Peter Bonetti facts for kids

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Peter Bonetti

Bonetti in 2009

Personal information

Full name

Peter Philip Bonetti

Date of birth

27 September 1941

Place of birth

Putney, England

Date of death

12 April 2020 (aged 78)

Height

5 feet 10 inches (1.77 m)

Playing position

Goalkeeper

Youth career

Worthing

Reading

Chelsea

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

1959–1975

Chelsea

495

(0)

1975

St. Louis Stars

(0)

1976–1979

Chelsea

105

(0)

1979

Dundee United

(0)

1986

Woking

(0)

Total

628

(0)

National team

1966–1970

England

(0)

Honours


Men's football
Representing England
FIFA World Cup
Winner	1966 England

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Peter Philip Bonetti (born September 27, 1941 – died April 12, 2020) was an English professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for teams like Chelsea and the England national team. People knew him for his amazing saves and quick reactions. His graceful style earned him the nickname "The Cat." He was also famous for a special one-armed throw. This throw could send the ball as far as a kick.

Bonetti played seven times for England. He was usually a backup for the famous goalkeeper Gordon Banks. Peter was part of the England squad that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not play in any matches during that tournament. He finally received his winner's medal in 2009. This happened after a campaign to recognize all non-playing squad members. In the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Bonetti played in a quarter-final match. This was because Gordon Banks became ill. England lost this game 3–2 to West Germany.

Early Life and Football Start
Playing for Chelsea F.C.
International Career with England
Life After Playing Football
Honours and Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Football Start

Peter Bonetti was born in Putney, a part of southwest London. In 1948, his family moved to Worthing, Sussex. His parents owned a café by the sea. They were immigrants from Switzerland. Peter went to St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Worthing. He showed great talent for football from a young age. He even played for Worthing as a young player.

Playing for Chelsea F.C.

Joining Chelsea's Youth Team

Chelsea signed Peter from the Reading youth team. His mother had written to Chelsea's manager, Ted Drake. She asked him to give her son a tryout. While playing for Chelsea's junior team, Bonetti also played five games for Croydon Amateurs. This was thanks to his youth coach, Albert Tennant.

Peter made his first team debut for Chelsea in 1960. A few weeks later, he helped the Chelsea youth team win the FA Youth Cup. From the 1960–61 season, he became Chelsea's main goalkeeper. He held this position for almost 19 years.

Rising to the Top with Chelsea

Chelsea was relegated to a lower league in Bonetti's second full season. Tommy Docherty then became the new manager. Bonetti became a very important player in a talented young team. This team included players like Bobby Tambling and Terry Venables.

The team needed to beat Sunderland in their second-to-last match to get promoted. Chelsea won 1–0. Bonetti made an amazing save in the last minute. This kept Chelsea's chances alive. They then won 7–0 against Portsmouth. This victory secured their promotion back to the First Division.

Bonetti (number 1) playing for Chelsea in 1966.

Chelsea's new team aimed for trophies in the 1960s. Bonetti was always a key player. However, they often just missed out on winning. The club won the League Cup in 1965. They beat Leicester City 3–2 over two games. Leicester put a lot of pressure on Chelsea in the second game. But Bonetti's amazing performance helped Chelsea get a 0–0 draw. This secured the trophy for his team.

For most of that season, Chelsea looked set to win both the league title and the FA Cup. But they didn't succeed. They lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup. Their league title challenge ended with a few games left. This was after a disagreement between manager Docherty and some players. Bonetti was not involved in this. A weaker team played in a key match against Burnley. Bonetti conceded six goals in that game.

Cup Finals and European Success

Bonetti played in every match of Chelsea's Inter-Cities Fairs Cup run the next season. He played very well against teams like Roma and A.C. Milan. But the team was knocked out in the semi-final. They also lost in the FA Cup semi-final for the second year in a row.

Chelsea finally reached an FA Cup final in 1967. They played against Tottenham Hotspur. But Tottenham played better and won 2–1. Bonetti couldn't do much to stop them.

He didn't win another trophy with Chelsea until 1970. By then, Dave Sexton had become the manager. In 1970, Chelsea reached the FA Cup final again. This time, they faced the league champions, Leeds United.

Over two very tough matches, Bonetti had one of his best performances. Chelsea was under a lot of pressure in the first final at Wembley Stadium. Bonetti made many important saves. He helped them get a 2–2 draw. In the replay match at Old Trafford, his left knee was badly hurt. This happened after a challenge from Leeds' Mick Jones. He came back to play after treatment. But he was basically playing on one leg. He couldn't stop Jones from scoring a few minutes later. Despite his injury, he made crucial saves throughout the match. He stopped shots from Peter Lorimer and Terry Cooper. He also resisted more pressure from Leeds after Chelsea took the lead in extra time. This helped Chelsea win 2–1. Bonetti's performances that season were so good that he was voted second best in the FWA Footballer of the Year awards.

A year later, the team won the European Cup Winners' Cup. They won after another replay in the final. This time, they beat Spanish giants Real Madrid in Athens. Chelsea took a 2–0 lead in the replay. But Real dominated much of the second half. Bonetti's amazing performance helped Chelsea hold on for a 2–1 win.

That was his last trophy with the club. They almost won more in the following years. They lost in the 1972 League Cup final to Stoke City. They also lost in the semi-final of the same competition a year later. Money problems and team discipline issues stopped them from building on their success.

Playing in the USA and Return to Chelsea

Bonetti left Chelsea for free in 1975. He joined the St. Louis Stars in the North American Soccer League. That year, he played 21 games for the team. He helped them finish first in their division. They also reached the play-off semi-final.

He then returned to Chelsea. His experience was very helpful. He helped new manager Eddie McCreadie's young team get promoted in 1976–77. Two years later, in May 1979, he played his last game for Chelsea. It was a 1–1 draw with Arsenal. He had played a total of 729 games for the club over 19 years. Only Ron Harris has played more games for Chelsea. Bonetti kept over 200 clean sheets (games where he didn't let the other team score). He let in one goal or less in two-thirds of his games for Chelsea.

International Career with England

Bonetti (holding the ball) playing for England in 1969.

Bonetti played seven games for England. He was often kept out of the team by the great goalkeeper Gordon Banks. Peter was part of England's winning squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not play in any matches during that tournament.

Bonetti's England career is mostly remembered for one match. This was the 1970 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against West Germany in Mexico. He had to play because Gordon Banks was very sick. England was leading 2–0 in the second half. But they lost 3–2 after extra time. Many people blamed Bonetti for the loss. He never played for England again after that game.

In the 1966 World Cup final, only the 11 players on the field received medals. The Football Association worked to get medals for all squad members. Bonetti received his medal from Prime Minister Gordon Brown. This happened at a ceremony in 10 Downing Street on June 10, 2009.

Life After Playing Football

Bonetti in 2014.

After leaving Chelsea, Bonetti moved to the Isle of Mull in Scotland. There, he ran a guesthouse and worked as a postman. While living in Scotland, he briefly came out of retirement. He played a few games for Dundee United. He was a backup for their main goalkeeper, Hamish McAlpine.

After fully retiring from playing, Bonetti became a coach. He coached at Chelsea and for the England national team. He also worked with Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United, Fulham, and Manchester City.

While coaching at Chelsea, he was convinced to play two matches for Isthmian League club Woking. This included an FA Cup game where Woking won 1–0. At one point, he held the record for the most games played for a single club by a goalkeeper. But Alan Knight of Portsmouth broke his record in the 1990s.

From 2005, Bonetti played in several charity matches for an Old England team. He usually came on for the last 10 minutes of each game.

Peter Bonetti passed away on April 12, 2020. He was 78 years old and had been ill for a long time.