OBITUARY: Kenneth Wolstenhome the man responsible for the most famous phrase in English sporting history, has died aged 81 after a long illness.
Wolstenholme's unforgettable commentary came at the end of the 1966 World Cup final, as Geoff Hurst scored the winning goal in England's 4-2 extra-time victory over West Germany.
"Some people are on the pitch . . . they think it's all over . . . it is now!" said Wolstenholme, live on BBC television, and at the same time securing his own niche in World Cup history.
It was a fortunate collision in time of England's greatest moment in football and the most inspired 14 words of Wolstenholme's long career.
After that, Wolstenholme commentated on just one more World Cup - much to his displeasure, the BBC replaced him with David Coleman after 1970 - but his words had already ensured his place in history.
They provide a fitting epitaph, too, for the ex-bomber pilot who was decorated for flying more than 100 missions during the second World War, when he lost many close friends.
After being dropped by the BBC - with 23 successive FA Cup finals and five World Cups under his belt - Salford-born Wolstenholme disappeared out of the public eye until he resurfaced in the 1990s working on Channel 4's coverage of Italian football, work he only recently gave up.
Throughout his career, Wolstenholme commentated with a serene, detached demeanour and disliked what he saw as false excitement generated by modern broadcasters. He even spoke of his loathing of Jonathan Pearce's emotionally-charged outbursts on Channel 5.
After leaving the BBC, he became so associated with 1966 that he became an unofficial member of the team, and was invited to functions along with the World Cup-winning squad.
