London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

‘Footballing immortality’: Hurst and Lineker lead tributes to Cohen

‘Footballing immortality’: Hurst and Lineker lead tributes to Cohen

Tributes continue to pour in for George Cohen following his death at the age of 83.
Cohen was a key member and vice-captain of the England side that lifted their only World Cup to date on home soil back in 1966, playing every minute of the tournament as Sir Alf Ramsey’s first-choice at right-back after an injury to Jimmy Armfield.

Once described by the late, great George Best as the toughest full-back he had ever faced, and as England’s best full-back by Ramsey himself, Cohen earned a total of 37 senior international caps between 1964-67.

A one-club man with boyhood idols Fulham, he also played 459 times for his beloved Whites between 1956-69 - a mark bettered only by Johnny Haynes, Eddie Lowe and Les Barrett.

Cohen was forced to retire aged 29 due to a serious knee injury, moving into coaching with Fulham and England’s Under-23s team before embarking on a career in property development, and later battled bowel cancer and a tumour in his back, becoming a tireless campaigner and patron of the Bobby Moore Fund.

He was awarded an MBE in 2000 alongside fellow ‘66 winners Roger Hunt, Alan Ball, Ray Wilson and Nobby Stiles. He is honoured at Fulham with a statue outside Craven Cottage.

Cohen’s sad passing means there are now only two surviving members of England’s starting side from the 1966 World Cup final in Sir Bobby Charlton and hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst, along with squad members George Eastham, Ian Callaghan and Terry Paine.


Hurst led the tributes to his friend and former team-mate on Friday, writing: “Very sad to hear my friend and England teammate George Cohen has died.

“Everyone, without exception, always said that George was such a lovely man. He will be sadly missed, my heartfelt thoughts are with George’s wife Daphne and his family.”

England plan to pay tribute to Cohen before their next home match, a Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on March 26.


“We are very sad to hear the news of George Cohen’s death today,” said Football Association (FA) chair Debbie Hewitt.

“George won 37 caps for England and was vice-captain of our World Cup winning team. We would like to pass on our deep condolences to George’s family and friends at this sad time.”


Gary Lineker tweeted: “Sorry to hear that George Cohen has died. Another of the heroes of the ‘66 World Cup winning team leaves us. He’ll always have footballing immortality. RIP George.”


In a sweeping tribute, Fulham called Cohen “one of our greatest ever players and gentlemen” and “quite simply, Fulham royalty”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×