Geoff Hurst is second only to the iconic Bobby Moore as a true Hammers legend – those three World cup goals as part of the most famous trio of players in our history made sure of that.
Nobody knows better that Hursty the value of the Hammers academy and he recalls his days as part of things with huge affection.
Trevor Brooking, Mark Noble and Declan have probably been our most famous products since but it all started under Ron Greenwood who Hurst claims is – according to his mate Harry Redknapp – the best coach with whom he ever worked.
Hursty remembers Greenwood turning him from a midfield player into a striker just as David Moyes has done with Mikey Antonio.
He went on to score 180 goals in 411 games between 1958-72 before moving to Stoke for three seasons and scoring another 30 in 108 games.
His record for England was 24 from 49 including the wonderful hatrick against then west Germany in that amazing final of 1966.
And talking to the official site he said: “It all started with our coaching and our upbringing, all of us coming from nowhere, just local kids, to what we could achieve in the right area, in the right club, with the right Academy.
You know, it’s just like a bunch of schoolkids, just growing up, the way you start. We were just teenagers when we all started, and it’s amazing what you can achieve in the right surroundings.
We were very fortunate – Bobby, Martin and myself – to be around at the time, to grow up at that time when things were happening within the Club and with the Academy.
You don’t really appreciate it at the time, but then you look back, as we are doing with that statue, of what can be achieved at the right Club.
I think, significantly, England could win the World Cup again – things are going very well – but whether we will ever see a Club providing the captain and two goalscorers [in the Final with] England winning a World Cup, that is going to be hard to beat.
You will probably never see that happening again, and that all started with the Academy.”
