Hat-trick HERO!
The ups and downs of 1966 World Cup footballing star Sir Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoff Hurst will forever be immortalised as the man who scored a hat-trick in England’s 1966 World Cup final win.
And now in this one-off documentary, which also includes interviews with footballing legends such as Gareth Southgate, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Harry Redknapp, the reluctant hero looks back at his life and career, reliving his part in the historic win.
‘My emotion was one of relief. We’d got through it,’ he recalls. ‘You never think you’ll ever get to hold that incredible trophy.’
Sir Geoff’s three goals made him an instant celebrity but just six years after his footballing career ended, he found himself on the dole.
‘It was an awkward time,’ he recalls. ‘I was out of work just like the guy on the street, just the same.’
Sir Geoff also opens up about the most difficult times in his life – the death of his brother Rob to suicide in 1974, and losing his 46-year-old daughter Claire to a brain tumour in 2010. ‘What’s funny about grief is you never lose it,’ he says. ‘Every time you talk about it, it immediately brings tears to your eyes.’
Historic
After football, Sir Geoff worked in life insurance but he understands the lasting impact that special World Cup victory has had.
‘As much as I can remember it, every England fan could tell you exactly where they were on that day,’ he says. ‘The fact that we haven’t achieved it since means it’s gone down in folklore in many respects.’