Trevor Francis dead: First £1m football player and England legend dies aged 69 in Marbella

1 year ago 101

NOTTINGHAM Forest star and England legend Trevor Francis has died aged 69 at his home in Marbella.

The icon was England‘s first-ever £1million player and was instrumental in helping Brian Clough’s Forest win the European Cup in 1979.

England legend Trevor Francis has sadly passed away[/caption]

The footballer and manager had a glittering career[/caption]

He later managed both QPR and Sheffield Wednesday – famously causing Eric Cantona to storm out after a trial for the Owls.

Francis died at his apartment near Marbella in Spain today with efforts now being made to repatriate his body.

It is believed the former footballer suffered a heart attack.

Veteran ITV sports presenter and close pal Gary Newbon said: “This is obviously a terrible shock for Trevor and his family and friends.

“He was revered throughout football and has his place assured in the history of the game.

“But he was also an incredibly kind and popular man, who will be greatly missed by so, so many people.”

Gary told how Francis had a stent fitted following a heart attack 12 years ago but appeared to be in good health.

He added: “Since then he had stayed in incredible shape. He power-walked daily and barely drank. That’s why this comes as such a shock.”

His former teammate Viv Anderson led tributes to the star alongside a black and white image of Francis.

He said: “Just heard the unbelievable news regarding Trevor Francis, he was such a wonderful person and fabulous teammate he will be sadly missed, my condolences go to his family and friends RIP.”

The footballer began his career as a schoolboy for Plymouth before he joined Birmingham City.

In 1970, the forward made his debut aged just 16 and went on to net an impressive 119 goals in 280 appearances.

Francis became the first British footballer to command a £1million transfer fee when he moved from Birmingham to Forest in 1979.

Manager Clough actually claimed the price tag was £999,999 to make sure the pressure didn’t go to Francis’ head.

The player made a lasting impression with the club thanks to his world-famous European Cup-winning goal in 1979.

Francis nodded home a header against Malmo in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico to write Forest into European folklore forever.

Speaking about the goal previously, he said: “It was a magical moment. I used to write a column for the Roy of the Rovers comic and this was my own Roy of the Rovers moment.

“A European debut in a cup final and scoring the winning goal. Nobody had ever done that, had they?”

The rest of Francis’ time with the club was blighted by injury but he still managed to secure a £1.2million fee to move to Man City in 1980.

He scored two goals against Stoke City on his debut but was frequently forced to sit out due to injury.

Despite this, Francis made the England squad for the 1982 World Cup where he scored twice in the first group stage.

He later went on to have stints at Italian giants Sampdoria and later Atalanta before moving back to the UK to play for Rangers.

Francis had been signed by Graeme Souness, as part of his self-styled “English invasion” at Ibrox, and helped the team win the 1987-88 Scottish League Cup.

The forward later became a player-manager at QPR in 1988 but left after a year in charge to be replaced by Down Howe.

He then took over from Ron Atkinson at Sheffield Wednesday before hanging up his boots for good in 1994 after a last managerial role at Crystal Palace.

Away from his football career, Francis was left heartbroken in 2017 when his beloved wife Helen died.

The couple, who had been together for 45 years, shared two children together.

In his autobiography, One In A Million, Francis told how life without Helen had been “so difficult”.

He also told how working as a pundit was helping to keep him sane after a horrific two years.

Francis added: “It’s so hard because of the deep love I had for Helen and also because I am useless in the house. She did everything for me. I don’t mind admitting that.

“All of a sudden I am living by myself and I suppose I never contemplated this would ever happen. It is a tougher challenge than anything I ever faced in football.”