Gordon Banks
| Date of birth | 30 December 1937 |
| Place of birth | Sheffield |
| Nationality | English |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Position | Goalkeeper |
| Died | 12 February 2019 |
Gordon Banks is the greatest English goalkeeper of all time.
A member of the team that won the 1966 World Cup, he will forever be remembered for a stunning save from Brazil's Pele in the 1970 tournament in Mexico.
Gordon joined Chesterfield as an amateur from local junior football, signing professional forms after completing his National Service.
He established his reputation as a highly promising youngster in the Spireites team that was narrowly defeated by Manchester United in the 1956 FA Youth Cup final and in May 1959 he was sold to Leicester City.
He soon became first choice at Filbert Street and made his debut for England against Scotland in April 1963.
Relatively, his success at club level did not reflect his genius. The Foxes reached the FA Cup final in 1961 and 1963 but their only triumph was in the League Cup in 1964.
Despite being a regular for his country, Gordon was sold to Stoke City for £50,000 in April 1967 to allow another talented 'keeper, Peter Shilton, to come through.
He helped the Potteries club win the League Cup in 1972 (their only major trophy), when he was also voted Footballer of the Year, but in October of that year he lost the sight of one eye in a car crash and this effectively ended his senior career.
He subsequently had spells coaching at Stoke and Port Vale and was also manager of non-league Telford United for a while before forging a career in corporate hospitality.
Gordon made a total of 510 Football League appearances and won 73 caps for England.
He was awarded the OBE in 1970.
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-60 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 4 | 4 | ||||
| 1959-60 | Leicester City | League Division One | 32 | 17 | 11 | |||
| 1960-61 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 10 | 6 | 2 | |||
| 1960-61 | Leicester City | League Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1960-61 | Leicester City | League Division One | 40 | 23 | 18 | |||
| 1961-62 | Football League | Inter League | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1961-62 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 1961-62 | Leicester City | League Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1961-62 | Leicester City | League Division One | 41 | 23 | 11 | |||
| 1961-62 | Leicester City | UEFA European Cup Winners Cup | 4 | 3 | ||||
| 1962-63 | Football League | Inter League | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1962-63 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 6 | 5 | 3 | |||
| 1962-63 | Leicester City | League Cup | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 1962-63 | Leicester City | League Division One | 38 | 26 | 10 | |||
| 1963-64 | Football League | Inter League | 1 |
|||||
| 1963-64 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1963-64 | Leicester City | League Cup | 8 | 7 | 1 | |||
| 1963-64 | Leicester City | League Division One | 36 | 18 | 12 | |||
| 1964-65 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 6 | 4 | 1 | |||
| 1964-65 | Leicester City | League Cup | 9 | 4 | 3 | |||
| 1964-65 | Leicester City | League Division One | 38 | 21 | 13 | |||
| 1965-66 | Football League | Inter League | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1965-66 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 1965-66 | Leicester City | League Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1965-66 | Leicester City | League Division One | 32 | 19 | 11 | |||
| 1966-67 | Football Association XI | Expo International Tournament | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1966-67 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1966-67 | Leicester City | League Cup | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 1966-67 | Leicester City | League Division One | 36 | 18 | 15 | |||
| 1967-68 | Football League | Inter League | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1970-71 | Stoke City | FA Cup | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1971-72 | Football League | Inter League | 1 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Jun 1967 | Leon v Football Association XI | L | 3-0 | Expo International Tournament | |
| 11 Jun 1967 | Football Association XI v Borussia Dortmund | W | 3-2 | Expo International Tournament | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-61 | England | Under-23 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1962-63 | England | British Home Championship | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 1962-63 | England | International Friendly | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 1963-64 | England | British Home Championship | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1963-64 | England | Copa das Nacoes | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 1963-64 | England | International Friendly | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 1964-65 | England | British Home Championship | 2 | 5 | ||||
| 1964-65 | England | International Friendly | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 1965-66 | England | British Home Championship | 2 | 4 | ||||
| 1965-66 | England | FIFA World Cup | 6 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 1965-66 | England | International Friendly | 5 | 4 | 1 | |||
| 1966-67 | England | International Friendly | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1966-67 | England | UEFA European Championship | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 1967-68 | England | International Friendly | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 1967-68 | England | UEFA European Championship | 6 | 4 | 2 | |||
| 1968-69 | England | British Home Championship | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 1968-69 | England | International Friendly | 5 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 1969-70 | England | British Home Championship | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 1969-70 | England | FIFA World Cup | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 1969-70 | England | International Friendly | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 1970-71 | England | British Home Championship | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1970-71 | England | UEFA European Championship | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 1971-72 | England | British Home Championship | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 1971-72 | England | UEFA European Championship | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 Feb 1961 | England v Wales | W | 2-0 | Under-23 | |
| 01 Mar 1961 | England v Scotland | L | 0-1 | Under-23 | |
| 06 Apr 1963 | England v Scotland | L | 1-2 | British Home Championship | |
| 08 May 1963 | England v Brazil | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 29 May 1963 | Czechoslovakia v England | W | 2-4 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Jun 1963 | East Germany v England | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Oct 1963 | Wales v England | W | 0-4 | British Home Championship | |
| 23 Oct 1963 | England v Rest of the World | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Nov 1963 | England v Northern Ireland | W | 8-3 | British Home Championship | |
| 11 Apr 1964 | Scotland v England | L | 1-0 | British Home Championship | |
| 06 May 1964 | England v Uruguay | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 17 May 1964 | Portugal v England | W | 3-4 | International Friendly | |
| 27 May 1964 | USA v England | W | 0-10 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Jun 1964 | England v Portugal | D | 1-1 | Copa das Napoes | |
| 06 Jun 1964 | Argentina v England | L | 1-0 | Copa das Napoes | |
| 03 Oct 1964 | Northern Ireland v England | W | 3-4 | British Home Championship | |
| 10 Apr 1965 | England v Scotland | D | 2-2 | British Home Championship | |
| 05 May 1965 | England v Hungary | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 09 May 1965 | Yugoslavia v England | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 12 May 1965 | West Germany v England | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 16 May 1965 | Sweden v England | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 10 Nov 1965 | England v Northern Ireland | W | 2-1 | British Home Championship | |
| 08 Dec 1965 | Spain v England | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jan 1966 | England v Poland | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 23 Feb 1966 | England v West Germany | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Apr 1966 | Scotland v England | W | 3-4 | British Home Championship | |
| 04 May 1966 | England v Yugoslavia | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Jun 1966 | Finland v England | W | 0-3 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jul 1966 | Poland v England | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 11 Jul 1966 | England v Uruguay | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group 1 |
| 16 Jul 1966 | England v Mexico | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group 1 |
| 20 Jul 1966 | England v France | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group 1 |
| 23 Jul 1966 | England v Argentina | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals quarter-final |
| 26 Jul 1966 | England v Portugal | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals semi-final |
| 30 Jul 1966 | England v Germany | W | 4-2 | FIFA World Cup | Final |
| 22 Oct 1966 | Northern Ireland v England | W | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 02 Nov 1966 | England v Czechoslovakia | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Nov 1966 | England v Wales | W | 5-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 15 Apr 1967 | England v Scotland | L | 2-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 21 Oct 1967 | Wales v England | W | 0-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 22 Nov 1967 | England v Northern Ireland | W | 2-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 06 Dec 1967 | England v USSR | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Feb 1968 | Scotland v England | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 8 |
| 03 Apr 1968 | England v Spain | W | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Quarter-final 1st leg |
| 01 Jun 1968 | West Germany v England | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jun 1968 | England v Yugoslavia | L | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Semi-final |
| 08 Jun 1968 | England v USSR | W | 2-0 | UEFA European Championship | 3rd place |
| 06 Nov 1968 | Romania v England | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 15 Jan 1969 | England v Romania | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Mar 1969 | England v France | W | 5-0 | International Friendly | |
| 03 May 1969 | Northern Ireland v England | W | 1-3 | British Home Championship | |
| 10 May 1969 | England v Scotland | W | 4-1 | British Home Championship | |
| 08 Jun 1969 | Uruguay v England | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Jun 1969 | Brazil v England | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 14 Jan 1970 | England v Netherlands | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 25 Feb 1970 | Belgium v England | W | 1-3 | International Friendly | |
| 18 Apr 1970 | Wales v England | D | 1-1 | British Home Championship | |
| 21 Apr 1970 | England v Northern Ireland | W | 3-1 | British Home Championship | |
| 25 Apr 1970 | Scotland v England | D | 0-0 | British Home Championship | |
| 20 May 1970 | Colombia v England | W | 0-4 | International Friendly | |
| 24 May 1970 | Ecuador v England | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Jun 1970 | England v Romania | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group C |
| 07 Jun 1970 | England v Brazil | L | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group C |
| 11 Jun 1970 | Czechoslovakia v England | W | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group C |
| 03 Feb 1971 | Malta v England | W | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 21 Apr 1971 | England v Greece | W | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 12 May 1971 | England v Malta | W | 5-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 15 May 1971 | Northern Ireland v England | W | 0-1 | British Home Championship | |
| 22 May 1971 | England v Scotland | W | 3-1 | British Home Championship | |
| 13 Oct 1971 | Switzerland v England | W | 2-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 01 Dec 1971 | Greece v England | W | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 29 Apr 1972 | England v Germany | L | 1-3 | UEFA European Championship | Quarter-final 1st leg |
| 13 May 1972 | Germany v England | D | 0-0 | UEFA European Championship | Quarter-final 2nd leg |
| 20 May 1972 | Wales v England | W | 0-3 | British Home Championship | |
| 27 May 1972 | Scotland v England | W | 0-1 | British Home Championship | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.