Sir Geoff Hurst and David Beckham lead campaign to award knighthood to England's 1966 World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore in honour of defender's memory

Moore never received the honour despite leading England to glory at Wembley, an oversight Hurst claims is "abysmal". The 83-year-old was knighted after scoring a hat-trick in the final against Germany but believes Moore would have been more deserving, saying: "Yes, I scored the goals, but I would argue that the captain of the great sides is always the significant figure. The treatment he received at the end of his career by the hierarchy and his lack of recognition was nothing short of abysmal."

Beckham added: "Bobby led his England team to the height of sporting achievement when they won the World Cup. He was a giant of a man, an incredible leader and one of the finest players our country has produced. I am delighted to join so many other great names to support calls for his contribution to be recognised with a knighthood."

Moore died of cancer aged just 51 in 1993, with the Sir Bobby Moore Fund charity going on to raise over £30m for Cancer Research UK. Hurst said: "Forget about the football for one second, you could argue he should get two knighthoods, one for football and for his phenomenal charity efforts. I can't think of anybody more deserving of a knighthood in football."

Moore's old West Ham team-mate Harry Redknapp, 106-cap international Frank Lampard and 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward have also added their voice to the campaign, which hopes to secure Moore the honour posthumously.