Wednesday, Apr 17, 2002
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Football
About the most remarkable trait of the late Bobby Moore, who captained the title-winning England team in the 1966 World Cup, was his calm and relaxed countenance even in the face of the gravest provocation. To remain imperturbable is a gift for a defender but this characteristic also helped him come out of a bitter experience on the eve of the 1970 Mexico World Cup when he was arrested for alleged shop-lifting in Colombia. That it was a trumped up charge became clear later but then Moore had suffered enough humiliation. In fact, not until weeks after the World Cup, was his innocence proved but Moore never allowed this to affect his game, showing extraordinary resilience. It is a different matter that West Germany stopped England in that World Cup at the quarterfinal stage and thereby avenged its defeat in the title-round four years earlier. One of the best defenders, as `Kaiser' Franz Beckenbauer acknowledged, Moore started his career at the age of 17 with West Ham United. His debut for England came weeks before the Chile World Cup (1962) against Peru when he replaced Bobby Robson and there was no looking back for him from there for a decade and more. What made Moore special was not just his sure tackling but his smart reading of the game which helped him compensate for his lack of pace. Besides, his positioning and passing marked him out as a total footballer who later showed the qualities of a leader with aplomb. Earning captaincy from Jimmy Armfield quite early (at age 23) in 1963-64, Moore was to retain that for 90 of his 108 matches, equalling Billy Wright's record. Moore had a big role in England's hour of triumph. England did not concede a goal until the semifinal when Eusebio converted a penalty for Portugal. In the final again, it was Moore who initiated the equaliser after Germany had gone ahead early. The foul on him by Overath led to a free kick and Moore's long kick caught the German defence unprepared as Hurst stole in to head home. Moore was to repeat that much later for Hurst to strike again. England won the Cup and Moore had the privilege of receiving the Jules Rimet Trophy from the Queen. The next year he was awarded the OBE for his services to English football. If 1966 was a personal high, Moore was to have a nightmarish experience four years later what with accusations and arrest on charges that were never proved. But on the field, the gentleman was in his element, putting up another good show. In the same group as Brazil, England lost to the former in the league despite Moore's assured display, including one fine tackle on Pele who was at his peak again. A man known for his loyalty, Moore continued with West Ham, where he had started his career despite lucrative offers from various big clubs until in 1974, when close to the end of his professional career, he moved to Fulham. In 1977, he retired from professional football but by then aside from the World Cup he had many more memories to cherish: European Cup Winners Cup 1965, Player of Players award in the 1966 World Cup final. Above all was the respect that Pele had for him. The legendary Brazilian not only considered Moore the greatest defender but regards the shirt that Moore exchanged with him in the 1970 World Cup as one of his prized possessions. Moore's life came to a tragic end in 1993 when he died at the age of 51, nine days after revealing to the world that he had cancer. — S. R. Suryanarayan
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