Roger Hunt: English football mourns death of Liverpool striker and World Cup winner at the age of 83

By John Sinnott, CNN

English football is mourning the death of Liverpool striker and World Cup winner Roger Hunt at the age of 83.

Hunt, who scored 285 goals in 492 appearances for Liverpool, died peacefully at his home on Monday following a long illness, said the English club in a statement on its website.

“The thoughts of everybody at Liverpool FC are with Roger’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time,” added the Liverpool statement.

Hunt is Liverpool’s second all-time leading goalscorer after Ian Rush.

Earlier this month Jimmy Greaves, another member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning squad, died at the age of 81.

“Saddened to hear that yet another of the heroes of ’66 has left us. Roger Hunt was a truly great striker for both @LFC and his country,” tweeted former England international Gary Lineker.

“He may be gone but his achievements will always be remembered. RIP Roger.”

Playing under legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, Hunt helped the Merseyside team win two top-flight English league titles — in 1964 and 1966 — and the club’s first FA Cup success in 1965.

“To be the goalscoring catalyst of the Shankly team to actually achieve promotion and then go on to win those precious league titles and the FA Cup puts him in a bracket of LFC legends who are responsible for making us the club we are today,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Hunt scored three times in six appearances during the 1966 World Cup tournament and netted 18 goals in 34 caps for England.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.