1982: JIMMY GREAVES on missing the 1966 WORLD CUP FINAL | Classic BBC Sport | BBC Archive

Jimmy Greaves - one of England's finest ever strikers - speaks candidly to Ian Wooldridge about the pain of not playing in the 1966 World Cup Final at Wembley.
This clip is from The Ian Wooldridge Interviews, originally broadcast 12 March, 1982.
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[@tonyinit8488]

Jimmy Greaves, a kind of forgotten genius. People think football started in 1992 but he would be a match for any player nowadays... amazing player

[@stevewalker4331]

Tony. Jimmy was the greatest player that I have ever seen and I’ve seen them all come and go over the last sixty years. He was pure genius.

[@tonyinit8488]

@Steve Walker - I can see why. He had a great attitude to the game, it took him much less than Harry to score his 266. He scored 44 goals in ONLY 57 english appearances. Amazing. All in awful pitches and for a lot less money. I'd love to see him in today's game. God rest him.

[@dougreed2257]

On a different level to Harry kane, who I think is a tad overestimated yes he can score, but not ad good as greaves.

[@lw212]

People might think Alan shearer is the greatest goal scorer in English football and he’s definitely up there but that’s only because the records are going off the premier league which was rebranded from the 1st division in 1992. Jimmy greaves is actually the greatest english football goalscorer of all time with 357 goals in 516 games and a goal to game ratio of 0.69 which is incredible. A lot of the older generation will remember him and know how good he was but for the younger generation this would have been like having Erling Haaland, Harry Kane or Sergio Aguero in your team, a prolific goalscorer who isn’t always remembered as much as some of the other old English players you might know e.g. Sir Bobby Charlton or Bobby Moore, a lot of this could be down to the fact that jimmy greaves didn’t play in the 1966 World Cup final winning team despite being to many the best striker England possessed. Greaves picked up an injury in the group stages against France which led to Sir Geoff Hurst replacing the former in the team. England manager Alf Ramsey stuck with hurst and in the final, despite being fit to play, greaves was left out of the team with hurst keeping his place in the 11. This was a decision that proved to be successful for Ramsey and England as Hurst scored a Hattrick and England beat west Germany 4-2. However part of me wonders how different the legacy of jimmy greaves would have been had he not got injured and kept his place in the team, maybe England would have lost the final? Maybe he would have scored a hattrick like Sir Geoff Hurst? Who knows? But one thing is for certain, Jimmy Greaves is the greatest goal scorer England has ever produced.

[@duncanpriestley964]

It's rare to see someone so great being so honest and humble about their feelings. There's no sourgrapes, he's just answering the question completely honestly.

[@johnjohnnyjohnson9987]

An honest assessment with no BS. I always liked Jimmy!

[@whouster]

A true legend on and off the field. Greavsie was always an honest and eloquent talker. No striker has ever got near his goals per game ratio for England, and he has to go down as the greatest striker this country has produced. For those of us who weren't old enough to remember Jimmy as a player, he was an absolute delight as a football pundit with the great partnership he formed with another great, Ian St John. For all Jimmy's great achievements in football, his greatest achievement was successfully overcoming alcoholism. That wasn't only great news for Jimmy and his family, but also for the rest of us who loved to hear his opinions with his characteristic humour and likeability.

[@patdoyle3686]

Fabulous football player and a great speaking voice

[@aaropajari7058]

Amazing player and a great bloke. Never bettered!

[@thebat7048]

A staple of my youth was the great Saint and Greavsie TV show..A great laugh..

[@martynhanson]

Jimmy didn't throw a wobbler and go away He played the following year against Scotland. What a man.

[@tarquin4592]

Wonderful player, one of the greatest of all time without doubt. I always admired him right from his Chelsea days to his Spurs days and I am an Arsenal fan through and through.

[@Coxy_Wrecked]

Such a tragedy that Jimmy Greaves never even enters our consciousness when we thik of our 1966 World Cup winners. Even though he was a part of the squad and was a much better player than Geoff Hurst ever was and would have been the first choice striker in the team barring injury,he's all but forgotten regarding the team of 66, And you feel his hurt in this video.

[@gunternetzer9621]

Greaves could not 'play' in the same way that Geoff Hurst could for the team, by making intelligent runs off the ball, laying off quality balls and always available as a target.

[@deejay5224]

Loved greavsie. Aside from being a great player, he was a man with integrity and part of my Saturday staple with ian st.john.

[@oxouk]

I'm loving these BBC clips. After living here in the States for 34 years, these clips open up a world of youthful memories. Familiar names, faces, and voices I'd long forgotten about.

[@riddley39]

So has your accent completely gone then?

[@leeturton9254]

Those pictures of him at the final whistle are heart breaking...you can actually see the weight on the mans shoulders...i for one totally and utterly understand Jimmy's pain

[@Jo_603]

Forget Best, this guys stats club and national are nothing short of magnificence, up there with pele, Cruyff and beckenbaur in my book.

[@Inglese001]

@Jo, Jimmy's hardly ever mentioned with those guys - and he should be!

[@Smudgeroon74]

@Joe_603 you can bet those guys knew how good Jimmy Greaves actually was...

[@IndieVolken]

if it was all about Stats then yes , but Best had way more to his game and totally different player to an out and out centre forward/striker/Number 9

[@LordFlashheart.11]

Jimmy Greaves...GENIUS...GREATEST GOALSCORER WE EVER HAD.

[@cuibono6872]

Met Jimmy once, many years ago, fantastic bloke, true world class player, broke scoring records for fun, sadly missed, RIP.

[@nickonak5475]

Pure honesty

[@geoffreyjonathanwilson5826]

Jimmy had a great 'tache for years! 😊 He truly was a lovely bloke

[@Inglese001]

Only bettered by Tom Selleck and Nigel Mansell.

[@hunterluxton5976]

Clearly a man who is not afraid of the truth.

[@garrybaldy327]

He's been through good times and bad, but boy is he glad to be brewing up for star names.

[@henguspod3899]

loved jimmy greaves and what a goalscorer, RIP legend

[@meisterlymanu5214]

his main strength was he had no nerves, no fear. You put him through in the last minute in a WC Final, its in. But then Hurst did exactly that anyway. Real shame for Greavsy that he witnessed that hatrick.

[@growlerthe2nd712]

I think only original Beatles drummer Pete Best could understand how Greavsie must have felt .

[@TheGrandmasterMan]

Good point, that was even worse for Best.

[@MosesDeLaRoses]

Incomparable. Best faded into obscurity, Greaves was already a legend

[@peterburry2014]

Not a true comparison... Pete Best was a poor drummer who lacked personality, while greaves was a world class performer who oozed charm and charisma.

[@mykehyslop198]

He was brilliant.

[@philipbarker1896]

Greaves has never been forgotten, a wonderful talent and so too the man who was interviewing him. Ian Wooldridge was a master of the written word and a superb communicator on television too,

[@JohnnyBeane]

Great clips!

[@GreasyBelcher]

I felt the same way after being left out of the 1998 World Cup Squad.

[@RustyLightningPhoto]

Still Englands best goal scorer. If he had played as many games as the likes of Lineker, Kane or Rooney he could have had twice as many goals.

[@lingolarker9318]

What a remarkable clip. I hadn’t realised he was actually the one who most talked up our chances and spread the belief within the squad. Makes it all the more poignant that injury robbed him of the chance to share in a truly unique moment of glory🙁

[@zip7275]

Jimmy Greaves will always be a legend in my eyes.

[@Mark-uf4kf]

The most natural finisher this country has ever produced, bar none.

[@Marlondurran]

Top man Jimmy.

[@seanbonella]

Harry Kane should watch this. Dont care how many goals he scores.....or misses 😅😅😅😅 This is a true England and Spurs legend. From a Liverpool fan.

[@LordFlashheart.11]

Correct! and how many of Kanes goals for spurs were penalties, Greaves scored his 260+ goals in open play on bad pitches against defenders who could tackle hard.

[@seanbonella]

@@LordFlashheart.11 totally agree

[@LordFlashheart.11]

@seanbonella 👍🏻...not to mention Greaves scored 114 goals in his last season for Chelsea reserves before moving to the first team!

[@peterburry2014]

Why should Kane watch this? He's not an arrogant or complacent type and I'm pretty sure he's well aware of Jimmy's greatness.

[@chancesareshewears]

to think they gave Geoff Hurst a Knighthood..Greaves was a world class striker, one of the greatest of all time.. Ramsey got very lucky.

[@gunternetzer9621]

England would not have won the World Cup without Hurst.

[@Johnstone72]

A lovely Man who was happened to be a world class footballer. Sadly missed.

[@daughterhat]

There are great players who've matched him for stats, but his unique style was brilliant to watch.

[@bartpickford1836]

A classier response from greaves than if it had been cr7

[@stuphe1844]

It wouldn't have gone to extra time had Jimmy started

[@gunternetzer9621]

Debatable.

[@user-re9fu2ov6u]

RIP Mr Greaves a All Time Great . Putting the interviewer straight on the question.

[@TroyaE117]

Hurst was a great player, and got 3 goals in the final.

[@TheGrandmasterMan]

..and we needed them !

[@Inglese001]

@TroyaE117 can't argue with the selection when he scored a hatrick.

[@pureboxofscartcables]

You might want to edit the description before the time-travelling conspiracy folk see this..

[@BBCArchive]

Good spot! Thanks!

[@petervarone8462]

He predicted the winners of the 1982 World Cup.

[@peterh1353]

We won it with his replacement having a blinder. So it worked out well for the nation. With Greaves it would either have been less or the same - not more!

[@paullindsay9451]

He was 42 in this interview 😐

[@melancholiac]

Jimmy says "Following year I was the league's top scorer". If that was 1966/67 wasn't that Ron Davies of Southampton?

[@fatbelly27]

Greaves was top scorer (for the 6th time) in 68-69 but he was right that Spurs won the Cup in 1967

[@melancholiac]

@@fatbelly27 Yes I remember 1967. First FA Cup Final I eve watched live. I also recall Ron Davies topping the goalscorers with 37 goals that year. I used to read Football Monthly.

[@melancholiac]

@@fatbelly27 Just to be clear, in any all-time World XI I would have Jimmy Greaves as striker, probably alongside Marco van Basten.

[@fatbelly27]

@@melancholiac ​ I think we must be the same age. I used to read Football Monthly. I'll have a think about my all-time World XI. I want the 1965 George Best on the wing!

[@melancholiac]

@@fatbelly27 No arguments about George Best. Being of that era I also rated Jimmy Johnstone of Celtic. 1967 Lisbon first European Cup Final i ever watched.

[@CliveWarren-tu6wt]

Football before the Premier League? Are you sure?

[@Edi-r1888]

At least with him missing the 66 final he won’t always be known as a cheat like the rest of the English team.😢😢

[@msives]

Great impersonation of Russell Brand

[@absoluteb22]

That Brand clown has no right to be mentioned anywhere near Jimmy Greaves!

[@Anthony-Testicali]

Jimmy trying to put on his most well spoken voice....innit

[@christopherchristos7275]

No.

[@nickgower8681]

The greatest english goalscorer