Football's Hall of Fame snubs Sir Geoff, hat-trick hero of 1966 and all that

He might be the unrivalled darling of the national game, but David Beckham has not yet achieved enough to win a place in the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame, unveiled yesterday.

Beckham is among several players from the past two decades who do not command places in the long-awaited hall ­ modelled on the colossally successful Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, upstate New York. Even more surprisingly, Sir Geoff Hurst ­ whose hat-trick secured England's 1966 World Cup triumph ­ does not figure on the list either.

Two other recent international stars ­ Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker ­ also failed to progress from a shortlist of 96 whittled down to 23 players and six managers by a distinguished panel of 20 judges.

The Football Museum, in Preston, Lancashire, said the players selected for the Hall of Fame had to have made a "lasting contribution to the British game and played in its leagues" and that Beckham had "a few years left" in his career to prove his worth to the nation ­ despite the last-gasp goal against Greece that earned England a World Cup place earlier this year.

The list is not entirely devoid of players from the past five years ­ and of those who still play. Paul Gascoigne, the "daft as a brush" midfielder, has a place, as does the controversial Frenchman Eric Cantona.

In the Midlands, indignation greeted the omission of Stan Cullis, the manager who assembled the superb Wolverhamption Wanderers side of the 1950s. The list may also provoke more argument in north London than anywhere else, since there are no Arsenal players.

Many who did make the list were to attend a star-studded charity dinner at the museum last night, which was to bring together Sir Bobby Charlton, John Charles, Nat Lofthouse, Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law among others.

Though a member of the judging panel and possibly the most predictable member of the esteemed company, Sir Bobby was delighted. "It's a great honour. If you look at the names included I have to say I couldn't argue with them. They are all great players and people I would love to have played with. And I think it's great that the museum has secured the Hall of Fame for the benefit of future generations of both footballers and supporters."

In recognition of the hidden history of women's football ­ which the museum chronicles fastidiously ­ the greatest player in the women's game in England is also inducted. Lily Parr played for Dick, Kerr Ladies, the unofficial women's world champions in the 1920s and 1930s.