Peter Bonetti, former Chelsea and England goalkeeper, dies aged 78 | Football

Peter Bonetti, the former Chelsea and England goalkeeper, has died at the age of 78 after a long illness, the club have announced.

Nicknamed “The Cat”, Bonetti made seven England appearances and spent almost two complete decades at Stamford Bridge, winning the FA Cup in 1970.

“All of us at Chelsea Football Club are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our brilliant former goalkeeper, Peter Bonetti, who made an incredible 729 appearances for the Blues,” a club statement read.

“Our former goalkeeper had been suffering from long-term illness. All at Chelsea wish to send our heartfelt and deepest condolences to Peter’s family and friends.

“Peter was a goalkeeping superstar of the 1960s and 1970s,” the statement added. “The image of our injured goalie and his superhuman attempts to thwart the opposition in the 1970 FA Cup final replay is one of the heroic images of that famous match.”

According to the statement, Brazilian legend Pele considered Bonetti to be one of the three best goalkeepers of all time, alongside Gordon Banks and Lev Yashin.

His Chelsea spells were punctuated by a brief stint in the United States with St Louis Stars. He also had spells with Dundee United and Woking.

Bonetti made seven appearances for England, including in the 1970 World Cup finals, but Gordon Banks was always preferred. He was in the 1966 World Cup-winning squad, but did not play, belatedly receiving a winners’ medal in June 2009. Bonetti was twice promoted to the First Division with Chelsea, won the 1964-65 League Cup, 1970 FA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971.

Following his retirement from playing, he would work as a goalkeeping coach, notably under Kevin Keegan during spells as manager of Newcastle United, Fulham and Manchester City.