Statue for England 1966 World Cup winning hero Jeff Hurst

A statue of Sir Geoff Hirst is visible on Wood Street in the center of Ashton-under-Lyne. England's World Cup-winning hero Sir Geoff Hurst said "there are no words to describe it" when his statue was unveiled in his village. Hurst's portrait is on a wall in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, which honors the striker, who was born in December 1941 at the Lake Hospital (now Tameside General). The West Ham legend, who scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final, told fans: "People think I'm from London or Essex but most people don't know I'm from Ashton-under-Lyne and to see this statue is just incredible." The statue depicts Hurst's third goal against West Germany as fans flocked to the Wembley pitch, immortalized in the famous "They think it's all over..." television commentary. The sculpture includes this quote from BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme. Murthy's unveiling took place at the Street Life Festival, organized by the "McAshton Great Again" campaign. It has been funded by local entrepreneur Andy Cleek, who has supported community events in the Market Avenue area of ​​Ashton-under-Lyne. Jason Stephenson, a local bar owner who helps organize events in the village, said: "There were hundreds of families there to meet Sir Geoff Hirst and there were a lot of young people who knew who he was. It was just amazing to see how the artist filled in the blanks using virtual reality and created an amazing piece of art." The statue is on a wall opposite a newly constructed fan zone on Wood Street, which includes benches and a giant screen for watching World Cup matches. Sir Jeff lived in Denton until he was six, when the family moved to Chelmsford, Essex. He made 411 appearances for West Ham and is the last surviving member of England's 1966 squad. 84-year-old Jeff Hyde is the president of United FC. His father, Charlie Hurst, played for the Northern Premier League club in the 1930s. Two other World Cup winners have been born in Tameside: Jimmy Armfield, who was a member of the 1966 England squad, and Simone Perrotta, who won the competition with Italy in 2006.