1966 World Cup winner Martin Peters MBE Passes Away, Aged 76
Martin Peters MBE, one of England’s scorers in the 1966 FIFA World Cup final, has passed away.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce that Martin passed away peacefully in his sleep at 4am this morning,” Peters’ family said in a statement.
“A beloved husband, dad and grandad, and a kind, gentle and private man, we are devastated by his loss but so very proud of all that he achieved and comforted by the many happy memories we shared.”
Peters was the 844th man to play for England, making his debut in a friendly victory over Yugoslavia in May 1966 at Wembley. After scoring on his second appearance, away in Finland the following month, he was duly named in Alf Ramsey’s squad for that summer’s World Cup finals.
He was left on the bench for the Three Lions’ tournament-opening game against Uruguay but was soon drafted into the starting XI, keeping his place all the way through to the final against West Germany. He scored England’s second goal in a 4-2 win (after extra time), securing our first – and, to date, only – World Cup title.
Peters was a mainstay in the team for a number of years, quickly racking up his half-century of caps and captaining the team on four occasions. He made the last of his 67 international appearances in May 1974, against Scotland.
Peters played his club football for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and Sheffield United, making more than 700 career appearances.
The thoughts of everybody at The FA are with Martin’s family, friends and loved ones at this very sad time.
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