One of England’s 1966 World Cup winning heroes, Nobby Stiles, after a long period of prostate cancer and progressive dementia, died at 78 years of age claim The Guardian.
For his Wembley winning jig two years ago, clutching the Jules Rimet trophy in one hand, the false teeth of the “Toothless Tiger” in the other, Stiles will be remembered forever, a winner of the European Cup with Manchester United in 1968.
Stiles was an uncompromising tackler, a skillful and imaginative midfielder.
His robust style was the subject of some criticism during the 1966 tournament, particularly when his “rough play” against Jacques Simon put the French playmaker out of the game.
Alf Ramsey, however, remained true to his ever-present, bustling midfield terrier.
By his own admission, Norbert Peter Patrick Paul Stiles, balding at 24, diminutive and short-sighted, had to tackle many challenges in order to become a professional footballer. He wrote in his 2003 autobiography that “a half-blind dwarf, bombed by the Germans and run over by a trolley bus when he was one, was born.”
