It's been a week since we heard the sad news of the death of Manchester United and England 1966 World Cup star Norbert Stiles, better known as Nobby, and just about everything has been said of the man.
Considering he was the inspiration for the pen name for this column, I would like to add a few thoughts.
Physically he was a most unlikely-looking footballer, just 5ft and 6in tall and severely short-sighted, requiring strong contact lenses when he was playing.
Off the field, in his thick spectacles he looked more like a bank clerk or accountant.
He actually had a friendly disposition, but on the field, with his aggressive style of play and without his false front teeth, he was quite scary.
As a kid, he was a Catholic altar boy and he kept his faith throughout his career.
During the 1966 World Cup, he attended Mass every day, including the morning of the final.
The press dubbed him the "Toothless Tiger" which was a bit misleading as his tackles certainly carried a lot of bite.
When asked by a reporter if he took his teeth out to make himself look more ferocious, Stiles replied: "No, it's because I don't fancy swallowing my false teeth."
However, he did have to put up with opposing fans chanting "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth."
I have to admit that before the 1966 World Cup, Stiles was not my favourite footballer.
I had seen him on TV playing for United and although he was very effective, I thought he was on the dirty side.
But his performance in that World Cup changed that perception somewhat.
He was certainly very physical, but more creative than I had imagined.
He could provide a decent pass and would never give up.
I watched the entire tournament on TV and Stiles became more influential with every match.
However, he almost didn't play after the group game against France in which he committed a nasty tackle on Jacques Simon.
The FA was alarmed and ordered England manager Alf Ramsey to drop Stiles for the quarter-final against Argentina, calling him a "liability."
But Ramsey, loyal as ever to his players, told the FA he would resign if Stiles was dumped and so Nobby kept his place.
Stiles became a key player in the semi-final when he managed to keep Portugal star Eusebio, who had been in brilliant form, under wraps.
He had exactly the same task two years later when United beat Benfica at Wembley in the European Cup final.
A lasting image in the aftermath of the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final was the toothless Stiles dancing all over the pitch in delight.
He was the most animated of the England squad and went round kissing everybody, whether they liked it or not.
Throughout his career, Stiles struggled to shake off the "dirty player" image and the newspapers gave him a hard time for his aggressive play.
"I got slaughtered by the papers," he admitted.
His managers brushed off charges he was a hardman.
United manager Matt Busby commented: "Nobby Piles a dirty player? No, he's never hurt anyone. Mind you, he's frightened a few!"
When asked how much Stiles weighed, Ramsey responded with "about five tonnes in a tackle."
Ramsey always called him "Norbert" while Busby preferred the more pally "Norrie." But to just about everyone else he was Nobby.
His opponents abroad saw him in a different light, however.
Benfica coach Otto Gloria called him an "assassin" while the Argentine press dubbed him "El Bandito".
Referee Pat Partridge recalled an incident when United were playing Burnley: "Andy Lochhead was streaking towards goal when Nobby clipped him from behind. Out came my book and Stiles, full of apologies, pleaded 'It's the floodlight's ref. They shine on my contact lenses and I can't see a thing.' As his name went into the book, Stiles looked over the ref's shoulder and complained: "You spell it with an 'I' not a 'Y'."
Sadly in his later life, Stiles ran into financial difficulties and in 2010 had to auction off most of his memorabilia so as to ensure his family did not suffer hardship.
Fortunately, United stepped in and bought most of it, putting it on display in the Old Trafford museum.
In an interview with the Guardian in 2002, Stiles said that he still had young kids come up to him in the street saying: "You're the player with no teeth who danced around Wembley."
He was much more than that of course, but it is a rather nice way to be remembered.
There was more sad news from Old Trafford this week with reports that Stiles' World Cup-winning teammate, the great Sir Bobby Charlton, 83, has been diagnosed with dementia.
Sir Bobby, whose elder brother Jack died in July, made many friends in Thailand on several visits when he held football clinics.
We can only wish him all our support in his battle against this dreadful disease.