Football legend Jimmy Greaves is seriously ill in hospital.
Greaves, part of England’s 1966 World Cup winning squad, suffered a stroke five years ago.
His former club Tottenham Hotspur issued a statement saying:
“We can confirm that our record goal scorer Jimmy Greaves is currently being treated in hospital.”
Greaves, a free scoring forward, hit 44 goals for England in just 57 games.
In all, he scored 366 goals in European football, a record only recently surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Greaves won two FA Cups and the Cup Winners’ Cup at White Hart Lane, before joining West Ham as the late, great Martin Peters moved the other way.
He was an integral part of the ’66 World Cup team but missed the later stages through injury.
His absence allowed Geoff Hurst a chance to play up front.
Hurst scored a hat-trick in the final – the only player ever to do so – to win the Jules Rimet trophy.
After retiring Greaves had a successful television career.
He teamed up with former Liverpool defender Ian St John for ITV’s Saint and Greavsie football programme.
