English international Gordon Banks also one of the world's most famous goalkeepers, passed away Tuesday at the age of 81.
Gordon Banks was part of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup and was credited with making the "Save of the Century" when he denied Brazilian great Pele at the tournament four years later.
His former club Stoke City confirmed the death by tweeting a statement to from family.
"It is with great sadness that we announce that Gordon passed away peacefully overnight.
"We are devastated to lose him but we have so many happy memories and could not have been more proud of him."
Known as one of the game's greatest in his position, Banks was named FIFA goalkeeper of the year six times and earned 73 caps for England.
He joined Chesterfield in March 1953, and played for their youth team in the 1956FA Youth Cup final.
And made his first team debut in November 1958, and was sold to Leicester City for £7,000 in July 1959.
Banks played in four cup finals for the club, as they were beaten in the 1961 and 1963 FA Cup finals, before winning the League Cup in 1964 and finishing as finalists in1965.
During that time he established himself as England's number one goalkeeper, and played every game of the nation's 1966 World Cup victory.
Despite this success, he was dropped by Leicester and sold on to Stoke City for £50,000 in April 1967.
He made one of the game's great saves to prevent a Pele goal in the 1970 World Cup, but was absent due to illness as England were beaten by West Germany at the quarter-final stage.
He was Stoke's goalkeeper in the 1972 League Cup win - the club's only major honour.
He was still Stoke and England's number one when a car crash in October 1972 cost him both the sight in one eye and his professional career.
He did though play in the United States for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1977 and 1978.
He briefly entered management with Telford United, but left the game after he was sacked in December 1980.
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