^*^ George Cohen obituary

Fulham footballer who played every minute of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup campaign

George Cohen, who has died aged 83, won just one major honour during a career as one of England’s best-ever defenders – but it was a 1966 World Cup winners’ medal, and he was more than satisfied with his return. That he came away with nothing more than that can be attributed to the fact that he spent his 14 playing years at Fulham, where winning trophies was hardly a habit, and because a serious knee injury put an end to his playing days at the age of only 29, when he was at the peak of his game.

While it lasted, however, Cohen’s footballing career deserved admiration. At right-back for England he was, with Ray Wilson, part of the greatest full-back pairing his country had ever produced, winning 37 caps before injury cut him adrift. A sound tackler who was exceptionally quick and had great stamina, he was just what England’s “wingless wonders” under Alf Ramsey needed most – a defender who could break with speed upfield and create openings for the forwards with crosses from the flanks.

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