Santos of the São Paulo area. 1944-2016.

5 Clodoaldo Tavares de Santana, or Clodoaldo, midfielder, Santos. Born 1949 and still alive.

7 Jair Ventura Filho, or Jairzinho, right wing, Botafogo of Rio de Janeiro. Born 1944 and still alive.

8 Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, or Gérson, midfielder, São Paulo F.C.. Born 1941 and still alive.

9 Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade, or Tostão, forward, Cruzeiro. Born 1947 and still alive.

10 Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or Pelé, forward, Santos. Born 1940 and still alive.

11 Roberto Rivellino, or Rivellino, midfielder, Corinthians of São Paulo. Born 1946 and still alive.

16 Everaldo Marques da Silva, or Everaldo, left back, Grêmio of Porto Alegre. 1944-1974, killed in a car crash.

Pelé, Carlos Alberto and Clodoaldo would eventually play in America, for the New York Cosmos.

Not playing in the Final:

6 Marco Antônio Feliciano, or Marco Antônio Feliciano, left back, Fluminense. Born 1951 and still alive.

12 Eduardo Roberto Stinghen, or Ado, goalkeeper, Corinthians. Born 1946 and still alive.

13 Roberto Lopes de Miranda, or Roberto, forward, Botafogo. Born 1944 and still alive.

14 José Guilherme Baldocchi, or Baldocchi, centreback, Palmeiras of São Paulo. Born 1946 and still alive.

15 José de Anchieta Fontana, or Fontana, centreback, Cruzeiro. 1940-1980, and I don't know how he died at age 40.

17 Joel Camargo, or Joel, centreback, Santos. 1946-2014.

18 Paulo Cézar Lima, or Caju, midfielder, Botafogo. Born 1949 and still alive.

19 Jonas Eduardo Américo, or Edu, forward, Santos. Born 1949 and still alive.

20 Dario José dos Santos, or Dario, or Dadá Maravilha, forward, Atlético Mineiro of Belo Horizonte. Born 1946 and still alive. And yet, despite being a favorite of the dictator and picked for the team by the manager, he did not play in the tournament.

21 José Maria Rodrigues Alves, or Zé Maria, centreback, Portuguesa of São Paulo. Born 1949 and still alive.

22 Émerson Leão, or Leão, goalkeeper, Comercial of Ribeirão Preto in São Paulo State. Born 1949 and still alive.

And the manager, Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo, born 1931 and still alive. He wore 7 in the 1958 World Cup, and 21 in 1962. He managed Brazil again in the 1998 World Cup, but lost the Final. He is now the oldest living former player, the oldest living former goalscorer, and the oldest living former manager, in World Cup play.

Maybe it's the fact that it was the right time for the Baby Boomers, the largest generation ever, to see it. But the 1970 Brazil team embedded itself in the public consciousness as the greatest soccer team ever. Not just for results, but for quality. They were forerunner of the Netherlands' "Total Football" of the 1970s, the A.C. Milan mixture of Italian steel and Dutch free-flow in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Arsène Wenger's Arsenal of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Brazil won the World Cup again in 1994 and 2002, becoming the 1st 4-time and the 1st 5-time winner. (Italy would win in 1982 and 2006.) But, in spite of legends like Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, it was never quite the same.

Still, in England, these last 50 years, when a team is playing well, their fans will sing, "It's just like watching Brazil."

The late Spring and early Summer of 1970. The Beatles had broken up. The Kent State Massacre had happened. There were wars with no end in sight. So many places in the world were a mess on their respective domestic fronts.

But 11 men from Brazil gave people all over the world something to marvel over. Then, and for the rest of their lives.

It wasn't just O Jogo Bonito, The Beautiful Game. It was Obra-Prima: A Masterpiece.

Gordon Banks, 1937-2019

Gordon Banks is one of a kind. He became the 1st England goalkeeper to win the World Cup. He held that distinction for the rest of his life, and, at least until December 2022, he will still hold it in death.

Gordon Banks (he had no middle name) was born on December 30, 1937 in the Abbeydale section of Sheffield, England's "Steel City" in South Yorkshire. As a teenager, he hauled coal, and kept goal for a pair of minor teams, Millspaugh and Rawmarsh Welfare. He also served in the British Army at this time, and it was during his "national service" that he married a woman named Ursula. They had daughters Julia and Wendy, and son Robert.

But both local major clubs, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, passed on him. It would be Chesterfield, a team in Derbyshire in the East Midlands, that would sign him to his first professional contract. He helped them reached the 1956 FA Youth Cup Final, losing to Manchester United.

In 1959, he was sold to another East Midlands side, Leicester City, and he helped them reach the 1961 FA Cup Final, losing to North London team Tottenham Hotspur. They reached the Final again in 1963, losing to Manchester United.

Making a save for Leicester

Reaching 2 FA Cup Finals caught attention of both the Football Association and the manager of the England national team, Alf Ramsey. Banks was selected to start for England in a match against "The Rest of the World" at the old Wembley Stadium on October 23, 1963, to celebrate the FA's 100th Anniversary.

It wasn't just that the opposing goalie was Lev Yashin of the Soviet Union and Dynamo Moscow, who was weeks away from becoming the 1st keeper (and remains the only one) to receive the Ballon d'Or as World Player of the Year.

It was that the opposing lineup included such attackers as Raymond Kopa of France and Stade de Reims, Denis Law of Scotland and Manchester United, Alfredo di Stéfano of Argentina and Real Madrid, and Eusébio of Portugal and Lisbon team Benfica. This team was so good, Uwe Seeler of West Germany and Hamburger SV and the already-legendary Ferenc Puskás were on the bench.

Through 81 minutes, he held them off, "keeping a clean sheet." In the 82nd, Law, who had scored on him in the calendar year's FA Cup Final, did so again. But Jimmy Greaves of Tottenham won it "at the death" for England, 2-1.

This win gave Ramsey and his players the realization that they could actually win the 1966 World Cup, which would be played on home soil. It also made Banks the "favourite" to be the starting goalie, "England's Number 1." Ironically, both goalies from England's 1962 World Cup team had played for teams in his hometown of Sheffield: Ron Springett for Wednesday, Alan Hodgkinson for United. (Springett would be one of Banks' backups in '66.)

In 1964, Leicester won The League Cup, winning the Final over Stoke City. (Their ageless wonder, Stanley Matthews, did not play.) Although the "Foxes" had won the 2nd division of England's Football League 4 times prior to this, this was their first major trophy.

England played all its 1966 World Cup matches at home, at Wembley. They opened the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Uruguay, and then beat Mexico and France, each by 2-0. England beat Argentina 1-0 in the Quarterfinal. In the Semifinal, it was 2-0 England before Portugal were awarded a penalty in the 82nd minute.

Banks had played every minute of every game, and had kept a clean sheet for 441 minutes. But Eusébio, who had scored 4 goals against North Korea in Portugal's Quarterfinal, stepped up, and scored. England's defense held, and it ended 2-1. England was in the Final against West Germany.

Helmut Haller, then with Italian team Bologna, scored in the 12th minute, ending 462 minutes of no one scoring on Banks from open play in the tournament. But Geoff Hurst of East London team West Ham United scored in the 18th, and fellow Hammer Martin Peters scored in the 78th. The World Cup was theirs, or so it seemed. In the 89th minute, Wolfgang Weber of FC Köln made it 2-2.

At some point in his career, Banks was quoted as saying, "At that level, every goal is like a knife in the ribs."

It was off to extra time. Hurst scored in the 101st minute, a goal which is still debated today. In the 120th and last minute -- there would be a minute of stoppage time -- Hurst drove toward the German goal again, and as he became the 1st person to score 3 goals in a World Cup Final, fans ran onto the field. This prompted the BBC's Kenneth Wolstenholme to deliver what's become the most famous line in the history of British sportscasting: "Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over... It is now!"

(Hurst remains the only man to score a hat trick in a World Cup Final. In 2015, Carli Lloyd of the U.S. became the 1st woman to do it.)

England had won, 4-2. Gordon Banks had allowed 2 goals in 90 minutes, but it wasn't enough for Germany. Banks had given his teammates every chance to win the 1st 5 games, and they picked him up in the 6th. He was a World Champion, and a hero.

Handed the Jules Rimet Trophy

by England Captain Bobby Moore

*

But toward the end of the next season, 1966-67, Leicester City's board of directors pressured manager Matt Gillies into dropping Banks in favor of Peter Shilton. Gillies said, "We think your best days are behind you, and you should move on." But defender Richie Norman told Banks it was the board's fault, not the manager's: Shilton had told them he would leave the team unless he became the starter.

On the one hand, Shilton would become England's top goalie in the 1970s and '80s. On the other hand, this was not the 1st contractual cock-up by Leicester: They had already sold the Captain of their League Cup winners, midfielder Frank McLintock, to North London team Arsenal (where he was converted to a centreback and captained their 1971 League and FA Cup "Double" winners), and were already seriously underpaying him and Banks.

And now, Banks was being pushed out, too. Sic transit gloria trophaeum mundi. (Thus goes the glory of the World Cup.)

For a price of £50,000 -- and this was before "decimalisation," the restructuring of British currency -- it was off to Stoke City, in Staffordshire, where he joined one of his '66 England teammates, George Eastham, who had starred for Newcastle United and Arsenal, and had challenged the maximum wage (making him English soccer's Curt Flood) and won (making him their Andy Messersmith). With some irony, Banks' 1st home game for Stoke was against Leicester, and the "Potters" beat the Foxes 3-1.

In 1968, Banks was again England's Number 1, as they finished 3rd in the European Championships. In England's off-season, some of their teams contributed players to America's new North American Soccer League, and so Banks played 7 games for the Cleveland Stokers.

The following season, on September 14, he played for Stoke against McLintock and Arsenal at Highbury. Novelist Nick Hornby later wrote that this was the 1st Arsenal match he attended, at age 11. Banks deflected a penalty taken by Terry Neill, later to manage Arsenal to the 1979 FA Cup, but the ball came back to Neill, and he scored. The game ended 1-0 to The Arsenal.

England went into the 1970 World Cup in Mexico as defending champions, but the heat and altitude got to them. They opened the Group Stage with a 1-0 win over Romania, and ended it with a win over Czechoslovakia. But it would be the middle game that would be remembered, at Estadio Jalisco, in Guadalajara, against Brazil, winners in 1958 and 1962.

Alan Mullery, a Tottenham player who was not on the 1966 team, saw what has been called the greatest save ever:

Jairzinho was flying down the wing, and he clips the ball to the far post, and Pelé, who climbed to such a height better than anybody else, headed the ball and Gordon went from one post to another and he flicks the ball with his fingertips and it just goes over the crossbar.

Bobby Charlton, who was one of the stars of the 1966 team, would say, many years later, "Even though I was on the pitch and have seen it many times since, I still don't know how he saved that header from Pelé."

Pelé himself said, "When you are a footballer, you know straight away how well you have hit the ball. I hit that header exactly as I had hoped. Exactly where I wanted it to go. And I was ready to celebrate.

"But then, this man, Banks, appeared in my sight, like a kind of blue phantom, is how I described him. He came from nowhere and he did something I didn't feel was possible. He pushed my header, somehow, up and over. And I couldn't believe what I saw. Even now when I watch it, I can't believe it. I can't believe how he moved so far, so fast.

"I scored so many goals in my life, but many people, when they meet me, always ask me about that save. While it was indeed phenomenal, my memory of Gordon is not defined by that. It is defined by his friendship. He was a kind and warm man who gave so much to people.

"So I am glad he saved my header, because that act was the start of a friendship between us that I will always treasure."

Indeed, Pelé and Banks are forever linked, and often appeared at events together, like Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca, like Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. 

Perhaps England deserved to win the game because of that. But, like the Mets after the Endy Chavez catch in Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series, it was not to be. Jairzinho scored in the 59th minute, and Brazil won 1-0. The end of the game featured another iconic moment: Pelé and Bobby Moore, England's Captain, exchanging shirts, a white man and a black man in a moment of great sportsmanship that the world will never forget.

England advanced to the Quarterfinal, in León, but Banks became violently ill the night before -- shades of Tottenham's "Lasagne-gate" incident in 2006. Ramsey decided he couldn't risk Banks in the heat and altitude, and started Peter Bonetti of West London team Chelsea instead. West Germany got its revenge for '66: Mullery and Peters scored to give England a 2-0 lead in the 2nd half, but Bonetti allowed 2 goals in a 14-minute stretch, and Germany won 3-2 in extra time.

*

In 1972, Stoke City defeated Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley Stadium, and won the League Cup Final. Banks allowed a goal to Peter Osgood, one of the heroes of Chelsea's 1970 FA Cup win, but got goals from Eastham and Terry Conroy, past Bonetti.

In the 156 seasons of Stoke City Football Club, this is their only major trophy -- if, that is, you consider the League Cup a major trophy. With Banks in goal and Eastham up from, they reached the Semifinal of the FA Cup in 1971 and 1972, but lost to Arsenal both times. (They've won the 2nd division in 1933 and 1963, and the Football League Trophy for 3rd and 4th division teams in 1992 and 2000, and got to the FA Cup Final in 2011.)

Lifting the League Cup with John Marsh

But on October 22, he lost control of his Ford Consul (the British version of the Ford Granada), crashed into an Austin A60 van, and ended up in a ditch. He got 200 stitches on his face, and lost the sight in his right eye. He retired following the end of the 1972-73 season.

In 1977, at age 39 and only able to see out of 1 eye, Banks was able to come out of retirement, and lead the Fort Lauderdale Strikers to their division's title. They lost in the Quarterfinals -- to Pelé and the New York Cosmos. In 26 games, he conceded only 29 goals, and was named NASL Goalkeeper of the Year. That should show you the difference between England's Football League and the NASL in the 1970s.

Banks helped the Strikers reach the Playoffs again in 1978, getting to the Semifinals, where they were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He played 11 games that season, and retired for good.

He went on to coach at Port Vale, the other team in Stoke-on-Trent, and managed Telford United in 1980. He continued to live in Stoke, but ran a hospitality company based in Leicester. When it went under, he basically spent the rest of his life as a professional sports hero, invited to hundreds of events, including award shows and anniversary dinners.

When Stanley Matthews died in 2000, Banks was named to Sir Stan's post as president of Stoke City Football Club. A statue of him was dedicated outside what's now named the bet365 Stadium, unveiled by Pelé. He was also named to the English Football Hall of Fame and the City of Stoke-on-Trent Hall of Fame, and was the 1st inductee into the Sheffield Walk of Fame. A 2002 poll named him the 2nd-greatest goalkeeper of all time, behind Lev Yashin.

With his statue at Stoke's bet365 Stadium

In 2015, he began receiving treatment for kidney cancer. In 2017, he joined Geoff Hurst to launch the Alzheimer's Society's "United Against Dementia" campaign, in honor of his brother David, and his England teammates Martin Peters (also a West Ham teammate of Hurst's), Nobby Stiles and Ray Wilson.

Jack Charlton, also of the 1966 team, has been diagnosed with memory loss, although from a different cause. Jeff Astle, star of the West Bromwich Albion side that beat Everton for the 1968 FA Cup and a member of the 1970 England World Cup team, had previously been affected by brain injury and died too soon. It is suspected that the constant headings of the heavier ball of the time contributed to these men's afflictions.

Gordon Banks died today, February 12, 2018, in Stoke-on-Trent. He was 81 years old. The tributes have come in from all over the world.

Bobby Charlton: "Gordon was a fantastic goalkeeper, without doubt, one of the best England has ever had. I was proud to call him a teammate. Obviously, we shared that great day in 1966, but it was more than that."

Geoff Hurst: "Very sad to hear the news that Gordon has died. One of the very greatest. Thinking especially of Ursula, Julia, Wendy and Robert. Sad for football, Stoke City and for England fans. Will be very sadly missed."

Pelé: "I have great sadness in my heart today, and I send condolences to the family he was so proud of. Rest in peace, my friend. Yes, you were a goalkeeper with magic. But you were also so much more. You were a fine human being."

Bob Wilson, who opposed him in goal many times for Arsenal: "Thanks for the memories, friendship and inspiration."

Gianluigi Buffon, legend of Italy and Juventus: "I am one of the many who built their dreams on your perfect save! Once more, with all my heart: thank you, dear Gordon Banks."

Kasper Schmeichel, current Leicester goalie, backbone of their 2016 Premier League title, and son of Denmark and Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel: "No photos or videos of that save versus Pelé will ever do it justice. A legend for all goalkeepers and a Leicester City great."

Thibaut Coutrois, goalkeeper for Belgium and Real Madrid, who won 2 League titles and an FA Cup with Chelsea: "Iconic saves, legendary goalkeeper. Today, football has lost a great example. My thoughts are with his family!"

Whoever writes the English branch of the Twitter feed for the German national team wrote, "A fierce opponent and a good man. Rest in peace, Gordon Banks."

The Football League has announced that a minute's applause will be held in his memory, before all fixtures from today until Sunday. This should also be done before the domestic cup finals (the League Cup Final on February 24, and the FA Cup Final on May 18), both at the new Wembley Stadium.

*

Banks' death leaves the following players still alive from the 1963 FA Centennial Game, over 55 years later:

For England, 9 players: Gordon Milne of Liverpool, Maurice Norman and Jimmy Breaves of Tottenham, Terry Paine of Southampton, George Eastham of Arsenal, Bobby Charlton of Manchester United, Tony Waiters of Blackpool, Ron Flowers of Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Tony Kay of Everton.

For The Rest of the World, 5 players: Karl-Heinz Schnellinger of Germany and FC Köln, Denis Law of Scotland and Manchester United, Francisco Gento of Spain and Real Madrid, Milutin Šoškić of Yugoslavia (now Serbia) and Partizan Belgrade, and Luis Eyzaguirre of Chile and Universidad de Chile.

And from England's 1966 World Cup winners: Into death, Banks follows Bobby Moore in 1993. Manager Alf Ramsey in 1999, Alan Ball in 2007, John Connelly in 2012, Ron Springett and Gerry Byrne in 2015, and Jimmy Armfield and Ray Wilson in 2018.

Still alive, 14 out of 22: George Cohen, Nobby Stiles, Jack Charlton, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton (Jack's brother), Geoff Hurst, Peter Bonetti, Martin Peters, Ron Flowers, Norman Hunter, Terry Paine, Ian Callaghan, Roger Hunt and George Eastham. But, as I said, Stiles, Peters and Jack Charlton are dealing with dementia; while Greaves is wheelchair-bound following a stroke.

As I wrote upon Wilson's death last year, now updated: Eight of the 22 have had the One Great Referee blow for full-time. The rest are in stoppage time. May what remains of their lives be as comfortable as possible.

UPDATE: Gordon Banks' final resting place is not publicly known.

How Long It's Been: England Won a Major Soccer Tournament

July 30, 1966, 50 years ago today: England wins the World Cup, beating West Germany 4-2 after extra time, on home soil, at the original Wembley Stadium in London.

Geoff Hurst became the only man to score a hat trick in a World Cup Final -- the only person, until Carli Lloyd did so for America in the Women's World Cup Final against Japan last year.

His 2nd goal was controversial, in that some people think it didn't cross the goal line. His 3rd came in the 120th minute, the last minute of extra time (not counting stoppage time), as fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate what seemed to be a 3-2 win. BBC announcer Kenneth Wolstenholme made the most famous call in the history of sportscasting -- yes, more famous than "The Giants win the Pennant!":

And here comes Hurst! He's got... Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over! It is now! It's four!

Captain Bobby Moore led the England players up the famous Wembley steps, and received the World Cup trophy from his head of state, Queen Elizabeth II.

*

Here's England's performance in major tournaments since then:

* Euro 1968: Semifinal.
* 1970 World Cup: Quarterfinal.
* Euro 1972: Did not qualify.
* 1974 World Cup: Did not qualify.
* Euro 1976: Did not qualify.
* 1978 World Cup: Did not qualify.
* Euro 1980: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 1982 World Cup: Eliminated after 2nd Group Stage. (Effectively, Round of 16.)
* Euro 1984: Did not qualify.
* 1986 World Cup: Quarterfinal. (Cheated by Argentina's Diego Maradona.)
* Euro 1988: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 1990 World Cup: Semifinal. (Went out to West Germany on penalties.)
* Euro 1992: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 1994 World Cup: Did not qualify.
* Euro 1996, on home soil: Semifinal. (Went out to the reunited Germany on penalties.)
* 1998 World Cup: Quarterfinal.
* Euro 2000: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 2002 World Cup: Quarterfinal.
* Euro 2004: Quarterfinal. (Went out to Portugal on penalties.)
* 2006 World Cup: Quarterfinal. (Went out to Portugal on penalties.)
* Euro 2008: Did not qualify.
* 2010 World Cup: Round of 16. (Went out to Germany in normal time.)
* Euro 2012: Quarterfinal. (Went out to Italy on penalties.)
* 2014 World Cup: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* Euro 2016: Round of 16. (Went out to Iceland. Iceland!)

50 years. 25 tournaments. No wins. No Finals. 2 Semifinals. 3 times eliminated by Ze Germans. 5 times (out of the last 14) eliminated on penalties. 7 outright failures to qualify.

For half a century, the English have been telling the world that they "invented football." They did not: The Greeks and the Chinese were playing it 500 years before the birth of Christ. Then they'll say they popularized it and brought it to the world. Well, you don't see Harvard (or, even more ridiculously, the school that played the first American football game, which was really a 25-a-side soccer game: Rutgers) talking about their role in popularizing that sport.

And when you point out that English "football" is terrible now, they say, "Has your country won the World Cup?"

No, not the men's version. And for 50 years, neither has yours. These same English who make fun of the Scots for still talking about the Battle of Bannockburn, over 700 years later, are clinging to the fact that England won the World Cup within the lifetimes of many people still alive today.

Including 17 of the 22 players on that England squad: Gordon Banks, George Cohen, Ray Wilson, Nobby Stiles (the one with the missing teeth in the photo above), Jack Charlton, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton (Jack's brother), Hurst, Peter Bonetti, Jimmy Armfield, Martin Peters, Ron Flowers, Norman Hunter, Terry Paine, Ian Callaghan, Roger Hunt and George Eastham. Moore died in 1993. Manager Alf Ramsey died in 1999, Alan Ball in 2007, John Connelly in 2012, and Ron Springett and Gerry Byrne both died last year.

UPDATE: Armfield and Wilson died in 2018. Banks died in 2019.

July 30, 1966. Exactly 50 years. How long has that been?

*

England hasn't won the World Cup since. Brazil and Germany have won it 3 times since. Argentina and Italy have won it twice, France and Spain have won it once.

The World Cup has since been held in Mexico twice, Germany twice, Argentina, Spain, Italy, America, France, Japan, Korea, South Africa and Brazil. The Olympics have since been held in America 4 times, Canada 3 times, France twice, Japan twice, Russia twice, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Bosnia, Korea, Spain, Norway, Australia, Greece, Italy, China and Britain. Next week, you can add Brazil to that list.

Since England last won it, the Football League and its successor the Premier League have been won by Manchester United 14 times, Liverpool 11 times, Arsenal 6 times, Chelsea 4 times; Everton, Leeds United and Manchester City 3 times each; twice each by Derby County; and once each by Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City.

Liverpool had just won the Football League, while Everton had just won the FA Cup. The defending World Champions in North American sports were the Los Angeles Dodgers in baseball, the Green Bay Packers in football, the Boston Celtics in basketball, and the Montreal Canadiens in hockey. Muhammad Ali was the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Of the 8 stadiums used in that World Cup, 4 still stand: Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield (home of Sheffield Wednesday, now infamous for the disaster that killed 96 people there during the 1989 FA Cup Semifinal), Villa Park in Birmingham (home of Aston Villa), Old Trafford in Salford (home of Manchester United), Goodison Park in Liverpool (home of Everton),

Wembley has been demolished and replaced by a new stadium of the same name on the same site. The White City Stadium in London (built as the main stadium for the 1908 Olympics) is now the site of the BBC's (British Broadcasting Corporation) headquarters and main studios. Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough and Roker Park in Sunderland have both been demolished and replaced by low-cost housing, and their home clubs have built new stadiums.

Most English stadiums had "terraces" behind the goal, without seats, where people would stand. These were disasters waiting to happen, and Hillsborough 1989 was the last of a few incidents that killed people, or could have. Most stadiums had poor concession and restroom facilities, and the seated stands along the sidelines ("touchlines," they would say) had little legroom. Nearly every stadium in England would be either replaced entirely or seriously modernized in the 1990s and 2000s.

Of the 19 men (the role is currently vacant at Hull City) who are starting the 2016-17 season as managers of Premier League teams: Arsene Wenger of Arsenal was 16, Claudio Ranieri of Leicester City was 14, Francesco Guidolin of Swansea City was 10, Tony Pulis of West Bromwich Albion was 8, Alan Pardew of Crystal Palace was 5, Claude Puel of Southampton and Walter Mazzarri of Watford were 4; Ronald Koeman of Everton, Jose Mourinho of Manchester United and David Moyes of Sunderland were 3, Mark Hughes of Stoke City was 2; and Eddie Howe of Bournemouth, Sean Dyche of Burnley, Antonio Conte of Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool, Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Aitor Karanka of Middlesbrough, Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspur and Slavin Bilic of West Ham United weren't born yet.

In English football in 1966, if a player was said to be "foreign," that usually meant he was from Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Occasionally, there would be a player from outside the British Isles, but not often.

Queen Elizabeth is still on the throne. Harold Wilson was the Prime Minister. He would lose the office to Edward Heath, then regain it from him. Counting the 2 tenures of this 1 person, Britain has had 9 Prime Ministers -- despite Wilson holding the job for a total of 8 years, Margaret Thatcher for 11 and Tony Blair for 10. Theresa May just became the country's 2nd female Prime Minister. America has had 9 Presidents, and will soon have a 10th. The Prime Minister of Canada was Lester Pearson. The holder of the Nobel Peace Prize was UNICEF.

The President of the United States was Lyndon Johnson. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry Truman, their wives, and the widow of John F. Kennedy were still alive. Richard Nixon was in political exile. Gerald Ford was the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Jimmy Carter was in the State Senate in Georgia, and was embarking on his 1st campaign for Governor. So was former actor Ronald Reagan, in California. George H.W. Bush was running for the House of Representatives, and his son George W. was at Yale University. Bill Clinton was at Georgetown University, and his eventual wife Hillary Rodham was at Wellesley College. Donald Trump was at the University of Pennsylvania. Barack Obama was about to turn 5 years old, and his eventual wife Michelle Robinson was 2.

The Governor of the State of New York was Nelson Rockefeller. The Mayor of the City of New York was John Lindsay. The Governor of New Jersey was Richard J. Hughes. Andrew Cuomo was 8 years old, Bill de Blasio was 5, and Chris Christie was about to turn 4.

Major novels of the year included In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Magus by John Fowles, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (which was adapted into the Cliff Robertson movie Charly 2 years later), The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry, The Fixer by Bernard Malamud, The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott, The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron, and the best-selling novel in America since World War II, Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann.

Stephen King was at the University of Maine. George R.R. Martin had just graduated from Bayonne High School in New Jersey. J.K. Rowling would have her 1st birthday the day after the World Cup Final. No one had yet heard of Alexander Portnoy, Lestat de Lioncourt, T.S. Garp, Arthur Dent, Jason Bourne, Hannibal Lecter, Forrest Gump, Jack Ryan, Alex Cross, Bridget Jones, Robert Langdon, Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan or Katniss Everdeen.

Major films of the Summer of 1966 included a film version of the new Batman TV series (released on the very day of England's World Cup win), Daleks -- Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (the 1st film based on Doctor Who, starring Peter Cushing as The Doctor), The Glass Bottom Boat, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, How to Steal a Million, Fantastic Voyage, the Elvis Presley film Paradise, Hawaiian Style, Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (a modernized comedy version of Robinson Crusoe starring Dick Van Dyke), and a Steve McQueen film whose name would be appropriated for the 1st great soccer bar in America: Nevada Smith.

Gene Roddenberry was getting ready to premiere Star Trek. George Lucas was at the University of Southern California. Steven Spielberg was at California State University at Long Beach. No one had yet heard of Billy Jack, Michael Corleone, HAL 9000, Harry Callahan, Cheech & Cong, John Shaft, Paul Kersey, Leatherface, Rocky Balboa, Howard Beale, Michael Myers, Jake & Elwood Blues, Mad Max Rockatansky, Jason Voorhees, Ash Williams, John Rambo, the Terminator, the Ghostbusters, Freddy Kreuger, Marty McFly, Robocop, John McClane, Jay & Silent Bob or Austin Powers.

Rawhide, Mister Ed, The Donna Reed Show, Ben Casey, The Addams Family and its copy (or was it vice versa?) The Munsters, McHale's Navy, The Patty Duke Show, Perry Mason and The Dick Van Dyke Show had all closed their runs on network TV; The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and My Favorite Martian soon would. The iconic Westerns Gunsmoke and Bonanza were still clippity-clopping along nicely. So were the spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E and the spy spoof Get Smart. Soon to premiere were Mission: Impossible, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Green Hornet, The Time Tunnel, The Monkees, That Girl, Family Affair, The Rat Patrol and The Hollywood Squares.

Bob Holiday had recently starred in the Broadway musical It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman.
Adam West had recently debuted as Batman. William Hartnell was still playing Doctor Who's First Doctor. There had not yet been live-action versions of Wonder Woman or Spider-Man. The comic book characters Ghost Rider, Luke Cage, the Punisher, Iron Fist, Cyborg, V (for Vendetta), Deadpool and Rick Grimes had yet to be created.

No one had yet heard of Hawkeye Pierce, Columbo, Scooby-Doo, Big Bird, Carol Brady, Monty Python, Mary Richards, Keith Partridge, Archie Bunker, Kwai Chang Caine, Fred Sanford, Bob Hartley, Theo Kojak, Arthur Fonzarelli, Barney Miller, Basil Fawlty, J.R. Ewing, Mork from Ork, William Adam, Arnold Jackson, Ken Reeves, Sam Malone, Christine Cagney & Marty Beth Lacey, He-Man, Goku, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Thundercats, Bart Simpson, Zack Morris, the Seinfeld Four, Buffy Summers, Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Ross Geller & Rachel Greene, Doug Ross, Xena, Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Don Draper, Walter White, Richard Castle or Sarah Manning.

The Number 1 song in America was "Wild Thing" by The Troggs. Elvis, as I said, was in the doldrums of the movie phase of his career. Frank Sinatra was enjoying a renaissance as he approached his 50th birthday: "Strangers In the Night" had hit Number 1, his album September of My Years and his TV special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music were both big hits, and his daughter Nancy had recently hit Number 1 with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." The day before England won the World Cup, Bob Dylan had a nasty motorcycle crash that kept him from doing anything in music for over a year. His absence from the public eye led many people to think that the crash had actually killed him.

A car crash later in the year did not injure Paul McCartney of The Beatles, but, eventually, rumors would abound that he had been killed, and replaced by a double. Having recently released their album Revolver, the band was in the middle of a world tour and about to arrive in America, where, for what turned out to be the only time in his public life, John Lennon apologized for something: Saying that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus now. (He was right: They were.) After the tour ended in San Francisco on August 29, they decided never to tour again. They never did -- at least, not together.

That Summer, Bobby Fuller was murdered at what looked like the beginning of a great rock and roll career. Comedian Lenny Bruce was found dead of a drug overdose, but rumors that he was murdered would also persist. Frank Zappa and his band, The Mothers of Invention, released their album Freak Out! McCartney would later cite this, and The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, as inspirations for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Other albums released that Summer included Aretha Franklin's Soul Sister, The Supremes A' Go-Go, The Temptations' Gettin' Ready, The Byrds' Fifth Dimenson, And Then... Along Comes the Association, Dusty Springfield's You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Tim Hardin 1, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, The Mamas & the Papas, The Exciting Wilson Pickett, and James Brown's It's a Man's Man's Man's World.

Inflation has been such that what $1.00 bought then would cost $7.40 now. Or, more to the point of the country in question, what £1.00 bought then would cost £17.45 now. This was before the decimalisation of the pound on February 15, 1971.

Credit cards were still a relatively new thing, and there were no automatic teller machines in America. There were artificial kidneys, but no artificial hearts. Transplanting a kidney or a lung was possible, but not a heart or liver. There were birth control pills, but no Viagra. The U.S. space program was in the middle of Project Gemini, the middle stage of trying to get to the Moon.

Most American TV shows had gone over to color broadcasts, but only about 1/3rd of U.S. households had color TV sets. There were no hand-held calculators, no video games, no digital watches, no cable televisions, no mobile telephones, no VCRs, no personal computers, and no Internet. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee were all 11 years old.

In the Summer of 1966, the Vatican abolished their index of banned books. Prime Minister Wilson, President Charles de Gaulle of France, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India and Secretary General U Thant of the United Nations each made visits to the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong announced his Great Leap Forward in China. A gang led by Harry Roberts killed 3 London police officers.

In America, race riots struck the West Side of Chicago, the East Side of Cleveland, and in the Michigan capital of Lansing. Martin Luther King led a civil rights march in Chicago, and was hit with a rock thrown by a white counter-demonstrator. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) endorsed what it called "Black Power." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that policemen must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them. The National Organization for Women (NOW) and the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) were founded. Richard Speck in Chicago and Charles Whitman in Austin, Texas became notorious murderers. The New York Herald Tribune ceased publication. Caesars Palace opened in Las Vegas. And ground was broken in New York for the original World Trade Center.

Delmore Schwartz, and Montgomery Clift, and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, the leading professional wrestler of the interwar years, died. Dikembo Mutombo, and Mike Tyson, and Gianfranco Zola were born.

July 30, 1966. England won the World Cup on home soil. It was the greatest moment in the history of British sport.

England have not won it since. They have not even been to a World Cup Final since. Only once since have they even made a World Cup Semifinal. And, based on their performances at the most recent editions of the World Cup and the European Championships, they're not getting appreciably close to doing it again.

I don't know what they're doing wrong. But they truly inspire a few rounds of that classic terrace chant: "You don't know what you're doing!"