- Phil Dukes
- BBC Sport
Cohen (left) has spent his entire footballing career at Fulham
George Cohen, who recently passed away at the age of 83, will be remembered forever because he was in the England team that won the World Cup in 1966. The only time England won the World Cup.
Cohen was manager Sir Alf Ramsey’s first-choice right-back throughout the triumphant 1966 tournament, which had culminated in a 4-2 victory over West Germany.
Cohen played every minute of his country’s matches in that World Cup, and he played 6 matches in that World Cup out of the 37 matches he played with the England national team between 1964 and 1967.
Although he never scored for England, he did not lack the attacking flair of modern day defenders.
This was most evident in the World Cup semi-finals where his tackle and cross enabled Bobby Charlton to score the second goal in a 2-1 win over Portugal.
His game count, which is relatively modest in contrast to some of the other players in that World Cup-winning team, does not detract from his talent.
He was the first player from the ’66 team to retire from international football, his final game coming in a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland in November the following year.
After selecting Cohen for the first time in a 2-1 win over Uruguay at Wembley on 6 May 1964, Ramsey continued to select him during Jimmy Armfield’s injury absence, and kept faith in him when the Blackpool player returned to fitness ahead of the World Cup.
The England boss was clear in his view, when he described Cohen as “the greatest right-back in England”, a view supported by legendary Manchester United winger George Bess, who said he was “the best defender I’ve ever played against”.
He was one of 5 members of that England team, along with Alan Ball, Roger Hunt, Nobby Stills and Ray Wilson, to be awarded British MBE honors in 2000, following a media campaign honoring their achievements alongside those of their peers.
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Cohen (front) played every minute of his country’s matches at the 66 World Cup
He is also the only Fulham player to win the World Cup.
He spent his entire football career with the London club, where he played 459 matches between 1956 and 1969, scoring 6 goals before injury forced him to retire at the age of only 29.
His tally of appearances places him sixth in the list of the club’s all-time best players, a list topped by fellow England international Johnny Haynes, who played 658 matches.
Cohen remained in the game after his retirement, taking on relatively minor coaching roles, first with Fulham’s youth team, and then had a short stint as manager of non-league club Tonbridge Angels, whom he led to Kent Senior Cup success in the 1974-75 season.
While his 13 years at Fulham may not have brought him any trophies, the club has recognized his services with a statue erected outside Craven Cottage and unveiled in October 2016 to also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the World Cup win.
He was a regular visitor to Craven Cottage in his later years. On match days, he would host groups in a part of the club’s hospitality suite that bore his name.
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Unveiling of Cohen’s statue outside Craven Cottage in October 2016
His World Cup medal can also be seen there after it was bought by the club in 1998.
Cohen’s life was also affected by tragedies and hardships.
In 1971, his mother was killed when she was run over by a truck. In 2000, his brother Peter died, aged 58, after he was attacked while trying to break up a fight outside a nightclub in Northampton.
Five years after his mother’s death, at the age of 36, he was diagnosed with bowel cancer, a disease he believed he had rid of twice over a period of 14 years, before finally making a full recovery in 1990.
This was what motivated him in part to his philanthropic work, which included serving as sponsor of the Bobby Moore Fund, which raises money for bowel cancer research and was set up by the widow of Cohen’s teammate and captain of the 1966 team, who died of the disease, at the age of 53, in 1993. .
Cohen has also been outspoken in his calls for a public inquiry into dementia’s connection to football, after research indicated ex-professionals were three times more likely to develop the disease than non-professionals.
But his sporting legacy remains dominant as he is one of the few World Cup winners for his country. It is a common trait in his family.
In 2003, Ben, the son of Cohen’s brother Peter, succeeded with the England rugby team to winning the World Cup for the first time.