Sunday 30 July will mark the 40th anniversary of England's only World Cup triumph.
World Cup Stories
England: Going All the Way
Sunday 9 May BBC2 2100 BST
In a gripping final, the hosts fell behind early against West Germany and suffered the agony of conceding a late equaliser before eventually prevailing 4-2 after extra-time, scoring one of the most controversial goals of all time along the way.
Some of the protagonists shared their memories of a remarkable day with the BBC for a new series documenting the history of the World Cup.
Jack Charlton: I do envy people who were in the crowd watching that game.
Bobby Charlton: The number of people I've spoken to since who said they were in the crowd would suggest there were about a quarter of a million people there!
Jack Charlton: We came out of the little black tunnel at Wembley into a white light at the end and then the atmosphere hit you. It hit you like walking into a wall.
WEST GERMANY TAKE THE LEAD
Bobby Charlton: Ray Wilson went to head the ball out but he mistimed it slightly and it fell to Helmut Haller.
Jack Charlton was too close to the keeper, according to Banks
Gordon Banks: Jackie (Charlton) had entered the six-yard box, which I never ever wanted people to do. He really should have known that. He's in an area very close to me and by the time he's left Halle's shot to me, it's already gone past me. Had he been another three or four yards forward, which he should have been, I might have saved it.
Bobby Charlton: The ball came off Horst-Dieter Hottges and it was spinning like hell but it dropped right in front of Martin Peters and he just thrashed it straight in.
FULL-TIME APPROACHES, WITH ENGLAND LEADING 2-1
Banks: West Germany were coming at us but they weren't creating great chances. They were crossing the ball and we were winning things. I was quite happy.
Squad member Jimmy Armfield: We were sat in the stand and Alf told me to bring the lads down five or 10 minutess from the end so we could sit on the bench ready for the presentations...
BUT GERMANY EQUALISE
Banks: Big Jack jumps with the opposition player to win a header with his hands by his side, but the ref said it was pushing and gave a free-kick. I couldn't understand it! Lothar
Emmerich hit his free-kick into the wall but he had another shot. It was going towards the corner flag but it hits Karl-Heinz Schnellinger on the arm and that takes all the pace out of it...
Bobby Charlton: ...suddenly, like a nightmare, the ball runs out to a free spot and there's the full-back Wolfgang Weber running in...
Banks: ...Ray Wilson has his foot out in front of Weber, trying to stop him sidefooting along the floor, so I'm saying to myself 'Ray's got that covered and if he hits it higher, I can block it'. But he was very cute and he knocked it past both of us.
Bobby Robson (in crowd): My heart dropped two feet. We'd been winning 2-1 and it looked like we'd see it through. At 2-2, you just think 'now what's going to happen?'
Bobby Charlton: As soon as we kicked off again, the ref blew for full-time. I'd been concentrating so hard I never looked at how much time we'd got left.
Banks: At full-time, the Germans are all on the floor, getting massages and all that, and we started to drop to the floor as well but Alf Ramsey comes round and says 'get up, get up'. So the Germans are looking over thinking 'they must be super fit' but we were tired, believe me, we were tired!
Jack Charlton: Alf just said: 'You've won it once, now you're going to have to win it again'.
Bobby Charlton: We did have this stamina about us. We'd trained for it so an extra half an hour wasn't a problem for us. We knew we could win.
Banks: And we didn't sit back. Alan Ball was incredible - I couldn't believe anyone could be so fit. Mind you, he was the youngest player on the field! But he sailed through it and I think his workrate lifted the other people on the field.
HURST SCORES 'THAT GOAL' TO PUT ENGLAND AHEAD
Bobby Charlton: I'm looking and thinking 'well that looks a goal to me' and then I panicked because the ref went running over to the linesman and I thought 'he's not given it'.
West Germany were convinced Hurst's shot had not crossed the line
Barry Davies: The linesman made himself a hero because he did what linesmen aren't supposed to. He should have run back to the halfway line if he thought it was a goal but he stood there and that put doubt in everyone's mind.
Jack Charlton: The linesman and the ref said it was a goal and they're in charge so it was a goal as far as I'm concerned.
HURST MAKES IT 4-2
Banks: Bobby Moore picked up the ball in defence and we're all shouting 'get rid of it, get rid of it'...
Bobby Charlton: ...'kick it out, kick the bloody thing into the stand'. But he eventually brought it onto his right foot, looked up...
Banks: ...and he saw Geoff running into a big gap. The ball sailed over Hurst, who's now clean through and he gets just inside the area and wallops it.
Bobby Charlton: If it had gone 30 or 40 yards past, there was a lot of time wasted bringing the ball back...
Bobby Moore captained England to their only World Cup success...so far
Banks:...but it went straight into the top corner. What a goal! I knew then that was it, it was over and we'd won the World Cup.
Barry Davies: Alf, of course, stayed sitting on the bench and nearly fell off because everyone else had stood up.
Jimmy Armfield: Alf was cool, but he was delighted. I could see that. He couldn't hide that, not from the players anyway.
Bobby Robson: At long last: champions. We beat the world. Wonderful.