BREAKING NEWS: England 1966 World Cup winner and Leeds United legend Norman Hunter dies aged 76, a week after being admitted to hospital with coronavirus
- Norman Hunter has passed away after testing positive for coronavirus
- Hunter, 76, was part of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup
- Leeds United confirmed the news via a statement on their club website
- He played a total of 540 matches for Leeds United and became a club legend
- Hunter was awarded the first ever PFA Player of the Year award in 1974
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
Norman Hunter, the Leeds United legend, has died after a brave fight with coronavirus.
The 76-year-old, who played 726 games in 15 years at Elland Road, was admitted to hospital with Covid-19 earlier this month.
A Leeds spokesperson said the club was ’devastated’ at the sad news.
Leeds United have announced the death of legendary defender Norman Hunter
Hunter, 76, contracted coronavirus last week and passed away in hospital on Friday
The former defender was part of the England squad that achieved World Cup glory in 1966
Hunter played 726 games in 15 years at Elland Road. In the great sides managed by Don Revie, he won First Division titles in 1969 and 1974, the 1972 FA Cup and League Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice.
Only three Leeds players — Jack Charlton, Billy Bremner and Paul Reaney—- have made more appearances for the club than Hunter who, as one of the best centre halves of his era, also won 28 England caps.
None of those came at the 1966 World Cup, where he was behind Charlton and Bobby Moore, but as a squad member he was belatedly handed a winner’s medal in 2009.
Hunter was nicknamed ‘Bites yer legs’ due to his uncompromising style as a defender
Of course, Hunter’s place in footballing folklore goes beyond numbers and trophies.
While invariably rated as a footballer of the highest quality by those who saw him at Leeds between 1962 and 1976 and then for three years in the Bristol City side who reached the top flight, his reputation is generally tied to his uncompromising style.
He drew the nickname ‘Bites yer legs’ after a banner carried the message at the 1972 FA Cup final and famously got into a punch-up on the pitch in 1975 with Derby County’s Francis Lee — after the pair were sent off!