George Eastham, a member of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup, has died at the age of 88.
The striker has won 19 caps, and while he was part of Sir Alf Ramsey’s World Cup squad 58 years ago, he did not play when England won the title for the only time in their history.
Eastham played for Newcastle United and Arsenal before joining Stoke for £35,000 shortly after the 1966 World Cup.
He played 194 times for the Potters and scored the winning goal for them in the 1972 League Cup Final when they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley.
Eastham was also involved in a 1963 lawsuit, external This improved players’ freedom to move between clubs in a major reform of the British transfer market and he was awarded an OBE for services to football in 1973.
He retired from playing in 1974 and then served as manager of Stoke from March 1977 to January 1978.
Stock said, external They are “deeply saddened by the passing of club legend” East Ham and will wear black armbands for their match at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (12:30 GMT).
They also plan to honor East Ham in their home match against Leeds United on December 26.
The club added: “Our thoughts are with George’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
