Saturday 28 November 2015 15:05, UK
Gerry Byrne, the hero of Liverpool's 1965 FA Cup final victory, has passed away at the age of 77.
Byrne, who had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease, died in a nursing home in Wrexham on Saturday, November 28.
He made his debut in 1957 and went on to play 333 times for the club and scored four goals before his career was ended prematurely by injury in 1969.
He helped the club win the Second Division title in 1962 and was part of the team that went on to win the top-flight title in 1964 and 1966.
Byrne was also a member of England's 1966 World Cup squad and belatedly received a winner's medal in 2009.
But it was for the 1965 FA Cup final against Leeds United that Byrne will be most fondly remembered. He broke his collarbone in a challenge with Bobby Collins after seven minutes.
In the days before substitutes, Byrne carried on through the remainder of the match - including extra time - having crossed for Roger Hunt to open the scoring as Liverpool won 2-1 to claim their first-ever FA Cup victory.
Former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson told Soccer Saturday: "He was a fantastic guy and a hero of mine. He was a wonderful player, absolutely [a] true spirit at Anfield. He will be sadly missed."
Ian Callaghan, a former team-mate of Byrne, told the Liverpool Echo: "I was listening to a tape recently about the 1965 Cup final and on it Bill Shankly said Gerry Byrne should have got all 11 medals for what he did in that cup final.
"Bill was saying Gerry was one of the best players he had. And he was. Gerry was a Liverpool lad and was at the club a long time.
"He was there in the 1950s when we weren't doing so well, and he became a big part of the success we had in the 1960s under Bill Shankly. Gerry was not only a fantastic player, but also a fantastic man."
Byrne didn't have the best of starts to his Anfield career - scoring an own goal on his debut in a 5-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic in 1957 - but would go on to become an integral part of the Shankly era.
"He was a tremendous player, one of the best two-footed players around at that time without a doubt," said Callaghan.
"He could play left-back and right-back without any problem. As a person, he was a gentle, quiet guy. He was my first room-mate at Liverpool and I stayed fairly close to him ever since and last saw him only a couple of months ago.
"He was the most gentle man off the field, but when he was on it he became a real hard guy."
Chairman Greg Dyke led the tributes from the Football Association. He said: "I am saddened to hear of the passing of Gerry Byrne.
"I can still remember the way he helped Liverpool win the 1965 FA Cup despite suffering a broken collarbone early in the game. His determination to play on rather than leave his team down a man was remarkable.
"Of course, he went on to be involved with the 1966 World Cup squad, underlining just how talented a player he was. My sincere condolences go to his family and friends."
