Gord said his iconic Pele save was lucky
IT will be remembered as arguably the greatest save of all time and was the result of foresight, hard work and dedication.
But the man responsible for it – former England, Leicester and Stoke keeper Gordon Banks who died at the age of 81 yesterday – was typically modest when recalling how he defied Pele, and seemingly gravity itself, during an iconic World Cup moment.
Pele was at the height of his powers when Carlos Alberto’s mesmerising Brazil team faced defending champions England in the sweltering heat of Guadalajara during the group stage of the 1970 World Cup.
The contest was edged by Jairzinho’s goal on the hour.
However, it was a moment of brilliance when Banks somehow threw himself across to stick out his massive right hand to deny Pele from a downward header that sticks out from that game.
In an interview on the Football Writers’ Association website in January 2018 Banks said: “Pele was around the penalty spot when the guy crossed it from the wing and I knew he was going to get up to it because he could jump really high.
“I knew I had to come off the line to narrow the angle, then once Pele had punched it with his head down to my right-hand side, I knew I had to get over there very quickly.
“I hit the floor and turned around, I saw the ball bounce behind the goal – and I thought, ‘Oh, Banksy, you lucky t***.’”
Yesterday Pele described Banks as a “goalkeeper with magic.”
On the save, the Brazilian said: “That act was the start of a friendship between us that I will always treasure. Whenever we met, it was always like we had never been apart.
“Rest in peace, my friend. You were a keeper with magic. But you were also so much more.”
“Denis was the only survivor from the 9-3 game when England tore us apart six years earlier.
“Slim Jim was doing his keepy-uppy and putting on the style but on that day Denis wanted to get as many goals as we possibly could.
“And if it wasn’t for Banksy then who