A lot’s changed during those 55 years of hurt: Tickets cost 10 shillings to a squad earning £2,800
When a pint of beer was two shillings, the Beatles dominated the charts and a house cost less than £3,000: How 1966’s England was a VERY different place to 2021 – and George Cohen’s £80-a-week paled in comparison to Harry Kane’s £200,000 pay packet!
When Harry Kane fired a rebound into the net and propelled England past Denmark into the final of Euro 2020 the nation came together as one, leaping to their feet and crying to the skies.
Not since 1966 has the country felt such a sense of togetherness, a palpable level of euphoria rippling through pubs and homes up and down the country.
Fans chanted ‘football’s coming home’ outside the stadium on Wednesday, hoping to relive the glory days of half a century ago, when a very different kind of England tasted ultimate victory.
The last time the Three Lions displayed their prowess on the pitch, the Beatles were set on global domination, young couples could buy a house for £2,999 and have change leftover and a pint would cost 1s and 7p.
A loaf of bread was 1 shilling and a packet of 20 cigarettes would set you back just less than 5 shillings.
Football was seen as a working-class sport, before the enormous surge in players’ wages.
The average wage in English football’s top flight 55 years ago was £44 per week – £2,288 a year – and a ticket for the 1966 World Cup final was just 10 shillings, or 50p – roughly around £9 today.
George Cohen earned £80 a week – pocket change for Harry Kane, who earns £200,000 a week at Tottenham Hotspur.
Inflation may have soared, owning a home seems unattainable and space flight is now a daily occurrence, but one thing remains the same – fans are united in praying, and dreaming, that football will be coming home.
30 July 1966, FIFA World Cup Final, England v West Germany: Jack Charlton runs with the Jules Rimet trophy
Harry Kane, bottom, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side’s second goal during the Euro 2020 semifinal.
1966: Top row left to right: trainer Harold Shepherdson, Nobby Stiles, Roger Hunt, Gordon Banks, Jack Charlton, George Cohen, Ray Wilson, Manager Alf Ramsey, and bottom row, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Alan Ball and Bobby Charlton
2021: Top row left to right: Reece James, Luke Shaw, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho. Middle row left to right (players only listed): Ben White, John Stones, Tyrone Mings, Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Harry Maguire, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Conor Coady. Front row left to right: Phil Foden, Kieran Trippier, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Gareth Southgate, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Bukayo Saka
THEN: Among the photographs taken after England’s solitary World Cup victory, one wonderfully evocative, black-and-white shot perfectly captures the heady mood of the nation on that glorious, long ago weekend. Taken in London’s Royal Garden Hotel, where the team stayed after defeating West Germany 4-2 in a thrilling final, it shows their wives (and one fiancee) excitedly clamouring to read the first editions of the next day’s newspapers. At first glance, they appear to be sitting at the breakfast table on the morning after the match. In fact, it is still Saturday and the papers have just arrived, hot off the presses from Fleet Street, at the end of an evening that had seen the women treated quite disgracefully by the Football Association. Downstairs, their husbands were being feted at a glittering banquet attended by Prime Minister Harold Wilson and other dignitaries. Yet chauvinistic FA bigwigs had decreed the reception was above the lowly station of footballers’ wives, and banished them to dine separately in the chophouse upstairs
NOW: The wives and girlfriends of England players look markedly different now, seen as they prepared to watch their other halves play in Wembley yesterday
THEN: The then-England squad’s preparations are very different from today’s footballers who get ready for international games with the latest ice bath technology, carefully-prepared meals and even Xbox sessions
NOW: The England team were seen playing on unicorn inflatable pool toys at St George’s Park after a match
Bobby Charlton (centre) with team mates Peter Bonetti, Martin Peters, Jack Charlton and Bobby Moore (rear left to right) playing cards in some relaxation time between matches. The 1966 contest is best remembered for England’s first and only World Cup trophy and the controversial third goal awarded to England by referee Gottfried Dienst and linesman Tofiq Bahramov
George Cohen (above) seen at home enjoying some down time with a spot of gardening. The England right full back spent his entire playing career at Fulham Football Club. After the final England became the third World Cup host to win the tournament after Uruguay in 1930 and Italy in 1934
THEN: The England team (above) waiting for their bus after training at Roehampton in July 1966. England manager Alf Ramsey insisted the players complete the 60-minute journey from their hotel in north London to the training ground every day
NOW: Mason Mount and Kieran Trippier walk from the bus as the England Team arrive in London ahead of the Euro 2020 semi-final
THEN: The England squad led by Bobby Moore warm up at Bellefield as builders watch from above. In the final of the 1966 World Cup the UK television audience peaked at 32.30 million viewers, making it the most watched event ever in British history
NOW: Raheem Sterling, Kalvin Phillips and other teammates warm up prior to their clash in Wembley last night
Harry Kane last night fired the rebound seen around the world into the net, propelling England past Denmark into the final of Euro 2020. In 1966, Bobby Moore lead his team to an astounding World Cup victory
The Captains
Bobby Moore v Harry Kane
Bobby Moore
Salary: Joined West Ham for £7 a week
Wife: Married Tina Moore in 1962, but the couple split in 1986. Then remarried Stephanie Parlane in 1991, but they divorced two years later.
Car: Ford Cortina 1600E
House: £100,000 Georgian-style house called ‘Morlands’ in Chigwell, Essex
Teams played for: West Ham and Fulham
Caps: 108
Harry Kane
Salary: £10,400,000 a year
Wife: Katie Goodland
Cars: Range Rover Autobiography, Jaguar F-Pace,2018 Bentley Continental Supersports
House: £17million seven-bedroom London mansion
Team played for: Tottenham Hotspur
Caps: 60
Gordon Banks v Jordan Pickford: Banks earned around £3,120 a year – a figure which pales in comparison to Pickford’s £5,200,000
The Goalkeepers
Gordon Banks v Jordan Pickford
Gordon Banks
Salary: £3,120 a year
Wife: Ursula Banks
Car: Ford Consul
Teams played for: Chesterfield, Leicester City, Stoke City
Caps: 73
Jordan Pickford
Salary: £5.2million a year
Wife: Megan Davison
Car: Mercedes-Benz C220 AMG Sport
House: £2.1million mansion in Cheshire
Teams played for: Sunderland, Everton
Caps: 35
Jack Charlton v Kyle Walker: Charlton’s £111,515 Irish holiday home looks tame next to Walker’s £3.5million six-bed mansion in Cheshire
Jack Charlton v Kyle Walker
Jack Charlton
Salary: £10,000 as Middlesborough manager
Wife: Pat Kemp
House: Had £111,515 Irish holiday home in Ballina, County Mayo. Lived in Northumberland with Pat before his death
Teams played for: Leeds United
Caps: 35
Kyle Walker
Salary: £7.8million a year
Wife: Engaged to Annie Kilner
Car: Lamborghini Huracan
House: £3.5million six-bed mansion in Cheshire
Teams played for: Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United
Caps: 60
George Cohen v John Stones
George Cohen
Salary: £80 a week
Wife: Daphne Cohen
Team played for: Fulham
Caps: 37
John Stones:
Salary: £5.2million
Girlfriend: Olivia Naylor
Car: £265,000 Rolls Royce
House: £3.4million Cheshire mansion
Teams played for: Barnsley, Everton, Manchester City
Caps: 48
George Cohen v John Stones: Cohen (right of left pic) earned just £80 a week, while Stones takes home £5.2 million a year
Ray Wilson v Harry Maguire: Wilson wears the World Cup on his head as he parades around Wembley in 1966. Maguire, right, is seen celebrating yesterday
Ray Wilson v Harry Maguire
Ray Wilson
Salary: £12,000 to £15,000 a year in the 1970s
Wife: Pat Wilson
House: Lived in Slaithwaite near Huddersfield, where average house prices are £225,974
Teams played for: Huddersfield Town, Everton
Caps: 63
Harry Maguire
Salary: £9.88million
Wife: Engaged to Fern Hawkins
Car: Audi A5 S Line
House: Not much is known about his house, except he lives in Manchester
Teams played for: Manchester United, Leicester City, Hull City, Sheffield United
Caps: 35
Nobby Stiles v Luke Shaw: Stiles’ toothless dance at Wembley after winning the World Cup is an iconic moment. Shaw, right, is seen during the match
Nobby Stiles v Luke Shaw
Nobby Stiles
Salary: £12,000 to £15,000 a year in the 1970s
Wife: Kay Stiles
Car: Austin 1100
House: Semi-detached in Stretford
Teams played for: Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Preston North End
Caps: 28
Luke Shaw
Salary: £7.8million
Girlfriend: Anouska Santos
Car: £250,000 Rolls-Royce
House: £2.8million mansion just outside of Manchester
Teams played for: Southampton, Manchester United
Caps: 13
Alan Ball v Kalvin Phillips: Ball was the youngest player in the 1966 team. Phillips, right, is seen during yesterday’s match
Alan Ball v Kalvin Phillips
Alan Ball
Salary: Arsenal paid a record fee of £220,000 for Ball in 1971
Wife: Lesley Ball
House: Lived in Fareham Hampshire
Teams played for: Blackpool, Everton, Arsenal, Southampton, Blackpool, Southampton, Bristol Rovers
Caps: 72
Kalvin Phillips
Salary: £1.8million per year
Girlfriend: Ashleigh Behan
House: Phillips lives in Leeds with his girlfriend
Team played for: Leeds United
Caps: 14
Martin Peters v Declan Rice: West Ham United player Martin Peters was almost the matchwinner in the World Cup final. Declan Rice, right, also plays for West Ham
Martin Peters v Declan Rice
Martin Peters
Salary: £12,000 to £15,000 a year in the 1970s
Wife: Kathleen Peters
Teams played for: West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, Sheffield United
Caps: 67
Declan Rice
Salary: £3.2million
Girlfriend: Lauren Fryer
Teams played for: West Ham United
Caps: 23
Bobby Charlton v Bukayo Saka: Charlton survived the Munich Air Disaster and went on to win the 1966 World Cup. Right: Saka being carried by his teamates
Bobby Charlton v Bukayo Saka
Bobby Charlton
Salary: £12,000 to £15,000 a year in the 1970s
Wife: Norma Ball
Teams played for: Manchester United, Preston North End, Waterford United
Caps: 106
Bukayo Saka
Salary: £520,000
House: £2.3million mansion in Hertfordshire
Team played for: Arsenal
Caps: 8
Geoff Hurst v Mason Mount: Hurst still remains the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. Right: Mount is seen looking at the crowd after the game
Geoff Hurst v Mason Mount
Geoff Hurst
Salary: £12,000 to £15,000 a year in the 1970s
Wife: Judith Hurst
House: Hurst used to live in St George’s Hill, a private estate in Weybridge that sprawls over 960 acres of Surrey countryside
Car: 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello
Teams played for: West Ham United, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Cork Celtic
Caps: 49
Mason Mount
Salary: £3.952million
Girlfriend: Chloe Wealleans-Watts
Teams played for: Chelsea
Caps: 20
Roger Hunt v Raheem Sterling: Hunt took home a salary of just £22 per week while playing for Liverpool in 1960. Sterling on the other hand earns £10.4million a year
Roger Hunt v Raheem Sterling
Roger Hunt
Salary: £22 per week while playing for Liverpool in 1960
Wife: Hunt was married to Patricia, but now lives with his second wife Rowan Hunt
Teams played for: Liverpool, Bolton Wanderers
Caps: 34
Raheem Sterling
Salary: £10.4million
Wife: Engaged to Paige Milian
House: £3.1million house in Cheshire
Car: Smart Fortwo Grandstyle Edition
Teams played for: Liverpool, Manchester City
Caps: 67
…and the managers
How ‘Perfect leader’ Gareth Southgate is leading the young cubs to victory – 55 years after Sir Alf Ramsey steered England to World Cup glory
Gareth Southgate, whose missed penalty resulted in England going out of Euro 96 at the last-four stage, has forged an impressive career in charge of the national team. Right, Former Southampton and Tottenham full-back Ramsey had cut his managerial teeth with Ipswich, guiding the Suffolk club from the Third Division South to First Division champions in 1962
THE STAR WHO MISSED ENGLAND’S FINEST FOOTBALLING HOUR TO GET MARRIED
As England’s finest footballers were getting ready to make history 50 years ago today, there was one player missing.
Everton and England defender Brian Labone had already set a date for his wedding to sweetheart, Pat, when the squad for the tournament was announced.
And, in a move unlikely to be repeated by today’s players, he chose to miss the tournament, and possibly the biggest game of his career, to honour his promise.
Yesterday Pat Labone, 73, told the Mail that she wished they had postponed their big day so he could have taken part.
Everton and England defender Brian Labone had already set a date for his wedding to sweetheart, Pat, when the squad for the tournament was announced
‘Brian was one of those people who, when he had made a decision, he stood by it,’ said Mrs Labone.
‘He told me he never regretted what he did, not even once. But, if I’m honest, there must have been times when it got to him, whenever the success of the ’66 team came up.
‘He wouldn’t be human if it didn’t. I am sorry that Brian missed his chance.
‘Of course, everything is different in hindsight, but I wish we had postponed the wedding so that he could have been there.
‘Over the years, when I’ve seen events and celebrations marking the victory I’ve always felt a little sad. If I could turn back the clock, I would. Brian would have been there and I would have been so proud.’
The couple met in 1961 and married on June 23, 1966, in New Brighton, Merseyside. They honeymooned in Spain, but were home in time for the final which they watched on TV. They went on to have a daughter, Rachelle, now 45. Labone died in 2006.
Gareth Southgate
Southgate, whose missed penalty resulted in England going out of Euro 96 at the last-four stage, has forged an impressive career in charge of the national team and succeeded in going one step further than the 2018 World Cup semi-final as he and his players saw off Denmark 2-1.
The ex-Middlesbrough boss has earned widespread plaudits for not only his achievements with the team but his work on inclusivity and diversity issues too. Off the pitch, he once said he’d ‘never been any good at gambling, drinking, fighting, tantrums, celebrity’.
He grew up on a housing estate in Crawley, West Sussex. He and wife Alison have been married for 24 years and former air hostess and boutique shopgirl Alison is passionate about animals and protecting the environment.
The couple have two dogs, a labrador and a cockapoo named Ted, whom she describes as ‘handsome’. Southgate jokes that both are above him in the family pecking order.
While Southgate has ditched his famous ‘lucky’ Marks & Spencer waistcoat that he was never seen without at the World Cup in Russia three years ago, he still wears a silver ‘friendship band’ on his right wrist made by British jeweller Monica Vinader.
Following his infamous miss in the semi-final penalty shootout against Germany, he was moved on from this role but Pizza Hut, of course, came to the rescue by signing him up for a TV advert celebrating his misfortune.
He hates parties – sheepishly revealing that his favourite karaoke song is Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, which, incidentally, has become an anthem for England football fans. When driving to watch matches, he tunes into Radio 1 so, he says, he can ‘listen to what the kids are into’. Otherwise, he prefers Smooth Radio’s Relaxing Music Mix to ‘relive his youth’.
Life up north, 250 miles from his childhood home, hasn’t been a wrench for Southgate as he managed Middlesbrough FC from 2006 to 2009. He and his son Flynn play for the village cricket team. He also spent many years supporting his daughter, Mia, when she played netball at county level.
Sir Alf Ramsey
Former Southampton and Tottenham full-back Ramsey had cut his managerial teeth with Ipswich, guiding the Suffolk club from the Third Division South to First Division champions in 1962. Ramsey took England to the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup, where they were beaten 3-2 by West Germany having been 2-0 ahead.
Sir Alf was born and raised in Dagenham, Essex, and showed early sporting promise, going on to play right back for Southampton and Tottenham after serving with the Army in the Second World War.
He was part of the England World Cup squad in 1950 before retiring to manage Ipswich Town in 1955.
Sir Alf took Ipswich Town from the old Third Division (South), to the Second Division title, and then the old First Division – now the Premier League – at the first attempt in 1962.
His incredible success at Ipswich Town is still hailed as one of football’s greatest success stories, rivalling Leicester City’s achievement in winning the Premier League this year.
After winning the World Cup, Sir Alf took England to third place in the 1968 European Championship and the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup and the 1972 European Championships.
But when England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, the FA sacked him and called on Joe Mercer for seven games, followed by Don Revie.
Sir Alf never got over the manner of his sacking, and steadfastly refused to take part in any future media programmes about the World Cup. He remained in Ipswich until his death.
Colourised BBC, a world gripped by Covid, Moors murderers jailed and Harold Wilson to Trump: How the headlines compared in 1966 and 2021
The fevered passion for football has changed little from 1966 to 2021 – but England is a very different place. Some 55 years ago, the Beatles dominated the charts, Harold Wilson was Prime Minister and the Vietnam War was still going. Today, coronavirus dominates global headlines as much of the world remains in the grip of a pandemic and stringent lockdown. Here are the headlines which dominated in 1966:
Some 55 years ago, the Beatles dominated the charts, Harold Wilson was Prime Minister
1966
January
24: 117 die in Air India tragedy
February
3: Soviets land probe on Moon
March
1: Britain to go decimal in 1971
3: BBC tunes in to colour
5: Passenger jet crashes into Mount Fuji
31: Harold Wilson wins sweeping victory
May
6: Moors murderers jailed for life
June
2: First US space probe lands on Moon
July
30: Football glory for England
October
21: Coal tip buries children in Aberfan
Source: BBC
The fevered passion for football has changed little from 1966 to 2021 – but England is a very different place. The Aberfan disaster (pictured) happened that year
