hurst says england team is most exciting since 1966

LONDON: The hero of England’s only major tournament win has said their squad for the European Championship in France is the most exciting since the country’s World Cup triumph on home soil in 1966.

Geoff Hurst, who scored a hattrick in a 42 win over West Germany in the final at Wembley, said: “It’s the most exciting squad since ‘66 – people like (Tottenham Hotspur playmaker) Dele Alli have come in and been very refreshing.

“He’s played, even in the friendlies, like it’s the World Cup final,” former West Ham striker Hurst told the BBC on Monday.

Hurst made his remarks as England touched down at their French base of Chantilly in search of a first major tournament victory on foreign soil.

Their squad is the youngest at the Finals with an average age of 25. The strike partnership of Spurs’ Harry Kane and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy has been hailed as potentially one of the most potent in the tournament.

England manager Roy Hodgson said: “The one thing we don’t have is experience but often the energy and enthusiasm of the young players can make up for it.”

England play their first Group game against Russia in Marseille on Saturday before taking on Wales and Sovakia. Meanwhile, the shirt worn by Hurst in the 1966

£ World Cup final could sell for 500,000 (RM3mil) at an auction, 50 years on from English football’s greatest triumph, valuers said.

The red longsleeved jersey with the England Three Lions badge on the front and white No. 10 on the back was worn by striker Hurst as he became the first – and so far only – player to score a hattrick in a World Cup final as West Germany were beaten 42 after extratime at Wembley.

Hurst was only in the starting lineup after firstchoice striker Jimmy Greaves was injured earlier in the tournament.

Auctioneers Sotheby’s estimate the cotton shirt, made by sportswear manufacturer Umbro, will

£ £ sell for between 300,000 (RM1.8mil) and 500,000 when it goes on sale in London on July 12.

“Half a century on, the immense importance of this match to the English game and nation is being underlined once again with the extensive commemorations of the match’s 50th anniversary,” Sotheby’s Gabriel Heaton said.

“This shirt, worn by the match’s star player, is the most significant obtainable artefact relating to this historic match. It represents a legendary moment in the annals of English football, and a sporting achievement that has never been repeated in half a century.

“It’s a really special, unique item – there is a premium attached to it and it’s these sort of items that increase in value over the years.” The shirt was also auctioned off in 2000, when

£ Hurst sold it for more than 90,000 (RM531,000), said Heaton.

The 1966 World Cup remains the last major international trophy won by an England football team. – Agencies