I'm talking here about the number of the 1966 England World Cup winning side still alive. Only Sir Geoff Hurst is left after the death of Sir Bobby Charlton.
We listened to the Radio Norfolk tribute to Sir Bobby on the way home from Norwich's latest defeat and I found it sad that the presenter practically had to explain just who Sir Bobby was. I suspect that there are many younger people interested in football who have never heard of him.
If you were listing England's greatest 10 footballers of all time Bobby Charlton would be in most people's list, alongside the captain of that 1966 team Bobby Moore.
Bobby Charlton was a very private man and that is shown by the fact that he just disappeared from public life in his later years. We knew he had dementia but there were very few health bulletins.
I interviewed Sir Bobby during one of his soccer schools and here you are expecting me to say what a wonderful man he was. Well yes he was a wonderful man but I didn't find the interview easy to conduct. I was searching the nether regions of my mind (never a good place to search) but couldn't remember how the interview came about and who set it up (if anyone). Possibly I just went along on the off chance, but I think it's more likely I was invited as a local sports editor.
I can't remember the venue although I suspect it was the Hewitt School in Norwich and it would have been in the school holidays (possibly the summer). I could look back through my diaries but it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I remember that Sir Bobby (no idea whether he had been knighted by this time) wasn't greatly forthcoming and I just got the impression that as far as the soccer school went he was rather going through the motions. I struggled to find questions to ask him that hadn't been asked hundreds of times before.
It's tough when you get to meet a genuine hero and try to interview that person. I can't really remember what we talked about, how long our chat lasted or whether it involved a cup of tea. I do remember asking him to sign something - it might have been my notebook - and I do remember saying:
"I would pretend this is for my sons, but it's not it's for me."
I don't remember the subsequent article I wrote or where it was published, although the chances are that would have been in the Norwich Mercury. But late today I'm going to try and track a few things down and will report back.
I love Bobby Charlton's life story - how he was brought up in a northern mining village rich in sporting talent and how strong a character his mother was. Then there was the feuds with brother Jack who was entirely a different character. I have read quite a number of biographies of Sir Bobby and also a two volume collection of his life and his England days in his own words. These are all readily available and often turn up in charity shops.
He will always be remembered as a man of great integrity and that's how I will remember him, even if I got a bit tongue tied when I actually met him.
Interestingly there is an intriguing book just published by Duncan Hamilton about the problems encountered by the 1966 winners and how they were almost shunned in certain places and the problems they faced after winning the trophy. I think I'm right in saying that only three of the team received knighthoods (Charlton, Moore and Hurst).
Yesterday was a bad day on the sporting front. England lost to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Final after leading for almost the entire match apart from the final two minutes. England were hammered by South Africa at cricket and Norwich lost 3-2 at home to Leeds after leading 2-0. Norwich are so poor at the moment that we sat there on a 2-0 lead thinking we are going to lose this, there is no way that Leeds aren't going to score. And score they did.