England World Cup Winning Goalkeeper Gordon Banks Passes Away Aged 81

Gordon Banks, England's goalkeeper when they won the World Cup in 1966, has died at the age of 81.

Considered the greatest English goalkeeper ever and one of the all-time greats in his position, Banks was named FIFA's goalkeeper of the year on six occasions and won 73 caps for England.

Banks' club career spanned almost two decades, most of which was spent at Leicester and Stoke, for whom he made a combined total of over 600 appearances in all competitions.

In a statement shared on Stoke's website, Banks' family said: "It is with great sadness that we announce that Gordon passed away peacefully overnight.

"We are devastated to lose him but we have so many happy memories and could not have been more proud of him. We would ask that the privacy of the family is respected at this time."

Banks is perhaps most famous for his wonder save from Pele at the 1970 World Cup, when he turned the Brazilian's header over the bar with an incredible stop.

Born in Sheffield, he played one season for Chesterfield before joining Leicester at the age of 21. The Foxes reached two FA Cup finals before winning the League Cup in 1964.

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In 1966 he played every game for England as they won the World Cup on home soil, including the 4-2 extra time victory over West Germany in the final.

He joined Stoke in 1967 and won the League Cup again in 1972, which remains the Potters' only major trophy. Banks was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2008 a statue of him was unveiled by Pele outside Stoke's Britannia Stadium.