Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a former English footballer, most famous for playing an essential role in Englands 1966 World Cup winning squad, this hub is part of a series of hubs; each of which are dedicated to a member of that 22-man squad.

Hurst was born in Lancashire but moved to Chelmsford in Essex with his family when he was 8 years old, Hurst was the son of a moderately successful lower league footballer. Hurst's own footballing career began in 1959 after being spotted by West Ham playing amateur Sunday league football in Surrey, he subsequently signed apprenticeship terms with London club West Ham aged 17.

Many will be suprised to know that Hurst was initially a centre midfielder, but it was his strong winning and very apparent technical ability which convinced West Ham manager Ron Greenwood that he would make a capable centre forward. Greenwood's insight was soon to be proved a shrewd one, with Hurst soon establishing himself as a key player for a successful West Ham Team.

Geoff Hurst - West Ham (Pre-World Cup)

Hurst's goals as a centre forward were an essential ingredient for the Hammers great successes of the 60s, including a goal in the 3-2 FA Cup final win against Preston North End in 1964. Hurst also scored goals in the European Cup Winners Cup of 1965, which saw West Ham go all the way with a 2-0 win against 1860 Munich in the Wembley final. Hurst and West Ham almost made it three trophies in three years, finishing runners up in the 1966 League Cup. It was Hurst's strong form during the 1965/66 season which saw Alf Ramsey give Hurst his first England Cap in February 1966.

Hurst did not look out of place on the international stage, and was subsequently handed a place in Alf Ramsey's 22 man squad, but it was clear that Hurst - at a time when no substitutes were permitted - was in the squad to provide back up to the first choice front two of Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt. For the first three games of the tournament, the group stage against Uruguay, Mexico and France, Ramsey did indeed stick with the established Greaves-Hunt pairing. However, during the final group stage game (against France) Greaves suffered a deep gash to the leg and Hurst was summoned to take his place in the quarter final against Argentina. With Martin Peters and Bobby Moore already in the team at this stage, Hurst completed a trio of West Ham players who had all played key roles in West Hams own domestic and European success.

Argentina were well known for their very aggressive approach to the game, and Ramsey expected a rough ride. The game did not fail to live up to expectations, with a violent encounter seeing Argentina reduced to ten men. Despite this advantage, it was still a very close encounter until the game entered its last 15 minutes; a young Martin Peters played a curling cross from the left into the box. Hurst anticipated his Hammers colleagues thinking and beat his marker to the front post, where he glanced a header past the opposition keeper. England held on to win 1-0 and Hurst had already become an overnight hero in just his 6th England appearance.

Jimmy Greaves was still not fit in time for the semi final against Portugal, so Hurst and Hunt continued their partnership up front. Hurst played well again, although he did not score, he did however set up the second of Bobby Charlton's goals in a comfortable 2-0 victory. Despite playing a key role in two successive victories, the English media called for the return of fit-again Greaves for the final against arch rivals West Germany. Thankfully, Ramsey did not allow himself to bow to national pressure and instead insisted that Hurst had been playing well enough to justify his place. His faith in Hurst was of course fully vindicated with Hurst scoring a hat-trick. The first goal was, like Hurst's winning goal against Argentina, set up by a West Ham team mate. This time it was Bobby Moore's turn to be provider, with a quickly taken free kick catching the Germans by surprise and Hurst heading home past a static goalkeeper; this levelled the score at 1-1 during a closely contested first half.

The second half was again a close contest, with both teams missing good chances to go ahead; before England capitalised to go ahead again. This time Hurst turned provider, albeit unintentionally, after he got on the end of an Alan Ball corner on the edge of the area. Hurst turned and shot, but the ball deflected and fell kindly at the feet of Martin Peter's who fired home a typical right foot volley. It was lead that England were to hold until the dying seconds of the game when the Germans equalised just seconds away from the final whistle. The two teams went into extra time exhausted, and it was to be the energy of England's younger players that made the difference between the two teams. In the first half of extra time, the young Alan Ball flicked the ball into Hurst's path in the penalty area who struck the ball with venom. The shot hit the underside of the bar, before bouncing on the floor and being headed away by a German player for a corner. The English players were adamant that the ball had crossed the line, whilst the German players were equally insistent that the ball did not cross the line. The decision was left to one of the linesmen, who had waved his flag; the soviet linesman subsequently informed the referee that the ball had crossed the line. The German players were furious.

The Germans responded by throwing everything that the could at England to find an equalising goal, before almost the last kick in the game when Bobby Moore punted a long ball up field. At this stage spectators were beginning to run onto the pitch as they believed that the game was over, whilst Hurst ran on to the long Moore ball. Hurst subsequently blasted the ball with his left foot, a shot which flew into the net and making the score 4-2. Hurst had completed the 'perfect' hat-trick, with a goal from both of his feet and his head; something which has not yet been emulated in a world cup final. Hurst emerged from that game as a global icon, and will forever be a hero in England. His final goal has also been immortalised in the most famous ever string of football commentary:- "And here comes Hurst, he's got ... [notices invaders] ... some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over! [Hurst shoots and scores] ... It is now! It's four!

Geoff Hurst continued to play for England, and West Ham, for the remainder of the 1960s; although he won no further honours in club or International football for this period. Hurst was included in the squad for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Romania in the group stages. The World Cup was a disappointment for England, exiting in the Quarter Finals against West Germany, although Hurst set up a goal during a 3-2 defeat. The closest that Hurst came to winning another honour was in 1972, where he was part of a West Ham team to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup before losing to Stoke. Hurst left West Ham later that year to join Stoke City for a £75,000 transfer fee, having played 499 games for West Ham and scoring an impressive 252 goals; more than 1 goal in every 2 games. He played his last game for England in the same year, another competitive defeat against West Germany. Hurst had played 49 games for England, scoring 24 goals, and is currently the 11th highest England goal scorer of all time. Hurst was 31 years old, and entering the twilight of his career.

Hurst remained at new club Stoke City for three years, scoring 30 goals in 108 league appearances, before leaving at the end of the 1975 season and signing for West Bromwich Albion where he played just 10 games before trying his luck in the USA with the Seattle Sounders. After finishing as the second highest goalscorer for Seattle in the 1976 season with 9 goals, goals which helped Seattle reach the play-offs for the first time in their history, he went on to have brief spells in Kuwait and then in Ireland playing for Cork Celtic. He retired from competitive football in 1976, aged 34.

Hurst moved into coaching and management after retirement and his first job was as assistant to Ron Greenwood, his former boss at West Ham, after Greenwood was made manager of England in 1977. Hurst later spent a brief period as player-manager at Telford United before being given the job as assistant manager to Danny Blanchflower at Chelsea in the 1979/1980 pre-season. Blanchflower was soon sacked, and Hurst was given the managers job. Things went very well for Chelsea for much of the season, with them being on course for an automatic promotion from the second division before hitting a poor run of form in their last 7 games. In the following season started well, with Chelsea amongst the front runners in the first half of the season, before Chelsea went on their worst ever run; scoring just 3 goals in their final 22 games of the season, and resulting in Geoff Hurst being sacked in April 1981. This was to be be Hurst's last job in football, before he established a successful business career within Insurance. Hurst has been decorated with the MBE in 1975, and was knighted in 1998. He now works for McDonald's as the 'Director of Football', dealing with their many football sponsorship deals in the UK.