Trevor Francis dead at 69 – football mourns loss of first British million pound player, who won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest after being signed by Brian Clough

Trevor Francis, Britain’s first million-pound footballer, has died aged 69.

A statement, shared on behalf of his family with ITVread: ‘Trevor Francis has passed away at the age of 69.

“He had a heart attack this morning in his apartment in Spain.

“On behalf of the family, this is a huge shock to everyone. We are all very upset.

“He was a legendary football player, but he was also an exceptionally nice person.”

Gary Lineker was among those who shared their tribute to the legendary striker, with the host of the match of the day tweeting: ‘Deeply saddened to hear that Trevor Francis has passed away. A great footballer and a beautiful man. It was a pleasure to work alongside him, both on the field and on television. RIP Trevor.’

Legendary England goalkeeper Peter Shilton wrote: ‘I am absolutely devastated to hear about my old teammate Trevor Francis, such a wonderful gentleman, a friend and a terrible loss’.

Chris Kamara reflected on working with Francis on co-commentary for Sky Sports, reflecting on his iconic status as the first million-pound player. Kamara said, “Oh no, I just heard Trevor Francis passed away. What a player he was and what a gentleman.

‘I got to know him well when Trevor did his co-commentary for Sky, a job he loved. RIP Trevor the first million pound player who always looked like a million dollars.”

And former Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore tweeted to say: ‘The fairest of men, humble, humorous, always giving of his time and advice.

“Absolutely gutted that Trev is gone, they say never meet your heroes, well I met mine and he was an absolute gentleman.

“Rest in peace, Ledge, one in a million.”

The official English Twitter account also added its own tribute to Francis’ legacy. They wrote: ‘We are deeply saddened by the news that Trevor Francis has passed away at the age of 69.

“He won 52 caps and scored 12 goals – including two in the 1982 @FIFAWorldCup – for the #ThreeLions between 1977 and 1986. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and former clubs.”

One such former club, Sheffield Wednesday – where he ended his playing career before turning his hand to managerial work – said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the passing of Trevor Francis.

“Our thoughts are with Trevor’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

A deadly striker in his day, Francis won the European Cup twice, with Nottingham Forest first achieving fame at Birmingham City.

Francis, who spoke to Mail Sport in an extensive, emotional and fascinating interview in 2019, moved into management after his playing career, most notably at Sheffield Wednesday before working in broadcasting for more than two decades.

Leading up to today’s astronomical explosion in the transfer market, Francis was a superstar in his day.

His move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 was monumental. The striker had scored 118 goals in 280 appearances for his boyhood side when he left.

Brian Clough’s side splashed out the huge fee for Francis, making him the first British player in history to be transferred for that amount.

Clough told everyone the fee – twice the previous British record – was a pound under £1 million. It was in fact £1,150,000 and the manager was trying to pressure his man with a lot of money,” Francis later revealed.

Giuseppe Savoldi was the world’s first million-pound man when he went from Bologna to Naples in 1975.

Francis had spoken about his remarkable career and personal struggles following his wife’s death in 2017.

“When you get into the first team as a footballer, you don’t think football will ever stop,” he previously told Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman.

“In the same way, I didn’t think Helen and I would ever stop. She was my best friend and without her I couldn’t have done what I did.

“We were married for 43 years. You know, every day is hard. I get quite lonely. But I’m trying to adapt. I have to.’

His former parties have paid tribute to him on social media and Francis’ legacy is formidable.

The talent was immediately apparent when he broke through at the age of 16 to represent Birmingham City.

He stayed for nearly ten years before joining Clough’s brilliant Forest side who went on to conquer Europe, with Francis playing an integral role.

Francis scored the winning goal in the European Cup final against Swedish side Malmö in 1979, timing his run perfectly at the back post before going home.

Clough’s men would repeat the trick the following season, beating Hamburg in the final on that occasion.

Francis’ move to Vorst was not the only major problem in his career. He joined Manchester City in 1981 for £1.2 million.

The club then ran into financial difficulties and he moved to Sampdoria, Italian giants at the time, where he played alongside his great friend Graeme Souness and helped them to the Coppa Italia.

Spells at Atalanta, Rangers, Queen’s Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday followed before he retired from playing and he also had a respectable international career with 52 caps for England and 12 goals.

Life in the dugout started well for Francis as he handed over to management and led Wednesday to a third-place finish in 1992. He returned to Birmingham in 1996 with the aim of sending them back to the top flight, but was unsuccessful and left in 2001.

His last management job came at Crystal Palace, where he was sacked on his birthday in 2003 by then chairman Simon Jordan.

Francis then focused on his work as a television pundit, a field in which he was a widely respected and admired figure.