Former Man City striker and Britain’s first-ever £1 million player, Trevor Francis, dies aged 69
Former Manchester City and England striker, Trevor Francis, has sadly passed away at the age of 69 following a heart attack.
The Plymouth-born ex-pro played for a number of top-flight clubs in his career, including Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Rangers and more, and while he only played with Man City for less than a year, he was a cult favourite over at Maine Road.
Francis famously became Britain’s first-ever £1 million footballer when he joined Forest, scored their European Cup-winning goal in 1979 under the legendary Brian Clough, had over 50 England caps and went on to manage four different clubs between 1988 and 2003.
Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, he was considered a legend at both club and international level. Tributes have been pouring in all across social media.
He is said to have died at his home in Marbella, Spain on Monday morning following a heart attack. Speaking in a statement, his family said: “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.”
Francis played for City 29 times from 1981-82 and scored 14 goals during his time in blue, two of which came in his debut against Stoke City back, before eventually going on to sign for Italian side, Sampdoria.
Fellow ex-pro Gary Lineker said, “Deeply saddened to hear that Trevor Francis has died. A wonderful footballer and a lovely man. Was a pleasure to work alongside him both on the pitch and on the telly”, while Chris Kamara simply wrote: “What a player he was and what a gentleman… RIP Trevor the first Million-pound player who always looked a million dollars”.
Rest in peace to a legend.
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Featured Image — Manchester City/England/Nottingham Forest