Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton has paid tribute to West Ham United hero Bobby Moore OBE ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premier League fixture at the Boleyn Ground, which is being played in honour of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.
In an exclusive interview with the official matchday programme for this weekend's visit of the champions, Sir Bobby also praised the jobs being done by Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola and his staff. Sir Bobby, who lifted the 1966 World Cup alongside Bobby and West Ham United team-mates Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, discussed his fond memories of playing alongside England's greatest ever defender.
"When Bobby came into the side it was like he was the final important cog in the wheel," said Sir Bobby. "We had good communication throughout the side from the defence up to the attack and he was central to that as captain. He was a great captain and associated himself with Sir Alf closely. He was also familiar with Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters from West Ham. As a result, there was a lot going for England at the time. A lot of good players came together and, thankfully, we were able to play to our potential and lift the trophy."
THIS FEATURE APPEARS IN FULL IN SUNDAY'S MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
ALONG WITH STEPHANIE MOORE, LUCAS NEILL, SAVIO, DEAN ASHTON AND PETER BRABROOK.
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