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Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, Order of
the British Empire|OBE (April 12, 1941 - February
24, 1993) was an England|English football
(soccer)|footballer whose place in footballing
history is secure as the captain of West Ham
United|West Ham and the English Wc|1966-winning
team.  

Moore joined West Ham United|West Ham as a
schoolboy and was a regular in the first team by
1960. A composed central defender
(football)|defender, Moore was admired more for
his reading of the game and ability to anticipate
opposition movements, thereby distancing himself
from the image of the hard-tackling, high-jumping
defender. Indeed, Moore's ability to head the ball
or keep up with the pace was average at best, but
the way he marshalled his team and timed his
tackles marked him out as world class.  In fact,
Pelé used to call Moore the fairest defender he
had ever played against.

He was in the England national football
team|England squad for the Football World Cup
1962|1962 World Cup in Chile, when England reached
the quarter finals, and was captain of his country
within another two years. In 1964, he skippered
West Ham United to success in the FA Cup final at
Wembley Stadium|Wembley where they beat Preston
North End 3-2, the first of three successive trips
to the national stadium in major finals in as many
years for Moore, and from which he would emerge
undefeated.

In 1965, Wembley hosted West Ham's 2-0 victory
over 1860 Munich in the Cup Winners' Cup|European
Cup Winners Cup, then in 1966, Moore was the
leader of the side which gave English football its
crowning glory and established him as a
magnificent player, gentleman and sporting icon.
His West Ham team-mate Geoff Hurst scored an
historic hat-trick in the 4-2 Football World
Cup|World Cup final win over Germany national
football team|West Germany, with Moore supplying
pinpoint passes for two of his goals. Of many
timeless images from that day, one is of Moore
gallantly wiping his hands clean of mud on the
velvet platform the Jules Rimet Trophy rested
before shaking the hand of Queen Elizabeth II of
the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II as she presented
him with the World Cup.

Moore faithfully pursued his West Ham and England
career and was once again named as captain when
England travelled to Mexico to defend the World
Cup in 1970. There was heavy disruption to
preparations, however, when an attempt was made to
implicate Moore in the theft of a bracelet from a
jeweller in Bogotá, Colombia, where England had
travelled for some warm-up games in order to get
acclimatised with high altitude conditions. The
charges were subsequently dropped, Moore was
wholly exonerated and he was eventually permitted
to rejoin his team-mates in Mexico.

In the group game against favourites Brazil
national football team|Brazil, there was a
defining moment for Moore when he tackled the
great Jairzinho with such precision and
cleanliness that many cite is a tackle which
no-one will ever better. Brazil still won the
game, but England also progressed through the
group.

Defeat after extra time against West Germany saw
England bow out in the last eight, and it would be
12 years before England were to return to a World
Cup finals again.

Moore ended up with 108 England caps, breaking the
record held by his fellow 1966 hero Bobby Charlton
by just two appearances. Only Peter Shilton, with
whom Moore also played at international level, has
since played more times for his country. Moore's
last appearance in an England shirt was in 1973.

In 1974 prior to the World Cup in Germany Moore
played the first-half in a charity match in the
Duesseldorf Rheinstadion before suddenly and
mysteriously leaving at half-time without
collecting his match fee to catch a plane back to
London feigning an "emergency." At full-time many
players complained of missing valuables and cash
in the team dressing-room and accused Moore of
taking them.  

A year later, Moore was allowed to leave his
beloved West Ham after more than 15 years and
joined London rivals Fulham F.C.|Fulham, who were
in the second division. Somehow, in his first
season, they reached the FA Cup final where they
were to play none other than Moore's old club West
Ham. It was, however, no fairytale farewell ending
for Moore as Fulham lost 2-0.

Moore retired from playing in 1977 and had a
short, relatively unsuccessful, spell in football
management.  His life after football was eventful
and difficult, with business deals going wrong and
his marriage ending. Many have since said that the
Football Association could have given a role to
Moore, as the only Englishman to captain a World
Cup winning team.  Moore himself kept a dignified
silence.

In 1993 Moore, who was now remarried, announced he
was suffering from bowel cancer. Despite extensive
treatment he succumbed to the illness just two
days after commentating on an England match at his
spiritual home, Wembley.

The stand replacing the south bank at West Ham's
ground, the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park has since
been named the Bobby Moore Stand.

==External link==
*http://www.whufc.com/player.asp?plid=16843&clid=0
Bobby Moore, West Ham Football Club

*http://www.bobbymooreonline.co.uk/ Bobby Moore
Online

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succession box|title=FWA Footballer of the
Year|Football Writers' Association Footballer of
the Year|before=Stanley Matthews |after=Bobby
Collins|years=1964
succession box|title=UEFA Jubilee Awards|before=-
|after=-|years=England
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