The
World Cup winner who celebrated with a cup of tea with his wife was not interested in fame but cared about the game and made a lasting contribution to West Ham and TottenhamMartin Peters, who has died age 76, played in an era when everyone looked slim and elegant. He glided over muddy turf in crisp kit and heavy boots, a sodden ball never too far from his feet, as his football matched the uncomplicated rhythm of the day.
In a playing career that stretched from 1959 to 1981, few were harder to pin down, on or off the field, than the softly spoken Cockney, known as The Ghost for the stealth and art of his contributions from midfield to the front line. He was, his
England manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, once said, a player “10 years ahead of his time”.