Former England World Cup winner Roger Hunt dies at 83

Former England World Cup winner Roger Hunt died at the age of 83 on Monday after a long illness, his former club Liverpool said.

Hunt, who scored three goals during England’s victorious World Cup campaign on home soil in 1966, was also Liverpool’s record scorer with 285 goals in 492 appearances until Ian Rush broke the record in 1992.

Under Bill Shankly, Hunt helped Liverpool win two league titles and their first FA Cup trophy in 1964/1965 when he scored in the final against Leeds United. The striker’s tally of 244 league goals is still a club record.

“Liverpool FC is mourning the passing of legendary former player Roger Hunt,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday. “Hunt’s achievements saw him bestowed with an honorary knighthood from the Kop and he will forever be known as ‘Sir Roger’ by supporters of the club he graced with such distinction.”

Hunt’s death came days after his former England teammate Jimmy Greaves died at the age of 81.

“Roger Hunt comes second to no-one in his importance in the history of Liverpool FC, that much is clear,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said.

“To be the goalscoring catalyst of the Shankly team to actually achieve promotion and then go on to win those precious league titles and the FA Cup puts him in a bracket of LFC [Liverpool Football Club] legends who are responsible for making us the club we are today.”

Reuters