Born in Farnworth in 1945, Ball joined Blackpool in 1961 and made his league debut for the club as a 17-year-old in 1962.
The midfielder went on to win 72 caps for his country in a 10-year England career and starred for both Everton and Arsenal.
He was awarded an MBE in 2000 for his services to football.
But it was a match played three days short of his 21st birthday for which the midfielder with his distinctive high-pitched voice will always be remembered.
It was in the closing stages of the 1966 World Cup Final that he kept going while experienced players began to wilt.
Eventually he would enter management and experience many highs and lows - including a season of failure at Manchester City.
His life was also dogged by tragedy. In May 2004 his wife Lesley died aged 57 after a battle against ovarian cancer.
His father, also called Alan, died in a car crash in Cyprus in 1982.
After his famous 1966 performance big clubs moved in and he was sold from Blackpool to Everton for a then record fee of £110,000.
Ball then became a key part of what was regarded as the best midfield trio of his generation, playing alongside Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall.
In 1970 he won his only major domestic honour when Everton won the Football League.
After a series of management roles at lower league clubs, he was tempted by his friend and then Manchester City chairman Francis Lee to Maine Road in 1995 but the season ended in relegation.
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