London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 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
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×