World Cup-winner Alan Ball died of a suspected heart attack after battling to put out a bonfire in his garden, police have confirmed.

The 61-year-old, the youngest member of the England team that lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966, was found collapsed at his home overnight.

The midfielder won 72 caps for his country in a 10-year England career and starred for both Everton and Arsenal.

Ball is the second member of the side that beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley to pass away.

Captain Bobby Moore died of cancer in 1993.

A box-to-box midfielder, Ball was a key member of manager Alf Ramsey's 'Wingless Wonders', and was awarded an MBE in 2000 for his services to football.

Ball began his career at Blackpool and went on to play for Everton, Arsenal and Southampton, before a spell playing in America. He was part of Everton's 1970 league championship-winning side.

He also managed seven clubs over a 19-year period, including two spells with Portsmouth as well as Southampton and Manchester City.

But his managerial career was significantly less successful than his time as a player.

Ball made his England debut in May 1965 in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia in Belgrade and also appeared in the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico.

In 1973, he became only the second England player to be sent off in a full international when he was dismissed in a vital World Cup qualifier in Poland.

He missed the return game at Wembley as a result, a match that famously saw England fail to reach the 1974 finals and resulted in Ramsey's dismissal.

Ball went on to briefly captain his country but his international career was ended abruptly in 1975 when Ball was only 30.

He had scored eight international goals.

In May 2005, Ball put his World Cup winners' medal and commemorative tournament cap up for auction to raise money for his family. They were sold for £140,000.