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Museum Object. Bobby Moore's no.6 England shirt swapped with Pele in the 1970 World Cup finals (from the Priory Collection) Supported by Sam and Joe Paddick |
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Bobby Moore
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2002 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of The Football Hall of Fame, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Bobby Moore, the only Englishman to lift the World Cup, was captain of England a record-equalling 90 times, inspiring team-mates by the example of his unshakeable composure and unbreakable self-belief.
‘He did not know the meaning of the word panic,’ Alan Ball recalled. ‘He put the rest of the players at ease. He was the best defender, the best reader of play, and a superlative captain.’
His reassuring and positive influence was evident before a ball had even been kicked in the final against West Germany in 1966. Leading the team out at Wembley, Moore ‘carried out the match-ball, resting on his hip with the kind of panache that no other captain could manage’, to quote Geoff Hurst, his West Ham and England team-mate.
In 1964, the same year that he lifted the FA Cup trophy as West Ham United skipper, Moore was voted Footballer of the Year, the youngest ever recipient of the award. The following season, Moore led the Hammers to success in the European Cup-winners’ Cup final, also at Wembley. ‘This was his greatest ever performance for the club,’ recalled Ron Greenwood. ‘Technically, it was perfect.’
Moore than four decades later, in the summer of 2008, West Ham took the unusual step of ‘retiring’ the claret and blue number six shirt as a tribute to their former skipper. A year earlier, a statue of Moore was unveiled outside Wembley Stadium at a ceremony attended by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair and Sir Bobby Charlton, who described his former team-mate, who died at the age of 51 in 1993, as ‘the perfect leader’.
Alf Ramsey appointed Moore England captain in 1963, describing the West Ham defender as ‘my general on the field who translates our strategy into reality.’
Moore was aged 22 at the time, making him the youngest player in the modern era to hold the honour. ‘I was thrilled,’ Moore said later. ‘I like being captain. I like the feeling of responsibility, that if something happens on the field I have to make a decision.’
Ramsey told Moore: ‘Whatever you do, whatever decisions you think are necessary during a game, you will have my full backing.’
The two men had made a professional bond that would shape their country’s fortunes for a decade, during which time Moore - a permanent fixture in the number six shirt - won a then record 108 England caps. His 90 appearances as captain is a record shared with Billy Wright.
In 1970, after England played Brazil in the World Cup, Pele described Moore as ‘the greatest defender I ever faced’. Famously that day, when Jairzinho bore down on goal, it was Moore who dispossessed him with a perfectly timed challenge inside the penalty area. Three decades later, Alan Hansen described it as ‘the best tackle I’ve ever seen’.
Yet, remarkably for a top-class defender, Moore was not blessed with outstanding pace, nor did he particularly relish heading the ball. Impeccable timing and anticipation more than compensated, however. ‘There should be a law against him,’ Jock Stein, the Scotland manager once said. ‘Bobby knows what is happening 20 minutes before anyone else.’
Once in possession, Moore was comfortable on the ball, always looking for the constructive pass. No matter the circumstances - as he proved on the afternoon of 30 July 1966.
In the dying seconds of the World Cup final, with West Germany desperately pressing for an equalise, the ball landed at Moore's feet, just outside his own penalty area. Several team-mates were screaming at him to hoof into the stands.
Instead, having spotted Geoff Hurst in space, he delivered an inch-perfect pass over 40 yards. Seconds later it was 4-2 and the game was over.
‘The pass gave us the opportunity to get in behind them,’ Moore said later, explaining his football philosophy. ‘It was the best way of finishing the game as it turned out.’