240 years of greatness

Between 23 and 31 October we are marking the birthdays of three footballers who all enjoyed glittering careers which were capped by starring roles in winning a World Cup Final. On 31 October, Fritz Walter, the captain of West Germany at the 1954 World Cup, would have celebrated his 100th birthday. 23 October marks Pelé’s 80th birthday, while on 30 October Diego Maradona turns 60. To mark these 240 years of greatness we have been digging in our archives and will present to you ten pictures and historical facts for each of the three star players. We're also giving away three World Cup books to commemorate their place in football history. Scroll down to participate. We start the series by paying tribute to Pelé and his role in a game that many regard as one of the finest of all time - the 1970 World Cup Final.

In the second of our series celebrating landmark birthdays over the past week, we pay tribute to Diego Maradona who turns 60 on 30 October. What better way of marking the birthday of one of the all-time great footballers than by focusing on the day he and Argentina conquered the world in 1986.

In the final part of our series of milestone birthdays over the past eight days, we turn our attention to West Germany’s World Cup winning captain of 1954. Fritz Walter, who died in 2002 at the age of 81, would have been 100 on 31 October-. Our focus is on that epic 1954 World Cup Final which the Germans won 3-2 against the mighty Hungarians, a team who lost just one game from 1950 through to 1956 – the 1954 World Cup Final. Ottmar Walter played alongside his brother that afternoon in Berne and it is through his words that we recall the events of that day.