England World Cup-winner Alan Ball has died. He was 61, REPORTED DPA. The former Everton, Arsenal and Southampton winger apparently died of a heart-attack late Tuesday. Hampshire Police said he was found outside his hhouse after attempting to fight a fire in his garden. The youngest member of the side that won the 1966 World Cup, his non-stop running on the right was a key to manager Sir Alf Ramsey's "wingless" formation. "From what we can gather, our father was at his compost heap which caught alight. Whilst trying to fight the fire, he suffered a fatal heart attack. It's unbelievable and very, very sad," said Ball's son Jimmy. Ball's former England team-mate Bobby Charlton said: "I am very sad and shocked by the news. Alan will be badly missed. He was the youngest member of our squad and we were all looking forward to our latest reunion in two weeks." Ball is the second member of the 1966 team, which beat West Germany 4-2 in the World Cup final at Wembley, to die. Captain Bobby Moore died of cancer in 1993. Ball made his international debut against Yugoslavia in 1965, and went on to win 72 international caps. He was the second England player to be sent off in an international, being shown a red card in the away defeat to Poland in 1973 that effectively cost England their place at the 1974 World Cup. Ball began his club career at Blackpool, but it was at Everton where he enjoyed his greatest success, winning the league in 1970. He managed seven clubs, including Portsmouth, Southampton and Manchester City, but never recaptured the success of his playing days. He was made an MBE in 2000.
