* Sir Alf Ramsey – As England manager for 12 years and 113 matches, he masterminded England’s greatest footballing triumph – winning the World Cup at Wembley in 1966. The late Sir Alf was heralded for his dignity and the groundbreaking tactics that helped to lift the cup. * Sir Geoff Hurst – England hero Sir Geoff is the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, the third ballooning in the back of the German net to the immortal words “They think it’s all over… it is now”. Scored 248 goals in 499 games for West Ham * Sir Bobby Charlton – A great player and a true ambassador for the sport, Sir Bobby scored the two goals that put England into the World Cup final. He scored a record 49 times for England in 106 games, but is equally hailed for his sense of fair play. * The White Horse – A Wembley legend. 250,000 people swarmed into the stadium, crowding onto the pitch for the first Wembley Cup Final in 1923, before PC George Scorey and Billy the White Horse rode on to restore order. It became known as the White Horse Cup Final. * Live Aid – Twenty years ago (13th July 1985), an estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide tuned in to watch the marathon concert at Wembley to raise money for famine victims in Africa. A defining moment not just in the history of the stadium, but of the world.
You can hear the names debated and championed throughout the voting process on BBC Radio Five Live.
One notable name missing from the list is 1966 World Cup captain Sir Bobby Moore. There is already a Bobby Moore bridge – named in September 1993 – and further tributes to the England legend are planned.
The three panellists who decided the list – Five Live’s Jonathan Pearce, LDA executive director Tony Winterbottom and Wembley chief executive Michael Cunnah – argued their way through the nominations, but were unanimous on excluding the most-nominated name: Dietmar Hamann. ...
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The five names on the shortlist are:
* Sir Alf Ramsey – As England manager for 12 years and 113 matches, he masterminded England’s greatest footballing triumph – winning the World Cup at Wembley in 1966. The late Sir Alf was heralded for his dignity and the groundbreaking tactics that helped to lift the cup.
* Sir Geoff Hurst – England hero Sir Geoff is the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, the third ballooning in the back of the German net to the immortal words “They think it’s all over… it is now”. Scored 248 goals in 499 games for West Ham
* Sir Bobby Charlton – A great player and a true ambassador for the sport, Sir Bobby scored the two goals that put England into the World Cup final. He scored a record 49 times for England in 106 games, but is equally hailed for his sense of fair play.
* The White Horse – A Wembley legend. 250,000 people swarmed into the stadium, crowding onto the pitch for the first Wembley Cup Final in 1923, before PC George Scorey and Billy the White Horse rode on to restore order. It became known as the White Horse Cup Final.
* Live Aid – Twenty years ago (13th July 1985), an estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide tuned in to watch the marathon concert at Wembley to raise money for famine victims in Africa. A defining moment not just in the history of the stadium, but of the world.
You can hear the names debated and championed throughout the voting process on BBC Radio Five Live.
One notable name missing from the list is 1966 World Cup captain Sir Bobby Moore. There is already a Bobby Moore bridge – named in September 1993 – and further tributes to the England legend are planned.
The three panellists who decided the list – Five Live’s Jonathan Pearce, LDA executive director Tony Winterbottom and Wembley chief executive Michael Cunnah – argued their way through the nominations, but were unanimous on excluding the most-nominated name: Dietmar Hamann.
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