We lost a lovely man today. George Cohen, England 1966 World Cup hero, died at the age of 83.

A gifted raconteur and witty storyteller in his retirement (here he is with Good Life editor Tim Harrison at Craven Cottage), George was Fulham through-and-through, spending more than a dozen seasons playing in white and – with 459 appearances – among the half dozen longest-serving players at the club.

This photo was taken in October 2016 when a statue of Cohen was unveiled at the Cottage to mark half a century since the famous World Cup win.

The vice-captain of England for that cup final at Wembley, George was given the freedom of Hammersmith & Fulham at a ceremony where he received a standing ovation.

He and wife Daphne lived in Chessington at the time of the 1966 World Cup win. Earlier this year the couple, who have two sons, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

He was made an MBE for his football and charity work, and was a popular pre-match host and ambassador at Craven Cottage. He campaigned for more investigation into dementia among ex-footballers, and whether greater care needed to be taken to avoid long-term brain injury caused by repetitive heading of the ball.

George Cohen’s death means just two members of the 1966 World Cup squad are left; Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton.

Typically self-deprecating, George quipped when his statue was unveiled at Craven Cottage six years ago: “Are you sure it’s not George Clooney? I never used to jump that high.”

A Fulham fan as a boy, Cohen would climb a tree outside Craven Cottage to get a glimpse of the Fulham idols of his youth such as Bedford Jezzard and Arthur Stevens.

The Cohens lived in Chessington at the time of the 1966 World Cup win, with George celebrating at the North Star pub in Hook. “It was across the road from Jack Brabham’s garage, where I bought my first car for £550… new!” he said.

He and Daphne lived in The Avenue, Worcester Park, just over a mile from Fulham’s training ground in Motspur Park.