Tributes flow for Armfield, a true gentleman and hero
FORMER England captain and Blackpool great Jimmy Armfield’s death at the age of 82 is being mourned across the football world. Tributes flooded in from team-mates and colleagues hailing the loss of a ‘true gentleman’ and ‘national hero’. Armfield, who was diagnosed with cancer for a second time last year, played 627 matches in 17 years for his only club and was part of Sir Alf Ramsey’s victorious England squad in 1966. ‘I am deeply saddened by the death of Jimmy Armfield,’ former England team-mate Sir Bobby Charlton said. ‘As an opponent, team-mate and friend, he was, without doubt, one of the most honest and genuine gentlemen I had the good fortune to meet.’ Armfield was one of two Blackpool players, along with Alan Ball, named in the 1966 World Cup squad, although injury denied him an appearance at the tournament. Only players who were on the pitch in the final received winners’ medals, but that was eventually rectified 43 years later when Armfield was given his medal. He was capped 43 times for England, 15 as captain, but he was synonymous with Blackpool, where he was skipper for 10 of his 17 years at the club. Armfield was inducted into Blackpool’s Hall of Fame in 2006 and Bloomfield Road’s newly constructed South Stand was named in his honour in 2010, with a statue commissioned by the Blackpool Supporters’ Association erected outside the ground the following year. In 2009, he was made a CBE for services to the Lancashire community. Armfield went on to manage Bolton and Leeds before moving into broadcasting, where he spent more than 30 years working for the BBC.