[6] A free kick specialist, he was described by England manager Sir Alf Ramsey, after a game against Scotland in 1968, as being "ten years ahead of his time".

[7] His versatility was such that while he was at West Ham he played in every position in the team, including goalkeeper in his third game, replacing an injured Brian Rhodes.

The occasion was still over two-legs with each of the finalists hosting a leg (though this changed to a one-off final at Wembley a year later), and Peters played in both matches.

In March 1970, West Ham received a record-breaking £200,000 (£150,000 cash) for Peters from Tottenham Hotspur and he moved to White Hart Lane, with Spurs and England striker Jimmy Greaves (valued at £50,000) going the other way.

[28] He helped newly promoted Norwich establish themselves in the First Division, making more than 200 appearances, and earning a testimonial against an all-star team which included most of the 1966 World Cup-winning England XI.

[35] Alf Ramsey had seen Peters' potential quickly, and in May 1966 he gave the young midfielder his debut for England national team against Yugoslavia at Wembley.

[37] In the final preparation period for Ramsey prior to naming his squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, Peters played in two more of the scheduled warm-up games.

Against Finland, he scored his first international goal in what was only his second appearance,[38] and subsequently he made Ramsey's squad for the competition, as did his West Ham teammates Bobby Moore (the England captain) and Geoff Hurst.

[36] The England coach had been toying with using a system which allowed narrow play through the centre, not operating with conventional wingers but instead with fitter, centralised players who could show willing in defence as well as spread the ball and their runs in attack.

Peters therefore had become an ideal player for this 4-1-3-2 system, elegant in his distribution and strong in his forward running, yet showing the stamina, discipline and pace to get back and help the defence when required.

[40][41] Ramsey put Peters in the team for his fourth cap, for the second group game against Mexico, which England won 2–0.

[42] He kept his place as England got through their group, scraped past a violent Argentina side in the quarter finals (Peters' late cross set up Hurst's header for the only goal)[43] and beat Portugal in the last four.

[45] Peters played in England's three group games in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, from which they qualified, again with West Germany waiting in the last eight.

Peters scored against Germany again early in the second half – a run and finish from behind a defender which no West German player had spotted – to establish a 2–0 lead, but later Ramsey committed a tactical error by substituting Peters and Bobby Charlton with Colin Bell and Norman Hunter, and West Germany won 3–2 in extra-time.

[48] International disappointment for Peters was tempered mildly by more club success, and he scored the only goal as England beat Scotland at Wembley on 19 May 1973.

England had been stuttering in their qualifying campaign for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, dropping points in a drawn game against Wales and then a 2–0 defeat against Poland in Chorzów on 6 June 1973.

[36][47] His wait to become manager was not long, his final game coming against Gillingham on 17 January 1981 which Haslam was too ill to attend, and at which there were demonstrations from the Sheffield United fans.

[50] On his retirement from professional football in January 1981, after a distinguished and injury-free career, he had made 882 appearances in total, scoring 220 goals.

After he quit Sheffield United, Peters spent the 1982–83 season playing in defence for Gorleston[51] in the Eastern Counties League.

[54] That same year he was inducted, with former manager Ron Greenwood, into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements as a player.