Greeting the thousands of people who will be descending
on the new Wembley Stadium when it opens next year will be an image
of a very famous West Ham United and England legend.
Bobby Moore remains England's only World Cup winning captain so
far and a bronze statue of one of the world's greatest ever
defenders is set to be the focal point for those arriving at the
new 90,000-seater arena.
And ahead of the official unveiling, we are delighted to provide
Hammers fans with a sneak preview of the project as a working
progress, as our pictures above illustrate.
The statue, which is twice life-size and weighs 1.5 tonnes, will
stand on a plinth which will also feature a tribute to the efforts
of Bobby and his fellow World Cup winning team-mates of 1966.
It has been created by sculptor Philip Jackson, who also made the
famous Champions Statue of Bobby, Sir Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters
and Ray Wilson, which stands proudly on the corner of Barking Road
and Green Street, just yards away from the Boleyn Ground.
In order to produce what is a tribute to the life and career of
Bobby, hours of research was carried out by Philip, who went to
great lengths to find out as much as he could about the legendary
defender, talking to Stephanie Moore, Bobby's widow, who was
part of the consultation panel.
Philip also met with other panel members, Sir Geoff Hurst, Sir
Trevor Brooking and Sir Bobby Charlton, to gain an even bigger
insight into Bobby the player and the person.
An inscription on the plaque that will be at the feet of the statue
will be written by Jeff Powell, the Daily Mail's chief sports
writer and close friend of the late Hammers' legend, who sadly
died of cancer in 1993, aged just 51.
Speaking after viewing the statue, Stephanie said: "It's
so like Bobby. Even the shoulders are just right. It was as if he
was standing there in front of me.
"It was a very emotional moment. It would have also been quite
something for Bobby to know where the statue will be, he considered
Wembley to be a special place for him."
West Ham United has also given its help, with Philip Jackson
visiting the Club's training ground recently to take pictures
of three current Hammers players - Nigel Reo-Coker, Anton Ferdinand
and Hayden Mullins - in England kits that Bobby and the other World
Cup players would have worn 40 years ago, so that he could
accurately reflect the body shape and muscles of a professional
footballer.
Philip, the only sculptor previously commissioned to create a
statue of the Queen, admitted that if Bobby's family and
friends could say it was like him, then he knew he had carried out
his job.
He said: "Stephanie was the one person I was aiming to please.
If I pleased her, I knew I would be home and dry."
For more information on the Bobby Moore statue and the development
of the new Wembley Stadium, visit www.wembleystadium.com
by Laura Burkin