Piggott among the portraits as one sporting legend gives his verdict on others

Eighty At Eighty: An A-Z of Masters from Ali to Zidane by Sir Geoff Hurst with Norman Giller
£19.99, Pitch Publishing

Imagine being Sir Geoff Hurst. You score three goals in the World Cup Final and still some 56 years later, when your achievement has not been matched, people are asking you on a daily basis whether the second one really did cross the line or not.

Unsurprisingly, given the number of times England's 1966 hat-trick hero has been quizzed on the matter, Hurst has come up with an answer that it is hard to fault.

His take on the matter appears in his profile of Roger Hunt, one of five teammates who lined up alongside him at Wembley on July 31 1966 who have earned a place is his Eighty At Eighty, in a list of sportsmen who have impressed and enchanted Hurst the most during his life.

The rules are simple. To be considered for inclusion the sportsmen had to be performing at their peak, at least according to Hurst and co-author Norman Giller, at some point over the last 80 years.

So joining the backbone of England's World Cup-winning XI are Eusebio and Beckenbauer, Di Stefano and Puskas, Pele and Maradona and Messi and Ronaldo.

Early in the piece, Hurst says it is very much a personal choice, his own creme de la creme, or as he puts it "a list of 80 of the sportsmen who have done most to motivate me during my long lifetime".

So, as well as the usual suspects, it is refreshing to see the talents of Pat Jennings, Ian Rush and Gianfranco Zola, undoubtedly footballing greats but too often overlooked in receiving the acknowledgement they so richly deserve.

This is, however, much more than a football book. While Hurst readily admits his record behind the stumps did not quite live up to his exploits in front of goal, Hurst did have a stint as a batsman and wicketkeeper with Essex.

His first-class career may have been, shall we say, brief, but his love and knowledge of cricket runs throughout the book. From Bradman to Stokes, via Cowdrey, Richards, Tendulkar and Warne, there is every chance each of those 80 cricketing years are covered in some form.

Athletics, boxing, motor racing, tennis and rugby – the latter somewhat surprisingly given Hurst's admission on his lack of knowledge of the game – are all well represented, featuring alongside elite competitors from the worlds of basketball, cycling and figure skating, among others.

Racing fans are catered for too. As with so many others, Hurst has his own Lester story – and it's a cracker. Indeed, the way in which the portrait of Piggott is given a personal take perfectly encapsulates this book.

From the tale of the famous fighter who fell asleep during the 1966 final, to the world-class footballer Hurst tried to sign during his brief stint as Chelsea manager, this is a unique portrayal of a host of sporting giants.

Eighty At Eighty is available for £19.99 via the Racing Post shop

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