England’s 1966 World Cup-winning keeper Gordon Banks insists he would not swap the memories all locked in his mind for the riches of today’s stars
FOR someone who earned the nickname Banks of England, it’s not surprising to discover Gordon Banks has something precious locked away in a vault.
However, unlike his filthy-rich successors, England’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper does not need a password, combination code or key to unlock his priceless treasures.
Passionately jabbing his forefinger at his temple, he beamed: “My rewards are all locked in here. No amount of money can buy what I have stored up here.”
We were having a brew in a hotel close to Banks’ modest family home in Madeley, a former mining town in Shropshire.
Banks was solid gold as a goalkeeper — the greatest custodian in England’s history.
However, football’s riches are one of the rare things which have slipped through his fingers.
His World Cup medal was even auctioned at Christie’s and Banks used the £120,000 raised to help his children buy their first houses.
We met in the wake of England’s humiliating Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland — about as far removed from Banks’ triumph 50 years ago today as it gets.
It is not the only thing which has changed in the half century which has followed.
England skipper Wayne Rooney sunned himself on a luxury super yacht off the Spanish island of Formentera after his nation were shamed by tiny Iceland.
Banks’ plans for the day were a little less glamorous.
The 78-year-old said: “If the rain stays off, I’m going to cut the grass this afternoon. I will be 79 in December, I like to stay active and keep myself busy.”
I pointed out that if he had been around in the modern game, he would have an army of staff at his disposal to attend to such tasks.
It seemed the right moment to cut straight to the chase — so I asked him the 66 thousand dollar question: “Who is really richer? You or Wayne Rooney?
“Be totally honest, Gordon. If I was to offer you a £3.5million mansion, similar holiday home somewhere exotic, a choice of Ferraris in the driveway and all the rest of the trappings — but you had to give up that day on July 30, 1966, what would you go for?”
The great man replied without a flicker of hesitation.
He said: “No bloody chance, July 30 wins every time.
“I would never give that up. This generation can have all their money and their millionaire lifestyles.
“But I have memories which have lasted me a lifetime — you cannot buy them.
“Every day, I can think back to 1966 if I want and remember things from every single day of that tournament. Not just the final, every day of the tournament.
“I remember the wonderful build-up to our first game against Uruguay, the expectation levels grew and grew and grew. The wonderful atmosphere inside and outside Wembley every time we played, the crowd going wild after the Germany game when it was finally all over.
“Running on the pitch, passing the World Cup around afterwards.
“When that final whistle went, the emotions were just incredible.
“We’d got it, we had won the biggest trophy in football. We were world champions.
“It was wonderful. You knew you had sent the people in the stadium absolutely wild.
“You knew there were millions more watching on TV all over the country. The feeling that you had all that expectation on your shoulders — and you had delivered what the nation wanted.
“Going down Wembley Way afterwards and the crowd going berserk. Then arriving back at the team hotel and watching TV reports show folk in the fountains at Trafalgar Square.
“They were celebrating in the same way as when we won the Second World War.
“I would never give that up. This generation can have all their millionaire lifestyles — but I have memories which have lasted me a lifetime. No one can take them away.”
While England’s modern flops sloped off to Dubai, the USA and the Caribbean after the Euros — to prove there is some rest for the wicked — Banks says England’s ’66 legends barely had time to catch breath before they were back in action for their clubs.
He said: “Nowadays players can afford to own homes in Bermuda and the like.
“But I never went anywhere glamorous after the final. To be honest, we didn’t have the time.
“The season was starting again in August and the final was on July 30, so there was no time to go anywhere glamorous or exotic.
“I might have gone somewhere with the children for a short break, to get reacquainted with the family.
“But then it was back to club football for the new season.”
I pointed to the gold star on Banks’ breast and asked if he was surprised that no England side had managed to gain another gold star for their efforts?
He said: “I thought we would retain it in Mexico four years later.
“That team was as good as the ’66 team. Brazil were hot favourites and everything was in their favour.
“The rock-hard pitches and the heat suited them well. We kicked off at midday, with that Mexican sun directly above us. I remember looking down at the tiniest circle around me and realising it was my shadow. It was 103 degrees!
“Yet we were as good as Brazil and created as many chances as they did.
“They won 1-0 — but there was nothing in it. At full-time, when I was shaking hands with Pele, I was thinking: ‘Don’t worry, we’ll play you again later in the tournament and we’ll beat you next time’.”
True to form, Banks modestly neglects to mention that he pulled off what is considered by many to be the greatest save of all time from a Pele header in that match. And he is still mystified by the illness which kept him out of the quarter-final against West Germany, which England lost 3-2 after extra-time.
Banks added: “I still wonder how I got food poisoning and missed it.
“We all sat down to eat at the same time, we all ate the same food.
“Why was I the only one who ended up with severe food poisoning? I find that all very strange.”
Three Lions fans were also left feeling sick this summer and Roy Hodgson paid for failure with his job.
Now it is up to new boss Sam Allardyce to chase England’s Holy Grail of winning another major honour.
Banks was a VIP guest at Wimbledon this month — and marvelled at Andy Murray’s exploits in winning his second SW19 title.
Murray has dragged British tennis out of the doldrums to put it back on the map again. Can the Three Lions perform a similar turnaround in fortunes under Big Sam?
Banks said: “When nations like Denmark and Greece have won trophies, it’s not unrealistic to expect England to have won something else.
“We have supposedly the best league in the world, so why don’t we have a first-class international team? Clearly something is wrong.
“The current players are now all millionaires but when I look at an England shirt and see the solitary gold star above the Three Lions, I’m proud because I can say: ‘I did that — I helped England become the best team in the world.’
“I saw Andy Murray, who was world class at Wimbledon, and it shows it’s possible to buck the trend and change the course of history.
“If I look forward to the next 50 years, I’m optimistic about the future.
“We will finally get it right, we will not go 100 years without a trophy.”