England Football Online
Goalkeepers Index Page Last Updated
11 July 2021
 
 

Gordon Banks

Leicester City FC, Stoke City FC

73 appearances, 57ᵍᵃ
35 clean sheets, four penalties conceded, one penalty saved

P 73 W 49 D 15 L 9 F 151: A 57
77% successful

1963-72

disciplined: none
captain:
none
minutes played:
6600

Timeline

Full name Gordon Banks OBE
Birth 30 December 1937 at 15 Arthur Road, Abbeydale, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire [registered in Sheffield, March 1938]. To Thomas and Nellie (née Yates).
The youngest of four sons, they lived at 138 Ferrars Road, Tinsley, Sheffield. Attended Tinsley County Secondary Modern School, Sheffield. Moved to Catcliffe, aged 11 years.
Marriage to Ursula [registered in Germany, 1955]. Three children, Robert, Julia, Wendy
Death 12 February 2019 in Stoke-on-Trent, aged 81 years 44 days, he was suffering with cancer
Funeral 1.30pm, 4 March 2019 at Stoke Minster, 47 years to the day after Stoke City FC had won the League Cup.

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Biographies Banks of England - Gordon Banks (Arthur Baker, London 1980)*
Banksy: My Autobiography - Gordon Banks, with Les Scott
(Michael Joseph Ltd, September 2002)
Banks v Pelé: The Save that Shook the World - Terry Baker
 

The most famous keeper of all time? Chesterfield, Leicester and Stoke were his clubs, but it is as England's 1966 World Cup-winning keeper that he achieved universal acclaim. - A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).

Playing Career

Club(s) Played with Sheffield schoolboys and after leaving school, played with Millspaugh Steelworks FC. Rawmarsh Welfare FC, of the Yorkshire League, were the first to invite Banks to league football, when he was 16 years old, he played twice, conceding fifteen goals in the process. After rejoining Millspaugh, where he was watched by a scout, Banks joined Chesterfield FC in March 1953 for a trial. He then signed a part-time contract in July. After serving two years with the Royal Signals on National Service in Germany, Banks returned to sign a professional contract at Chesterfield in September 1956. He kept goal in 23 League matches before he was transferred to Leicester City FC for a £6,000 fee on 4 May 1959. After 293 league appearances, and with City happy to let Peter Shilton take his turn in the Filbert Street goal, Banks left for Stoke City FC on 17 April 1967 for £52,500, despite intense interest from Liverpool FC, Ron Greenwood's West Ham United FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. He spent the summer of '67 on loan in the United Soccer Association with Cleveland Stokers, making twelve appearances. In the summer of 1971, Banks spent three matches with Hellenic FC in South Africa. He went onto play 194 league matches for Stoke, before a car accident ended his playing career. He was attending treatment at the Victoria Ground on Sunday, 22 October 1972, the day after Liverpool FC had won 2-1, when his Ford Granada collided with an Austin A60....he was fined £40 plus £29.80 costs for dangerous driving, as he was overtaking on a sharp bend and ended in a ditch!
After turning his hand to coaching the Stoke team, Banks returned to the NASL with Fort Lauderdale Strikers between 1977 and 1978, he
made 39 league appearances before returning to England. Although he did have one league appearance with Irish side St Patrick's Athletic FC in 1977.
Club honours FA Youth Cup runners-up 1955-56;
FA Cup
runners-up 1960-61, 1962-63;
Football League Cup winners
1963-64, runners-up 1964-65;
NASL Eastern Division winners
1977;
Individual honours Football League (six appearances);
Received OBE
June 1970;
Ballon d'Or =seventh 1972, =eighth 1970, =fourteenth 1966;

FWA Footballer of the Year
1971-72;
Daily Express Sportsman of the Year
1971-72;
NASL Goalkeeper of the Year
1977;
Football Association England Hall of Fame
2002;
Distinctions Appeared on ITV's This Is Your Life 8 March 1972;
Height/Weight 6' 1", 13st. 6lbs [1968].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

England Career

Player number One of three who became 816th players (816) to appear for England. 81st goalkeeper to appear.
Position(s) Goalkeeper
First match No. 367, 6 April 1963, England 1 Scotland 2, a British Championship match at the Empire Stadium, Wembley, aged 25 years 97 days.
Last match No. 463, 27 May 1972, Scotland 0 England 1, a British Championship match at Hampden Park, Glasgow, aged 34 years 149 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1966, 1970; European Championship Finals 1968;
British Championships 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72;
Team honours World Cup winners 1966;
British Championship shared 1963-64, 1969-70, 1971-72, winners 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1970-71;
Individual honours FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971;
England U23
(two appearances, oneᵍᵃ, one clean sheet, 1961)
Distinctions Regarded as the goalkeeper that pulled off the greatest save ever, against Pelé in the 1970 World Cup Finals group match against Brazil.
Was England's most appearanced goalkeeper between 1966 and 1985.
First goalkeeper to keep eleven, then up to 35 clean sheets for England.
He broke the record of not conceding an England goal in 1966, was at 378 minutes, but he ended the 1966 World Cup semi-final with the record standing at 723 minutes. The record stood until 2021.
Also the most appearanced Englishman at Stoke City FC since 1966.
Died three days after Fred Pickering.

Beyond England

Left school as a coalbagger, before become an apprentice bricklayer. After returning from the NASL in December 1977, Banks became the coach at Port Vale FC, but demoted to reserve team coach from December 1978 until December 1979. Turned his hand to management, but Lincoln City AFC and Rotherham United FC rejected his applications, and it was with Telford United AFC, of the Alliance Premier League, in January 1980, then he learned to manage, but was sacked nine months later. He ran a Hospitality company in Leicester, but this venture failed. Has been a part of the three man Pool's Panel sine the 1980's, and is Honorary President of Stoke City AFC, since 2000 - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.22./Banksy. Gordon Banks (2007)

 

The Numbers
Squads Apps Comp
Apps
Starts sub unused Mins. GA GA Av.
min
Comp GA Clean
Sheets
Cln
Sht Av
captain
49 73 41 73 ▲0
0
0 6600 57 116 min 34 35 48% none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
73 49 15 9 151 57 +94 11 35 2.068 0.781 77.4 +40

Venue Record

Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 32 21 8 3 71 28 +43 3 14 2.219 0.875 78.1 +18
Away 34 25 6 3 75 25 +50 5 18 2.206 0.735 82.4 +22
Neutral 7 3 1 3 5 4 +1 3 3 0.714 0.571 50.0 =0

Competition Record

Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L

WCP

0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 =0
WCF 9 7 1 1 13 4 +9 2 6 1.444 0.444 83.3 +6
World Cup 9 7 1 1 13 4 +9 2 6 1.444 0.444 83.3 +6

ECP

13 10 1 2 30 9 +21 1 9 2.308 0.692 80.8 +8
ECF 2 1 0 1 2 1 +1 1 1 1.00 0.50 50.0 =0
European Championship 15 11 1 3 32 10 +22 2 10 2.133 0.667 76.7 +8
British Championship 22 16 3 3 58 24 +34 3 9 2.636 1.091 79.5 +13

Note that the 1966-68 records of the European Championship and British Championships are duplicated, and one set is therefore deducted from the grand total.

Minor Tournament 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 0 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1
Friendly 29 19 8 2 60 19 +41 4 15 2.069 0.656 79.3 +17

Tournament Record

World Cup Final Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 1966 6 5 1 0 11 3 +8 1 4 1.833 0.50 91.7 +5
WCF 1970 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 1 2 0.667 0.33 66.7 +1
WCF All 9 7 1 1 13 4 +9 2 6 1.444 0.444 83.3 +6

European Championship Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
ECP/BC 1966-68 6 5 0 1 15 4 +11 0 4 2.50 0.667 83.3 +4
ECP 1970-72 7 5 1 1 15 5 +10 1 5 2.143 0.714 78.6 +4
ECP All 13 10 1 2 30 9 +21 1 9 2.308 0.692 80.8 +8
European Championship Final Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
ECF 1968 2 1 0 1 2 1 +1 1 1 1.00 0.50 50.0 =0
ECF All 2 1 0 1 2 1 +1 1 1 1.00 0.50 50.0 =0
European Championship
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
EC 1966-68 8 6 0 2 17 5 +12 1 5 2.125 0.625 75.0 +4
EC 1970-72 7 5 1 1 15 5 +10 1 5 2.143 0.714 78.6 +4
EC All 15 11 1 3 32 10 +22 2 10 2.133 0.667 76.7 +8

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1962-63 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1
BC 1963-64 3 2 0 1 12 4 +8 1 1 4.00 1.333 66.7 +1
BC 1964-65 2 1 1 0 6 5 +1 1 1 3.00 1.50 75.0 +1
BC 1965-66 2 2 0 0 6 4 +20 0 0 3.00 2.00 100.0 +2
BC 1966-67 3 2 0 1 9 4 +5 0 1 3.00 1.333 66.7 +1
BC 1967-68 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 0 2 2.50 0.00 100.0 +2
BC 1968-69 2 2 0 0 7 2 +5 0 0 3.50 1.00 100.0 +2
BC 1969-70 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 1 1 1.333 0.667 66.7 +1
BC 1970-71 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 0 1 2.00 0.50 100.0 +2
BC 1971-72 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 0 2 2.00 0.00 100.0 +2
BC All 22 16 3 3 58 24 +34 3 9 2.636 1.091 79.5 +13

Minor Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Taça das Nações 1964 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 0 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1
T/C All 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 0 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 9 7 1 1 13 4 +9 2 6 1.444 0.444 833 +6
EC 15 11 1 3 32 10 +22 2 10 2.133 0.667 76.7 +8
BC 22 16 3 3 58 24 +34 3 9 2.636 1.091 79.5 +13
Note that the 1966-68 records of the European Championship and British Championships are duplicated, and one set is therefore deducted from the grand total.
Minor T/C 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 0 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1
43 30 6 7 90 36 +54 7 22 2.093 0.837 76.7 +23

Match History

 
Age 22 under 23  
unofficial - Denmark XI September 1960
  
Age 23    
two appearances - Wales February 1961; Scotland March 1961
      
 
 Club: Leicester City F.C. - 37 full appearances (3360 min) 35ᵍᵃ

manager: Alf Ramsey - 73 full appearances (6600 min) 57ᵍᵃx

apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt

Age 25
1 367 6 April 1963 - England 1 Scotland 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HL cs: 29min 32 1
ᵍᵃ18yd shot &
2 368 8 May 1963 - England 1 Brazil 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HD cs: 78min 1
ᵍᵃ25yd free-kick
3 369 29 May 1963 - Czechoslovakia 2 England 4
Tehelné pole, Bratislava

tour
AW   1
ᵍᵃ
4 370 2 June 1963 - GDR 1 England 2
Zentralstadion, Leipzig
AW   1
ᵍᵃ
371 5 June 1963 - Switzerland 1 England 8, Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel AW squad member
5 372 12 October 1963 - Wales 0 England 4
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC AW   1
6 373 23 October 1963 - England 2 Rest of the World 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW   1
ᵍᵃ
7 374 20 November 1963 - England 8 Northern Ireland 3
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HW   1
ᵍᵃ

Age 26
8 375 11 April 1964 - Scotland 1 England 0, Hampden Park, Glasgow BC AL Start 1
9 376 6 May 1964 - England 2 Uruguay 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HW Start 1
10 377 17 May 1964 - Portugal 3 England 4, Estadio Nacional, Lisboa Fr AW Start 1
378 24 May 1964 - Republic of Ireland 1 England 3, Dalymount Park, Dublin AW squad member
11 379 27 May 1964 - United States 0 England 10, Downing Stadium, New York City AW Start 1
380 30 May 1964 - Brazil 5 England 1, Estádio Municipal, Rio de Janeiro TC AL squad member
12 381 4 June 1964 - England 1 Portugal 1, Estádio Municipal, Rio de Janeiro ND Start 1
13 382 6 June 1964 - Argentina 1 England 0, Estádio Municipal, Rio de Janeiro NL Start 1
14 383 3 October 1964 - Northern Ireland 3 England 4, Windsor Park, Belfast BC AW Start 1
  

Age 27
15 387 10 April 1965 - England 2 Scotland 2, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC HD Start 1
16 388 5 May 1965 - England 1 Hungary 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HW Start 1
17 389 9 May 1965 - Yugoslavia 1 England 1, Stadion Crvena zvezda, Beograd tour AD Start 1
18 390 12 May 1965 - West Germany 0 England 1, Städtisches Stadion, Nürnberg AW Start 1
19 391 16 May 1965 - Sweden 1 England 2, Nya Ullevi Stadion, Göteborg AW Start 1
  
20 394 10 November 1965 - England 2 Northern Ireland 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC HW Start 1
21 395 8 December 1965 - Spain 0 England 2, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid Fr AW Start 1

Age 28
22 396 5 January 1966 - England 1 Poland 1, Goodison Park, Liverpool Fr HD Start 1
23 397 23 February 1966 - England 1 West Germany 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HW Start 1
24 398 2 April 1966 - Scotland 3 England 4, Hampden Park, Glasgow BC AW Start 1
25 399 4 May 1966 - England 2 Yugoslavia 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HW Start 1
26 400 26 June 1966 - Finland 0 England 3, Olympiastadion, Helsinki
tour
AW Start 1
401 29 June 1966 - Norway 1 England 6, Ullevål Stadion, Oslo AW squad member
402 3 July 1966 - Denmark 0 England 2, Idrætsparken, København AW
27 403 5 July 1966 - Poland 0 England 1, Stadion Śląski, Chorzów AW Start 1
28 404 11 July 1966 - England 0 Uruguay 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley
WCF
HD Start
1
29 405 16 July 1966 - England 2 Mexico 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start
30 406 20 July 1966 - England 2 France 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start
31 407 23 July 1966 - England 1 Argentina 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start
32 408 26 July 1966 - England 2 Portugal 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start 82
33 409 30 July 1966 - England 4 West Germany 2ᴭᵀ, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start
34 410 22 October 1966 - Northern Ireland 0 England 2, Windsor Park, Belfast BC/
ECP
AW Start 1
35 411 2 November 1966 - England 0 Czechoslovakia 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HD Start 1
36 412 16 November 1966 - England 5 Wales 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC/
ECP
HW Start 1

Age 29
37 413 15 April 1967 - England 2 Scotland 3, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC/
ECP
HL Start 1
  

 Club: Stoke City F.C. - 36 full appearances (3240 min), twentyᵍᵃ  

38 416 21 October 1967 - Wales 0 England 3, Ninian Park, Cardiff BC/
ECP
AW Start 1
39 417 22 November 1967 - England 2 Northern Ireland 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC/
ECP
HW Start 1
40 418 6 December 1967 - England 2 USSR 2, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HD Start 1

Age 30
41 419 24 February 1968 - Scotland 1 England 1, Hampden Park, Glasgow BC/ ECP AD Start 1
42 420 3 April 1968 - England 1 Spain 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley ECP HW Start 1
  
43 423 1 June 1968 - West Germany 1 England 0, Niedersachsenstadion, Hannover Fr AL Start 1
44 424 5 June 1968 - Yugoslavia 1 England 0, Stadio Comunale di Firenze, Firenze
ECF
NL Start
1
45 425 8 June 1968 - USSR 0 England 2, Stadio Olimpico, Roma NW Start
46 426 6 November 1968 - Romania 0 England 0, Stadionul 23 August, Bucureşti Fr AD Start 1
  

Age 31
47 428 15 January 1969 - England 1 Romania 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HD Start 74 1
48 429 12 March 1969 - England 5 France 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HW Start 1
49 430 3 May 1969 - Northern Ireland 1 England 3, Windsor Park, Belfast
BC
AW Start 1
431 7 May 1969 - England 2 Wales 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW squad member
50 432 10 May 1969 - England 4 Scotland 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start 1
433 1 June 1969 - Mexico 0 England 0, Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de México tour AD rested
squad member
51 434 8 June 1969 - Uruguay 1 England 2, Estadio Centenario, Montevideo AW Start 1
52 435 12 June 1969 - Brazil 2 England 1, Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Rio de Janeiro AL Start 28 1
53 438 14 January 1970 - England 0 Netherlands 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HD Start 1

Age 32
54 439 25 February 1970 - Belgium 1 England 3, Stade Émile Versé, Bruxelles Fr AW Start 1
55 440 18 April 1970 - Wales 1 England 1, Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC
AD Start 1
56 441 21 April 1970 - England 3 Northern Ireland 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start 1
57 442 25 April 1970 - Scotland 0 England 0, Hampden Park, Glasgow AD Start 1
58 443 20 May 1970 - Colombia 0 England 4, Estadio Nemesio Camacho, Olímpico Fr AW Start 3
59 444 24 May 1970 - Ecuador 0 England 2, Estádio Olimpico Atahualpa, Quito Fr AW Start 3
60 445 2 June 1970 - Romania 0 England 1, Estádio Jalisco, Guadalajara
WCF
NW Start
1
61 446 7 June 1970 - Brazil 1 England 0, Estádio Jalisco, Guadalajara NL Start
62 447 11 June 1970 - Czechoslovakia 0 England 1, Estádio Jalisco, Guadalajara NW Start
448 14 June 1970 - West Germany 3 England 2ᴭᵀ, Estádio Guanajuato, León NL poorly squad member
  

Age 33
63 450 3 February 1971 - Malta 0 England 1, The Stadium, Gzira ECP AW Start 1
64 451 21 April 1971 - England 3 Greece 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley ECP HW Start 1
65 452 12 May 1971 - England 5 Malta 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley ECP HW Start 1
66 453 15 May 1971 - Northern Ireland 0 England 1, Windsor Park, Belfast
BC
AW Start 1
454 19 May 1971 - England 0 Wales 0, Empire Stadium, Wembley HD squad member
67 455 22 May 1971 - England 3 Scotland 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley HW Start 1
68 456 13 October 1971 - Switzerland 2 England 3, Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel ECP AW Start 1
  
69 458 1 December 1971 - Greece 0 England 2, Karaiskaki Stadio, Piraes ECP AW Start 1

Age 34
70 459 29 April 1972 - England 1 West Germany 3, Empire Stadium, Wembley ECP HL Start 85 1
71 460 13 May 1972 - West Germany 0 England 0, Olympiastadion, Berlin ECP AD Start 1
72 461 20 May 1972 - Wales 0 England 3, Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC
AW Start 1
462 23 May 1972 - England 0 Northern Ireland 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley HL squad member
73 463 27 May 1972 - Scotland 0 England 1, Hampden Park, Glasgow AW Start 1
464 11 October 1972 - England 1 Yugoslavia 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HD injured
squad member
  

Car accident on 22 October 1972 ended his international career.

Notes

____________________

CG