"Eddie Gray and myself always say on a regular basis 'what a life, what a great time we've had. Played football, came at 15 and a half, all the way through. Still down at Elland Road and then I get paid for going out and talking about football, so, it's been a great life. Absolutely brilliant'" - Norman Hunter
The former Leeds United footballer Norman Hunter has sadly lost his battle against the coronavirus. The ex-England defender has passed away at the age of 76.
Ex-teammate and Off The Ball regular John Giles joining Nathan Murphy on Thursday night to pay tribute to his great friend on the eve of his passing.
Hunter amassed a huge 726 appearances for Leeds United over a 14-year period, the club’s most successful to date, earning the infamous nickname "Bites Yer Legs".
Here are some of the best pictures of his great life.
1966 - World Cup
Players weren't always selected on form for their country. Before the 1966 World Cup, England held trials for their squad.
Alf Ramsey called his initial 27-man squad to the National Sports Centre at Lilleshall. The objective was to cut the squad down to the best 22.
This method obviously worked as they went on to claim the title. Hunter was part of the squad for the World Cup and went on to play 28 games for this country.
The possible members of England's World Cup squad gather around a fountain at Lilleshall: (standing, l-r) John Connelly, Gordon Milne, Bobby Moore (back), Ian Callaghan, Jack Charlton, Peter Bonetti, Gordon Banks, Ron Flowers, Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Armfield, Nobby Stiles, trainer Les Cocker, coach Wilf McGuinness, Norman Hunter, trainer Harold Shepherdson, Gerry Byrne, George Cohen, Ron Springett; (sitting, l-r) Peter Thompson, Johnny Byrne, George Eastham, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Keith Newton, Alan Ball, Terry Paine, Jimmy Greaves, Roger Hunt2009 - England team honoured by Gordon Brown
File photo dated 10-06-2009 of Norman Hunter kisses his medal, presented by Prime Minister Gordon Brown for representing his country in the 1966 World Cup.1969 - Champions of England
Leeds won the league by finishing six points ahead of Liverpool in the 1968/69 season.
In fact, they went the full season unbeaten at Elland Road.
File photo dated 28-04-1969 of Leeds United's Mick Jones and Norman Hunter (right) celebrate after wrapping up the League Championship with a 0-0 draw against their closest rivals for the title1969 - Norman Hunter training
You can find images from the pre-season of the full Leeds team training. They should show more.
The classic all-white kits were part of what made this team so legendary.
File photo dated 01-07-1969 of Norman Hunter, Leeds. United1972 - FA Cup Champions
Leeds claimed the FA Cup in Wembley, beating Arsenal 1-0 in the final.
Known as the centenary final, Allan Clarke scored the only goal of the game.
Leeds United celebrate winning the FA Cup: (l-r) Mick Bates, Paul Madeley, Eddie Gray, Paul Reaney, Johnny Giles, Jack Charlton, Allan Clarke, Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer, Norman Hunter, David Harvey1974 - PFA Player of The Year
“Don Revie said to me, ‘You’ll win it,’ ” recalls Norman Hunter, the first winner of the award. “I don’t know whether he knew or not.”
Hunter was less confident than the Leeds manager. Hunter was the first recipient of the award after Leeds won the league in 1973/74.
Like John Giles said on Thursday night's Off the Ball, he was humble, even in his success. “I thanked my team-mates, and Don Revie, especially, because I played in a great Leeds side.
"It was so enjoyable to train every day with those lads.”
Leeds United and England defender Norman Hunter with his trophy after being voted the first PFA Player of the Year.1975-77 - Norman Hunter and John Giles at West Bromwich Albion as a management team
Giles and Hunter were close friends during their time at Leeds and the pair got together as a management duo at West Brom for two years which resulted in one of the most epic pictures of the two.
West Bromwich Albion manager Johnny Giles (r) and his assistant Norman Hunter (l)Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
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