How Geoff Hurst became England's World Cup hat-trick hero

In the final minute of extra time, as England battled West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, Bobby Moore launched a long ball to an unmarked Sir Geoff Hurst.

The striker from Ashton-under-Lyne was exhausted as the end of the extra time drew near, and decided he was "just going to hit the ball as hard as I can".

"And of course, I mis-hit it, and it flew in", Sir Geoff told BBC Radio 4 in 2018, while looking back at the final goal of his hat-trick in England's now iconic 4-2 victory at Wembley.

As the Three Lions prepare to face off against Norway later, BBC Radio Manchester has been looking back at Sir Geoff's memories of his path to the final and his era-defining hat-trick 60 years ago.

Sir Geoff was born in 1941 in Ashton-under-Lyne, where he grew up with his mother Evelyn and father Charlie, who was also a professional footballer.

Charlie played for Oldham Athletic, Rochdale and Mossley before the family moved South for him to join Chelmsford City.

In conversation with Jimmy Armfield in 1997, Sir Geoff said it was "quite surprising" that his father was a centre-half "because he wasn't a particularly tall chap".

"I recall him saying that if he couldn't head the ball, he'd head the back of the centre-forward he was playing against," he said.

Sir Geoff had been playing the beautiful game from around the age of four with his father, an early tuition he always considered important to his success.

When he was 15, he started training as a wing-half on an apprenticeship with West Ham where he played alongside a young Bobby Moore, the man who later went on to assist two of Hurst's three goals in 1966.

In 1959, Sir Geoff was called up to the senior squad, accepting £7 a week with a £20 signing fee.

He struggled during his first couple of seasons, until manager Ron Greenwood decided to try playing him as a striker.

He swiftly became the club's top goal scorer for the season.

After years with West Ham, Sir Geoff made his international debut in February 1966 against West Germany.

Despite securing a spot on the World Cup squad, middling performances in the warm-up games led to him not being played until Jimmy Greaves suffered a leg injury against France.

This opened the door for him to step onto the pitch against Argentina in the quarter-final.

He scored the only goal of the match, taking England through to the semi-final against Portugal where Sir Bobby Charlton brought the team to a victorious 2-1, and the final was set.

Reports began to emerge that Greaves had been declared fit to play, and with the title of world champions at stake, the press started to push for his inclusion in the match.

But manager Alf Ramsey was not so easily swayed, and selected Sir Geoff for his squad heading into England's first ever World Cup Final.

The day came, and the nation braced itself for the clash against the former champions West Germany.

Nobody could have predicted what Sir Geoff would go on to do, except his father-in-law.

"Strangely enough, my father-in-law, prior to the game, told my wife that he thought I'd score a hat-trick," Sir Geoff told the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show in 2016.

"My wife never forgot him saying that."

A goal from Helmut Haller put Germany 1-0 ahead early on, but shortly after Moore was fouled in the opposition half.

He delivered a free kick into the box, and Sir Geoff headed home to equalise.

"At that moment, I felt I'd justified my place on the team," said Sir Geoff while speaking to BBC London in 2026.

The game went on without another goal until the 79th minute, when Martin Peters managed to put England ahead – but a last-second goal from West Germany's Wolfgang Weber sent the game to extra time at 2-2.

Then 12 minutes into extra time, Sir Geoff struck the ball onto the German crossbar, and it appeared to cross the line as it bounced down.

England were claiming a goal, but the Germans were adamant that it had not gone in.

The decision came down to referee Gottfried Dienst and linesman Tofiq Bahramov.

"From a technical point of view, it was a good goal. I didn't see the goal because it bounced behind the goalkeeper, I had the worst view in the stadium," said Sir Geoff in an interview with BBC News in 2016.

"The Swiss referee consulted the Russian linesman, neither spoke the language. God knows what they were talking about."

The goal was allowed, and Wembley erupted. England were ahead – but that was not the end.

Sir Geoff completed his hat-trick in the final minute of the game, as BBC's Kenneth Wolstenholme made that oft-quoted comment; "They think it's all over – it is now".

An achievement that was not replicated until Kylian Mbappé scored three goals for France in 2022, meaning Sir Geoff still currently holds the record for the only winning hat-trick in a World Cup final.

"Celebrations were almost non-existent in the medieval times I played in," said Sir Geoffto BBC London in 2026.

"There was a very boring banquet – our wives weren't invited, I wasn't going to have this.

"I booked a night club. I won't tell you the player, one of the English players finished up drunk in a garden In East London. It was one of those crazy stupid nights."

Sixty years on, Sir Geoff remains a national icon, the man who led England to their only World Cup victory.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, he spoke as the only surviving member of that winning 1966 team about what the tournament represents.

"It means a great deal to me – it's the world's biggest sport, and it's an international event," he said in the BBC London interview.

"People who are not necessarily completely interested in sport follow it as well. It's probably the biggest there is."

England face their third consecutive World Cup quarter final later, their first under manager Thomas Tuchel, against Norway.

Once again, the nation will be watching, hoping for history to be made.

You can hear more about Sir Geoff's journey to the 1966 World Cup in the new episode of Manchester People on BBC Sounds.

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