Bobby Moore, who died on 24 February 1993 at the age of 51, will always be remembered as the man who captained England to World Cup-winning glory in 1966.

The captain of West Ham United as well as his country for well over a decade, he was also one of the most outstanding players England has produced, rated by Pele as the toughest opponent he faced.

In a twenty-year career, he made a record-breaking 544 appearances with his club and achieved 108 England caps including 90 as captain.

But his crowning glory came on that day in 1966 when he held aloft the Jules Rimet trophy – one of the most lasting and iconic images in British sport.

Robert Frederick Moore was born in London on April 12 1941. He joined football club West Ham in 1956 as a schoolboy player and played his first game two years later against Manchester United.

He was only 19 years old when he was signed up to join the England team. He made his international debut in 1962 and his performance was so impressive he remained in the squad for the entire World Cup.

Only a year later he captained the England team, becoming permanent captain in 1964. In that same year, West Ham won the FA Cup, Moore was named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and he successfully battled testicular cancer.

In 1965, West Ham went on to win the European Cup Winners Cup and Moore re-signed a new contract to stay with his club.

His greatest achievement came in 1966, as he led the England team to World Cup victory. As a result, he became the first footballer to be awarded the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year title and was honoured with an OBE.

In 1973, he made his 509th appearance for West Ham, breaking all club records. In 1974, he became England ’s most capped player with 108 appearances, ninety of those as captain.

He left his club in 1974 to play for Fulham and several American clubs, until his retirement from the game in 1978.

He married for a second time in 1991 and enjoyed working as a football analyst and commentator. He died of cancer on 2 March 1993.

Moore received many prizes both during and after his lifetime. He was placed in the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. A stand is named in his honour at his old club West Ham. In 2003, the Football Association hailed him as England’s Golden Player for being the most outstanding player of the past 50 years

Moore was widely respected for being not just an exceptional player, but also a true gentleman. Pelé labelled him the fairest defender he had ever played against. He was a family man and had two children from his first marriage to Tina Dean.

He remains an inspiration to generations of players and fans. He will be remembered for his remarkable composure and perceptive reading of the game. He is also credited with performing the perfect tackle, in terms of precision and cleanliness, in a 1970 game against Brazil .

His friend and England team mate, Sir Bobby Charlton, honoured Moore with the recognition that he was: “A real captain whose success and demeanour put him in the all time great category”.