Sir Geoff will be at the awards
And here comes Hurst, he's got...some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over! ... it is now!'
Words that are etched into the folklore memory of any England football fan as Geoff Hurst, now Sir Geoff, smashed his third goal into the net at the near post, completing a stunning victory and a hat-trick.
And the man who ensured England's victory in the 1966 World Cup will be the guest speaker at The New Business Excellence Awards night at the Guildhall.
Sir Geoff, whose hattrick enabled England to beat West Germany 4-2, had reached the summit of his career at the age of 24.
Sir Geoff made his name with club side West Ham United, with whom he played 499 league and cup matches, scoring 248 goals.
He was player of the year three times and won the FA Cup with West Ham in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965.
However, it was playing in the national side that launched Sir Geoff as a world football icon.
Prior to the tournament it had been assumed that Sir Geoff would merely be used as a different option to the first choice partnership of Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt.
Greaves and Hunt were 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 Hurst was called up to take his place in the quarter-final against Argentina.
His contribution was such that boss Sir Alf Ramsey stuck with him even when Greaves was fit.
At the time he was only five months and eight games into his international career, and was not considered England's premier centre forward.
In 1975 Sir Geoff was decorated with the MBE and in later years, became a successful businessman, working in the insurance industry.
He also became in demand as a pundit and a motivational speaker.
In 1998 he was knighted and is currently director of football for McDonald's fast food chain.
He has undertaken a number of speaking engagements across the world for many companies, including Proctor and Gamble, Toyota, The World Sponsorship Council and Lloyds Bank.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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