A great honour for Gordon ( Banks11 v Pele 11)

[blueblood]

Gordon Banks will be the proudest man on earth this weekend when the footballing world pays homage to arguably the greatest goalkeeper who ever lived.The unveiling of his statue - and with Pele there to witness the memorable moment - makes for an emotional and star-studded weekend in honour of this most famous of adopted Stokies.

 

He confesses there might just be a tear or two as he braces himself for the plaudits certain to cascade his way over a weekend of festivities designed to celebrate his marvellous contribution to the game.

 

"Yes, I think there might be," he admits. "I'm just so very honoured that a statue should be put up for me.

 

 

 

"I'm even more honoured that it should be the first statue in the western world dedicated to a goalkeeper.

 

"Having the statue coincide with Stoke City winning promotion makes it even lovelier, that the two should go together.

 

"I must say it's something that makes you feel very proud, having your name portrayed like this.

 

"A lot of gratitude must go to the man who first thought about this. Don Mullan has worked his socks off and I thank him tremendously.

 

"I'm amazed really because normally they put up statues when you've died. My only regret is that my mother and father aren't around to see it, but obviously the rest of the family will be there and that makes it even more special."

 

He will also be joined by former goalkeepers Bert Trautmann (Manchester City) and Bert Williams (Wolves), two men he describes as "lovely people I used to look up to as a youngster and who I learned a lot from."

 

But all eyes will inevitably be trained towards Banks and Pele - glorious protagonists in one of the greatest moments football has ever conjured.

 

The pair became forever synonymous with one another, certainly in this country, when Banksy defied gravity to prevent Pele scoring a header at the 1970 World Cup.

 

"Pele always tells me that people talk about his goals wherever else he goes in the world, but in this country all they ever talk about is my save.

 

"I've seen some great players over the years and been fortunate enough to play against a lot of them in this country, people like George Best, Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Greaves.

 

"But I have to say that I've never seen anyone with the things that this guy had as a player.

 

"There's been a lot of great players, but they didn't have all the attributes that this man had.

 

"They may have been great at heading, shooting or passing, but this guy was 100 per cent at everything. It is tremendous that he is coming over to England for this."

 

Having celebrated his 70th birthday last December, Gordon is still looking pretty chipper these days for a man undergoing surgery in recent years to have a non-cancerous tumour removed from a kidney, while a hip replacement has also restricted the movement of a once-lithe sportsman.

 

"I'd still be out jogging if it wasn't for the hip," he says, "but I can still get in the garden. I also do my exercises every day, stretching and a few press-ups, and then there's the golf when the weather is OK."

 

Much of his time has been thrown into his charity work - such as the recent annual Gordon Banks Golf Classic - and much of his energy and money-raising has been for the considerable benefit of the children's ward at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

 

It all began when the wife of close friend and one-time Stoke colleague Alan Bloor asked him to present a cheque there.

 

"I felt very sorry for the kids there," he explains, "and I just decided I wanted to put something back for all the great times I've had. What better way, I thought, than helping sick children?"

 

And those youngsters could hardly handpick a bigger sporting hero than a goalkeeper not only recognised as one of the very best - possibly the very best - but one also enjoying a front row seat at some of the game's most memorable moments in the late sixties and early seventies.

 

It was Banksy in goal for England's 1966 World Cup triumph, of course, and it was Banksy pulling off that so-called save of the century to defy Pele and Brazil in the 1970 World Cup finals.

 

Who, as they say, writes this man's script?

 

He says his most abiding memory of Wembley 1966 was the final whistle heralding England's unforgettable 4-2 victory over West Germany.

 

"It was the signal that we'd won," he reflects. "I just felt complete relief. If you can imagine the tension growing with every game, then you'll understand how that whistle sent a huge relief through my body. It was like a weight had been lifted off the shoulders."

 

And victory also signalled the end to a pretty austere build-up under the strict and watchful eye of Alf Ramsey.

 

"We had a week's training before the tournament and then the tournament itself lasted a month, but the only time I saw the wife was in the stands at the final. Can you imagine today's players putting up with that?"

 

His legendary collision with Pele came in the Mexico finals four years later when, sandwiched between 1-0 group wins against Romania and Czechoslavakia, England were beaten 1-0 by eventual winners Brazil.

 

The Brazilians were laced with stars twinkling in their prime - Jairzinho, Rivelino, Gerson, Tostao, Carlos Alberto et al - but it was the name of Pele that really sent a tingle down the spine.

 

"The Pele save against Brazil changed my life far more than the World Cup win," he recently reflected, "because it was an individual moment. When I go, that's what I'll be remembered for.

 

"I've always said, though, that a save from Wyn Davies against Newcastle was just as good, but not quite so many people saw that one.

 

"And the most important save of my career was the penalty save against Geoff Hurst when we beat West Ham in the League Cup semi-final in 1972."

 

Mexico 1970 also conjures up memories of the mystery food poisoning that left the great man confined to his hotel as England - with the unfortunate Peter Bonetti in goal - blew a two-goal lead en route to an infamous quarter-final exit against West Germany.

 

"When somebody first asked about food poisoning at the time I just laughed, but as the years have gone by, I've thought more and more about it.

 

"We all ate the same food and took the same tablets, so why me? I was at the top of my career and felt so confident in everything I did at that time. I've got to say I've become more and more suspicious over the years."

 

That aforementioned Hurst save preceded Stoke City's finest hour, of course, and also Gordon's greatest achievement in club football after losing in two FA Cup finals for Leicester in the early sixties.

 

He describes it as "my greatest and proudest moment in club football" after helping Stoke to their first trophy in more than 100 years existence.

 

Recalling that heady day back in March 1972, he says: "To walk out with the team and listen to the roar of our supporters was great. Then to come back home the next day and have 100,000 people welcome us was simply fantastic.

 

"I don't think the city had ever had that many people out before. I've always appreciated how the club and the fans appreciated me."

 

Sadly, his career was to finish abruptly barely six months later when he crashed his car on his way home from the Victoria Ground one Sunday lunchtime.

 

He has always insisted there was no bitterness towards a twist of fate that might have ended his life, but certainly changed it.

 

"It has to be the worst moment of my life. I was still playing for England, and Stoke, and it was the same year we'd won the League Cup. I wouldn't say I was bitter because I was to blame for the crash."

 

There was initial hope of saving the sight of his eye, but the truth would gradually dawn upon the stricken goalkeeper.

 

"I remember being at home and not being able to pick up the shadow of people walking past the window. It was a bad sign."

 

His career in England was over at the age of 34 - a relatively young age for a goalkeeper, particularly one blessed with his skill and fitness - but the legend was already inscribed upon the great game to prompt tributes and testimonials in subsequent years.

 

But nothing, surely, to compare with the rare and deserved honour being bestowed upon him this coming weekend.

 

 

[Drummer]

Nice article and tribute.

 

And the thought of Gordon Banks, Bert Trautmann and Bert Williams being all in the same place at the same time - football's super super stars!