Liverpool legend and World Cup winner Roger Hunt has passed away at the age of 83 following a long illness.
Hunt is Liverpool's second-highest goalscorer of all time with 285 goals in 492 appearances and was part of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team.
Hunt joined Liverpool from nearby amateur team Stockton Heath as a 20-year-old in July 1958 and spent 11-and-a-half hugely successful years at Anfield.
His overall tally of 285 goals for the Reds stood as a record until Ian Rush surpassed it in 1992 but no player has scored more league goals for Liverpool than Hunt’s total of 244.
We are mourning the passing of legendary former player Roger Hunt.
The thoughts of everybody at Liverpool Football Club are with Roger’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time.
Rest in peace, Sir Roger Hunt 1938 – 2021.— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 28, 2021
Hunt made his debut in September 1959 and scored in a 2-0 win over Scunthorpe United at Anfield and formed a successful strike partnership with Ian St John in Bill Shankly's side.
Liverpool won the Second Division title in 1962 with Hunt scoring 41 goals in 41 appearances and after that the club won First Division titles in 1964 and 1966 as well as the club’s first FA Cup in 1965.
Hunt’s achievements saw him given the nickname "Sir Roger" by the Kop and his feat of 244 goals in 404 league appearances remains a club record.
He started for England in the 1966 World Cup final win over West Germany at Wembley and scored three times in six appearances during that tournament, ending with 18 goals in 34 caps overall for his country.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to Hunt: "It’s really sad news and our thoughts and our love go to his family.
"Unfortunately, it feels too frequent in this moment we are saying farewell to these giants of our club.
"Roger Hunt comes second to no-one in his importance in the history of Liverpool FC, that much is clear.
"To be the goalscoring catalyst of the Shankly team to actually achieve promotion and then go on to win those precious league titles and the FA Cup puts him in a bracket of LFC legends who are responsible for making us the club we are today.
"Not only that, he was also a World Cup winner in 1966, too.
"I am told the Kop christened him 'Sir Roger' for all his achievements. A goalscorer who never stopped working to help his teammates.
"I believe he would have fit in well within our current team so it is Sir Roger we will remember, honour and pay tribute to over the coming days."
"You’ll Never Walk Alone."
