Not altogether surprisingly, the 1966 FIFA World Cup, hosted and won by England, after a memorable final against West Germany at Wembley Stadium in London, had a major influence on the result of Sportsview Personality of the Year, or BBC Sports Personality of the Year, as the award is known nowadays. England captain Bobby Moore, who played every minute of all six matches in the World Cup campaign, topped the poll, ahead of speedway rider Barry Briggs and England teammate Geoff (later Sir Geoff) Hurst. Hurst, of course, scored a last-gasp hat-trick in the World Cup final, leading to the iconic exclamation, “They think it’s all over… it is now!” from BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme.
In fact, it was Moore, himself, who provided the assist for Hurst to score his late, late goal and seal a 4-2 victory for England after extra time. With the ball at his feet just outside his own penalty area and referee Gottfried Dienst looking at his watch, but waving play on, Moore picked out Hurst just beyond the halfway line. The latter dribbled forward before blasting a left-foot shot beyond West German goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski.
Moore was the first footballer to be voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and would be the last until Paul Gascoigne in 1990. He was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1967 New Year Honours, but three decades after his untimely death from colorectal cancer in February 1993, aged 51, a campaign, led by Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir David Beckham, exists to posthumously award the ‘golden boy of English football’ a knighthood.
Brazilian football legend Pele, arguably the greatest player ever, once said of Moore, “Bobby Moore was a great player, a talented player and I kept telling people “look at this guy, he’s like a Brazilian.’Good ball control, great dribbling ability.'” Moore went on to make 647 appearances for West Ham United, another 148 for Fulham and 108 for England, including at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. He retired from playing professionally in 1978, but still ranks inside the top 30 most popular sports personalities of all time in Briatin, according to YouGov Ratings.