Gordon Banks won the World Cup with England in 1966, but the most memorable moment of the goalkeeper's career came four years later in Mexico.

7^th June, 1970. At Estadio Jalisco in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, World Cup holders England were finding themselves under enormous pressure in the first half of their group match against a Brazil side regarded as the greatest in World Cup history.

Advancing with the ball from the right back position, Brazil captain Carlos Alberto sprayed a low pass over the half way line into the path of Jairzinho. With remarkable poise and balance, the Brazil winger sped past England left back Terry Cooper at full throttle and dug out a looping cross to the far post, where Pele had timed his run to perfection.

The Brazil legend leapt above English right back Tommy Wright and met the ball with a thumping downward header. The ball bounced off the turf towards the bottom corner of the net, but as Pele wheeled away in celebration, Banks' pulled off the most remarkable of saves. The England keeper was still scrambling across the goal line as Pele rose to head the ball, and his reaction was nothing short of phenomenal. Twisting his body and diving backwards in the blink of an eye, Banks somehow clawed the ball up and over the crossbar using his thumb. For a few moments, the watching world struggled to make sense of what had just happened. "Gordon Banks, pick that out of the net!" exclaimed the elated BBC commentator once the dust had settled. "The save of the World Cup," he added. But this wasn't just the save of the tournament; this was quite possibly the greatest save of all time.

It was not just the technical prowess and lightening speed of Banks' save that made it so special, however. The stage could hardly have been bigger. This was Pele, the greatest striker the world has ever seen, up against one of the world's finest keepers. What's more, England were reigning world champions, while Brazil were the finest international side of all time. It was a moment fit for such an occasion.

"It's something people will always remember me for," said Banks in 2005. "They won't remember me for winning the World Cup [in 1966], it'll be for that save," he added. Brazil went on to win the game 1-0 thanks to a second half strike from Jairzinho, but England still progressed to the quarter-finals by beating Romania and Czechoslovakia in their other group games. It was in a rematch of the 1966 final against West Germany that their hopes unraveled, and it was no coincidence that England were without Banks for that quarter-final defeat due to an upset stomach. Replacement keeper Peter Bonetti had been slow to react for the German's first goal, and with the scores at 2-2 after 90 minutes, Gerd Muller's extra-time heartbreaker sent England packing. "Of all the players to lose, we had to lose him," rued England manager Alf Ramsey over his first-choice keeper. Brazil, meanwhile, went on to win their third World Cup in emphatic fashion, thrashing Italy 4-1 in the final.

Banks won 73 England caps in an international career that spanned nine years starting in 1963. From 1965 to 1972, he was indisputably England's first-choice goalkeeper. At club-level, Banks' career took off after he was signed by First Division Leicester City from Chesterfield for £7,000 in 1959. After 293 league appearances for the Foxes, he moved to Stoke City in 1967, where he stayed until 1972. He won two League Cups during his time at Leicester and Stoke, but never experienced club success to rival that of his international career.

To remember Banks for one moment alone would be a disservice to the man who is still widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers ever to have played the game. Banks could never match the feeling of lifting the World Cup in 1966, but at that moment on 7^th June, 1970 in the sweltering heat of Guadalajara, he couldn't have been too far off.

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Author of the most celebrated moment in English football history, Sir Geoff Hurst is a national icon.

As all English football fans will be aware, Hurst's defining moment came in extra-time of the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany. Leading 3-2 thanks to Hurst's famous 'ghost goal', England were on the cusp of making history, and when he broke free of the German defence to blast home his third and England's fourth with the last kick of the game, victory was sealed. The moment was immortalized by Kenneth Wolstenholme's legendary BBC television commentary:

"And here comes Hurst. He's got… Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over! It is now, it's four!"

With that goal, Hurst secured the only hat-trick ever scored in a World Cup final. This from a man who was originally named in Alf Ramsey's squad as back-up to Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt. Indeed, Hurst's international debut only came five months before England hosted the World Cup, and while he was already an established favourite at West Ham United, he was a relative unknown at international level.

The Lancashire-born striker began his club career at West Ham in 1959. He started out as a midfielder but was soon converted by manager Ron Greenwood. In the four seasons that preceded the 1966 World Cup, Hurst scored 67 goals in 145 First Division appearances for the Hammers. He also picked up an FA Cup winners medal in 1964 and won the European Cup Winners' Cup against 1860 Munich the following year.

Hurst's club form guaranteed him a place in Alf Ramsey's World Cup squad of 22 but, as expected, it was Greaves and Hunt who started in the group games against Mexico, Uruguay and France. Hurst's lucky break came when, during the England's 2-0 victory over France, Greaves required stitches on a badly gashed leg. Hurst was called up in his place for the quarter-final against Argentina, and he made himself a hero when his near post header in the 78^th minute secured a 1-0 victory for the hosts.

Together with Bobby Moore and Martin Peters, Hurst completed a trio of West Ham players in the England line-up, and with Greaves still sidelined, the team maintained its East London spine for the semi-final against Eusebio's Portugal. Again, Hurst played a crucial role, providing the assist for the second of West Ham teammate Moore's brace as England triumphed 2-1.

As the final approached, news of Greaves' return to fitness broke to the media, who started calling for the prolific Spurs frontman to be reinstated at Hurst's expense. Ramsey's decision to stand by Hurst in the face of growing pressure was a bold one, but one that would be emphatically vindicated.

It was West Germany who started brightest in the final, with Helmut Haller giving them the lead after 12 minutes. Hurst equalised six minutes later after heading home a smartly-taken free-kick from Bobby Moore, and after Mark Peters gave England the lead with less than 15 minutes to play, only a last minute leveler from Wolfgang Weber prevented an England victory in normal time.

Hurst's second strike is another unforgettable moment in World Cup history, as his shot in the first half of extra-time crashed off the underside of the bar and was controversially adjudged to have crossed the line. Goal-line technology has since been applied to conclude that the ball had, in fact, not fully crossed the line, but that is a minor detail to England fans. Ramsey's side were on course for victory, and as the final second's ticked away and the elated home crowd began to trickle onto the pitch in celebration, Hurst broke away for his legendary hat-trick goal.

In an international career that continued until 1972, Hurst scored 24 goals in 49 appearances. For West Ham he scored 252 goals in 499 before seeing out his playing days at Stoke City, West Brom and Seattle Sounders in the US. He was knighted and awarded an MBE for his services to football. But he will forever be associated with that magical day in 1966.