Bobby Moore will be honoured with a blue English Heritage plaque 50 years on from lifting the World Cup at Wembley.
The plaque will be installed in Waverley Gardens, Barking, and will mark the house where Moore grew up and where he still lived when he made his England debut in 1962.
Prof Ronald Hutton, chair of the English Heritage Blue Plaques Panel, said: “Since 1866, these modest but distinctive blue roundels have reminded us of the people and places that made history. It’s a roll-call that underlines the wide range of talent who over the centuries have made London their home.”
Bobby was born Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore at Barking Hospital (then known as Upney Hospital) on 12 April 1941, while an air raid was raging outside. Bobby, an only child, lived with his parents Robert and Doris in Waverley Gardens, Barking.
He attended Westbury Infants and Junior Schools, and was often seen practising his soccer skills in Greatfields Park. He was captain of the Barking Primary Schools football team that won the Crisp Shield, a London-wide schools tournament.
In 1956 Bobby joined West Ham United’s youth squad, and was to remain with the club until 1974. He played 108 matches for England, 90 as captain. After leading the victorious England team in 1966, Bobby was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the following year was appointed OBE.
Long overdue. But in my eyes, the country can never really do enough to recognise Bobby, the man as well as the player. Can you imagine the honours that would be heaped upon an England captain that lifted the World Cup now? ARISE SIR BOBBY!