England Football Legend and World Cup final hero, Sir Geoff Hurst, endured an illustrious career as a football striker. Geoff Hurst played for West Ham United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, before sporting a managerial career for Chelsea and Telford. Hurst is one of the magical five world-class players in the 1966 World Cup team and continues to be one of the biggest household names in football history. Sir Geoff had 650 club appearances and scored 292 goals (plus 24 for England alone) and remains the only striker to score a hat trick in a World Cup final.

Geoff Hurst: The Early Years

Goeffrey Hurst was born on 8th December, 1941 to parents Charlie and Evelyn Hurst in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. When he was 8 years old, he moved to Essex, where he enrolled at Kings Road Primary School.

At the time, young Geoff Hurst showed incredible talent in football and cricket, playing for the Essex Second XI and peaking at the first-class cricket match in 1962 against his hometown, Lancashire.

It wasn't until Hurst turned 17 that he would focus on excelling in his football career. After leaving school, Geoff Hurst arranged his first job interview for a trial at West Ham United.

Kicking Off His Club Career (1959-1972)

After successfully passing the trial for the West Ham team as a respectable midfielder, then manager, Ron Greenwood, had other plans for Geoff Hurst. As a result, Hurst was moved into the centre-forward position and became the West Ham striker. Here, Geoff Hurst had a total of 499 appearances and scored 248 goals.

During his time at West Ham, Geoff Hurst earned the nickname "Puffer" because of his habit of puffing out his cheeks when he kicked the ball. Hurst claims that he was unaware of this, exclaiming "I wasn't aware I was doing it!"

In 1964, Geoff Hurst led West Ham to success, winning the FA Cup against Preston North End. In 1965, Geoff returned to Wembley for the European Cup Winners final, winning 2-0 against 1960 Munich. The next season was a little disappointing, however, as West Ham lost to West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup final.

Geoff Hurst: 1966 World Cup Final

Sir Geoff Hurst testifies that the '66 World Cup Final success was due to the magical five football players. This comprised Gordan Banks as the goalie, Captain Bobby Moore at the back, Bobby Charlton in midfield and Jimmy Greaves at the front. Geoff states this formation was "the backbone of the team" and since then, they've "never quite managed to emulate that formidable combination of skills in one team."

After Hurst's success playing for the West Ham team, the England manager, Alf Ramsey head-hunted Geoff Hurst and included him in the World Cup line-up. For football fans nationwide, the 30th July 1966 at Wembley Stadium was a groundbreaking day: when Geoff Hurst scored the hat trick in the World Cup final leading to England's fourth goal and victory against West Germany.

This 4-2 win was a play that would make England's history, and Geoff Hurst was the footballer behind the triumph. After subbing for Jimmy Greaves in the quarter-final, Hurst took on the role to the end. He remains the only man to score 3 goals in a World Cup final. Subsequently, Hurst became one of the highest-paid footballers in the UK and played attack for 6 consecutive years.

Success at Other Clubs

Following his success at West Ham, Geoff Hurst moved to Stoke City to play with old friend and England goal keeper, Gordon Banks. Here, the footballer made 108 appearances and 30 goals over three years.

The following season, Geoff Hurst played for West Bromwich Albion, before his final year as a footballer playing for Cork Celtic (in Ireland) and Seattle Sounders in 1976. Hurst quickly became the team's second-leading scorer for Seattle Sounders, enabling them to qualify for the playoffs for the first time.

Geoff Hurst also succeeded in an international career defending the World Cup for England v Romania in Mexico in 1970. Here, he scored the first goal qualifying them for the quarter-final against West Germany once again. However, the Germans stole back their title in a 3-2 win after extra time.

Managerial Career (1976-84)

Immediately after his football success, Geoff Hurst became the Player Manager for Telford between 1976 and '79. The following 2 years, Hurst became the manager for Chelsea briefly before moving on to a new business venture.

From Striker to Knighthood

In 1998, Geoff Hurst was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Sir Geoff Hurst MBE was also made Honorary Doctor of the University in Sports and Business at the Anglia Ruskin University.

Geoff Hurst: Life Off the Pitch

Sir Geoff Hurst took a step back from football and began building a new life selling insurance, starting as a door-to-door salesman and picking up a telephone book to cold-call alongside Martin Peters. This business venture spanned the next 20 years of his life, which Hurst actually enjoyed, saying it "taught me something about humility".

Hurst also wrote an autobiography titled "1966 and All That" which documents his life to date. Although entering his 9th decade, Hurst still focuses on maintaining his health and fitness, enjoying a Joe Wicks workout. Geoff Hurst is married to Judith Hurst and together they had three children, Claire, Joanne and Charlotte.

Charity Work

Sir Geoff is the President of Sparks (the Children's Medical Research Charity) and raised over £400,000 in the fundraiser during his first year as President, which was a record-breaking goal. Hurst believes the only thing better than scoring a win in the World Cup final is "helping children to be born healthy and grow up healthy".

In lieu of Bobby Charlton who was diagnosed with Dementia in November 2020, Hurst will donate his brain for research when he dies.

Where is Sir Geoff Hurst Now?

Goeff Hurst continues to host live events "An Evening with Geoff Hurst" which will feature stories about his career, football memories and more. Sir Geoff also works with some of the biggest commercial brands in the country, notably McDonalds and Marks and Spencer. Hurst now lives in Chelmsford with his wife. He is in high demand for TV and radio shows, and also keeps up with football fans by sending personalised video messages.… show more