George Eastham, a member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad, has died at the age of 88, his former club Stoke City have announced.
The versatile attacker was called up to Alf Ramsey's ranks for England's triumphant World Cup campaign 58 years ago, although he did not play a single minute at the competition.
Eastham was also an unused substitute throughout England's 1962 World Cup campaign, but he still earned 19 caps for his nation, scoring two goals against Denmark and the Republic of Ireland.
At club level, Eastham represented Arsenal, Newcastle United and most notably Stoke City, where he scored the decisive goal in the 1971-72 League Cup final against Chelsea and made history as the oldest player to win the competition at 35 years and 161 days.
Off the field, the late 88-year-old played a significant role in revolutionising the transfer system, which previously operated in a way that clubs could refuse to pay players if they had asked for a move elsewhere while also retaining their registration.
After Newcastle initially refused to let Eastham leave, he went on strike for eight months, and the Magpies eventually sold him to Arsenal in 1960 before being taken to the High Court by their former player.
Stoke "immensely saddened" by Eastham death
George Eastham OBE: 1936-2024
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) December 20, 2024
We are immensely saddened by the passing of club legend George Eastham OBE at the age of 88.
Eastham secured a landmark legal victory for his fellow players in court, as it was ruled that the 'retain and transfer' system that was in place was unlawful, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football in 1973.
Announcing the death of Eastham on Friday evening, Stoke said in a statement: "The Stoke City Football Club family is immensely saddened by the passing of club legend George Eastham OBE at the age of 88.
"George was signed by the Potters for a £35,000 fee shortly after being part of England's 1966 World Cup winning squad. He went on to represent the Club for eight seasons in the top division of the English game and was a two-time FA Cup semi-finalist in red and white.
"He is perhaps best remembered as the man whose goal secured the 1972 League Cup in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley. Our thoughts are with George's family and friends at this difficult time."
England also paid tribute to their World Cup winner, saying on X: "We're saddened to hear of the passing of George Eastham OBE at the age of 88. Our condolences go to George's family and friends."
After hanging up his boots, Eastham served as Tony Waddington's assistant manager at Stoke before stepping into the hotseat himself, but he only took charge of 15 games from 1977 to 1978.
Eastham's death means that only three members of England's 1966 World Cup squad are still alive - Sir Geoff Hurst, Ian Callaghan and Terry Paine - but the latter two did not feature in the final win over Germany.
Ben Knapton
