Football: England great Jimmy Greaves finally gets MBE

Former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and England striker Jimmy Greaves will finally receive an MBE (Member of the Order of British Empire) for his services to football, after a long-running campaign to ensure every surviving member of the team that won England the 1966 World Cup receives an honour. Also honoured was Wolverhampton Wanderers and England midfielder Ron Flowers. One British newspaper is reporting that Greaves' wife Irene believes it is too little, too late. 'It is a small degree of recognition for him,' said Irene. 'But my reaction is that it's 20 years too late and it's not a very good honour. I think he's worth more than that. Greaves is 80-years-old, and during a 14-year top-flight career from 1957 to 1971 scored 422 goals in 602 games, for Chelsea, AC Milan, Tottenham and West Ham Utd. He played 57 times for England, scoring 44 goals. An injury derailed his 1966 campaign, as his replacement Geoff Hurst kept his place in the side all the way to the final.