Gordon Banks's England 1970 World Cup cap, inscribed WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, JULES RIMET CUP, 1970, ROMANIA, BRAZIL, CZECHOSLOVAKIA Provenance: Bought at

Gordon Banks's England 1970 World Cup cap, inscribed WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, JULES RIMET CUP, 1970, ROMANIA, BRAZIL, CZECHOSLOVAKIA Provenance: Bought at Christie's March 2001. Gordon Banks's career highlight was of course his part in helping England to victory at the 1966 World Cup. Of all the England players, however, he is perhaps best remembered for his performance at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. During the group game v Brazil , playing at pace, Brazil were putting England under enormous pressure and an attack was begun by captain Carlos Alberto who sent a low ball down the right flank for the athletic Jairzinho to latch on to. The Brazilian winger sped past left-back Terry Cooper and crossed the ball into the six-yard box, where Pele connected with a powerful header to send the ball low towards the right-hand corner of the goal. In the knowledge that his header was placed to perfection, Pel? immediately shouted ''Gol!'' The split-second incident only allowed Banks time for one conscious thought - that the shot was impossible to catch, and the only way to prevent Pel? from following up on the rebound would be to parry the ball over the bar. The ball bounced two yards in front of the goal-line, and Banks managed to make contact with the ball with the fingers of his right hand, and rolled his hand slightly to angle to ball over the crossbar. He landed in the inner netting of the goal, and knew he had saved the ball after witnessing Pel?'s reaction. Banks himself landed in the inner netting of the goal Pel? has been quoted, as have numerous journalists and pundits, as describing the save as the greatest in the history of the game. Banks would later say ''They won't remember me for winning the World Cup [in 1966], it'll be for that save. That's how big a thing it is. People just want to talk about that save.''