Football
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Gerry Byrne, ex-Liverpool defender and England World Cup winner, dies

Former Liverpool defender Gerry Byrne has died at the age of 77, the club have said.

Byrne, best remembered for playing through Liverpool's extra-time win against Leeds in the 1965 FA Cup final after breaking his collarbone, had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

The Liverpool-born left-back spent his entire career at Anfield and made 333 appearances for the club. He was also a member of England's World Cup-winning squad in 1966.

Byrne won two League Championships, an FA Cup and a Second Division title with Liverpool while a 40,000-crowd at Anfield for his testimonial in April 1970 was testament to his popularity.

In the 1965 FA Cup final at Wembley, Byrne fractured his collarbone in the seventh minute after a challenge with Leeds midfielder Bobby Collins and pleaded with the physio not to tell manager Bill Shankly.

Liverpool's record appearance holder Ian Callaghan told the Liverpool Echo: "What Gerry did in 1965 was incredible.

"He broke his collarbone early in the match and then played right through the game, through extra time and even crossed for Roger [Hunt] to score the first goal.

"To play almost two hours with a broken collarbone was unbelievable."

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