1966 World Cup final replay: old foes back at Wembley
Rival players from the 1966 World Cup final strode out for some extra time at the new Wembley Stadium, nearly 40 years on from the historic encounter when England beat West Germany 4-2.
German legend Franz Beckenbauer said the new 90,000-seater, state-of-the-art stadium would be the best in the world when finished during an emotional visit in the build-up to this year's World Cup in Germany, which kicks off in June.
As with the shirts on the day, the German players wore white hard hats and the English wore red, the colour of their change strip, as they toured the site in northwest London.
Beckenbauer said: "The construction itself is very impressive. It is beautiful. It is another world.
"It is completely different from the old Wembley I remember but when it is finished in a few months it will be the best stadium in the world.
"Before I stepped inside I thought the best stadium was the new one in Munich (the Allianz Arena) but now I have changed my mind."
The players were told how the pitch had moved slightly and the construction was three times bigger than the old stadium which hosted its first event in 1923.
Former England midfielder Bobby Charlton said: "The first thing I thought was that I would love to play here. It's a football stadium and it's been designed properly so the fans are not far away from the action.
"It goes up steeply and it will create a terrific atmosphere. It will be an inspiration for the players. It's like a stage for football, and where better to play?
"With Wembley and its history I expected it to be good and I wasn't disappointed."
England medal winners Alan Ball, Gordon Banks, Bobby Charlton, Jack Charlton, George Cohen, Roger Hunt and Martin Peters wore regulation high visibility jackets, as did members of the German squad.
Beckenbauer was joined by Helmut Haller, Siegfried Held, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Willi Schulz, Uwe Seeler, Wolfgang Weber, Horst-Dieter Hottges, Max Lorenz, Gunter Bernard and Hans Tilkowski.
Both sides then lunched with British finance minister Gordon Brown before going on to a reception at the German embassy.
"July 30, 1966 will rank as one of the greatest World Cup finals and one of the great days in sporting history," said Chancellor of the Exchequer Brown, a Scotsman.
"I hope the memory will inspire the current England squad in Germany and I hope it inspires the whole country to get behind a bid to bring the World Cup tournament back to England in 2018."
The event was not affected by an accident Monday when a rafter slipped from the Wembley roof, causing the site to be evacuated.
The 757-million-pound (1.01-billion-euro, 1.3-billion-dollar) Wembley project, has been dogged by delays and a spiralling budget.
The showpiece FA Cup Final in May has been moved to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium due to fears that Wembley would not be ready in time.
The stadium had been due to open with the event on May 13.
AFP
