England legend Trevor Francis, Britain’s first £1m footballer, dies aged 69
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England football legend Trevor Francis has died at the age of 69.
Veteran ITV presenter Gary Newbon, a close friend of Francis, confirmed the news that he passed away in Spain on Monday morning (July 24) following a heart attack.
Newbon said on behalf of his family: "Trevor Francis has died at the age of 69. He had a heart attack at his apartment in Spain this morning.
"On behalf of the family, this has come as a huge shock to everybody. We are all very upset. He was a legendary footballer but he was also an extremely nice person."
The Blues icon made 52 appearances for England across a storied career which began in 1970, which also saw him become the first £1million footballer in history following his move to Nottingham Forest in 1979.
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Newbon explained how Francis had a stent fitted following a heart attack back in 2012 and had been in good health since with daily-power walks and little drinking.
Gary Lineker was among the first to offer a tribute, he said on social media: "Deeply saddened to hear that Trevor Francis has died. A wonderful footballer and lovely man. Was a pleasure to work alongside him both on the pitch and on the telly. RIP Trevor."
During his time at St Andrew's, Francis scored 118 goals in 280 league games for his boyhood side. He then became part of the Forest squad that won two European Cups in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough.
Francis went on to also represent Manchester City, Rangers, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as enjoying spells in Italy's Serie A with Sampdoria and Atalanta.
He was a pioneer for player-managers, having held the joint role at both QPR and Sheffield Wednesday, before becoming a dugout manager with Birmingham and Crystal Palace.
Francis made 52 appearances for England between 1977 and 1986, scoring 12 goals including two in the group stage of the 1982 World Cup.
He also spent time playing in both the United States and Australia, scoring 15 times across his first 22 games with Detroit Express and twice for Wollongong City.
Francis once famous posed for snaps with Pele, whom he described as having a mystical aura.
He said: "From my point of view just to meet the greatest player in the world, this iconic figure, and for him to say ‘Hello’ was like a bit of a dream come true."
Francis' friend and former team-mate Viv Anderson 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."
Back in 2017, Birmingham City paid tribute to Francis' wife Helen following her passing, 43 years after they married. The couple had two children together.
In tribute, Sampdoria posted a photo of Francis wearing their iconic number nine shirt on social media with a heartbroken emoji.
Forest wrote: "Nottingham Forest is deeply saddened to learn the passing of two-time European Cup winner, Trevor Francis. A true Forest legend who will never be forgotten."
Birmingham City said of one of their greatest ever players, who featured on a mural alongside Jude Bellingham last year: "Blues is deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the passing of Club legend Trevor Francis, at the age of 69 on Monday 24 July 2023.
"Trevor will forever be revered as a giant of the Club, the player everyone wanted to see. He represented Blues on 330 occasions, scoring 133 goals.
"Blues sends its thoughts and deepest sympathies to Trevor’s family and friends."
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