‘Absolutely amazing’ Liverpool legend Roger Hunt hailed by fellow England 1966 hero George Cohen
ROGER HUNT was ‘absolutely amazing’ and ‘you could always count on him’, according to his England 1966 team-mate George Cohen.
Hunt died peacefully after a long illness aged 83 and tributes have poured in from across English football.
Cohen is one of only three surviving members of Sir Alf Ramsey’s 1966 World Cup-winning Three Lions team.
And the Fulham hero, 81, heaped praise on Liverpool icon Hunt.
He said: “Roger was a terrific guy. A very, very nice person. A great professional.
“You could always count on him. He was always there.
“When you wanted him to be there, he was in the goalmouth, threatening all the time. An absolutely amazing player.
“He was one of the nicest people I have ever met. Him and his wife were a delightful couple. She must be very sad at the moment.
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“As a player, Roger was very difficult to mark. Very strong. Very robust. When he went for the ball, he meant it! You knew you would be in a tussle.
“Roger took a joke, gave a joke. I cannot think of a better person to have in your dressing room.
“Absolutely marvellous. He will be sorely missed by a lot of people.”
Hunt is regarded as one of the Reds’ best-ever strikers by the Kop faithful, scoring a staggering 285 goals in 11 years.
The former forward was also part of England‘s 1966 World Cup squad, scoring three goals at the tournament as the Three Lions went on to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy.
On Tuesday, Liverpool sadly confirmed Hunt had passed away ‘peacefully at home following a long illness’.
‘RIP ROGER’
In a short Twitter statement, Liverpool wrote: “We are mourning the passing of legendary former player Roger Hunt.
“The thoughts of everybody at Liverpool Football Club are with Roger’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time.
“Rest in peace, Sir Roger Hunt 1938 – 2021.”
Hunt joined Liverpool at the age of 20 from amateur club Stockton Heath and spent 11-and-a-half seasons at Anfield.
The striker formed a fearsome partnership with Ian St John and helped the Reds win the First Division titles in 1964 and 1966.
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Part of Bill Shankly’s incredible team, ‘Sir Roger’ also helped Liverpool win the 1965 FA Cup.
His incredible tally of 285 goals in all competitions stood until 1992, when Ian Rush finally surpassed him.
To this day, Hunt’s 244 league goals remain the most in the club’s history.