Trevor Francis: Football Legend, Britain’s First £1m Player, Passes Away at 69

• Trevor Francis, former England forward, passes away at 69 after a heart attack in Spain.
• Iconic footballer made history as Britain’s first £1m player in 1979.
• Represented England 52 times, scoring 12 goals, before transitioning to managerial career.

Former England forward Trevor Francis passed away at the age of 69 in Spain, following a heart attack.

In 1979, he made history by becoming Britain’s first £1m footballer when he transferred from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest.

During his time with Nottingham Forest, he achieved great success, winning two European Cups in 1979 and 1980, including scoring the winning goal against Malmo.

Francis also represented England 52 times, scoring 12 goals, before transitioning into a managerial career.

A statement released on behalf of 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.”

Hailing from Plymouth, Trevor Francis began his football journey as a schoolboy and made his debut for Birmingham City at the age of 16 in 1970, becoming their youngest debutant at the time, a record later surpassed by Jude Bellingham in 2019.

During his time at Birmingham, Francis scored an impressive 119 goals in 280 league appearances before making history with a groundbreaking move to Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough.

Following Forest’s triumphant two European Cup victories, he continued his career with stints at Manchester City, Italian clubs Sampdoria and Atalanta, and Scottish side Rangers. Subsequently, Francis joined Queens Park Rangers as both a player and manager.

He later held similar roles at Sheffield Wednesday, guiding them to the FA Cup and League Cup finals in 1993, though they were unfortunately defeated by Arsenal in both finals.

Formally retiring as a player in 1994, just before his 40th birthday, Francis had made 632 appearances and scored 235 goals.

He ventured into management, notably returning to Birmingham City as manager from 1996 to 2001, leading them to the 2001 League Cup final, where they narrowly lost to Liverpool in a penalty shootout.

Throughout his career, Francis also worked as a media pundit for Sky Sports and BT Sport. He ended his managerial journey with a two-year stint at Crystal Palace.

To stay informed about current events, please like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BOLUrduNews/.
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/bolnewsurdu01 and stay updated with the latest news.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel https://bit.ly/3Tv8a3P to watch news from Pakistan and around the world.

Also Read

Michael Gove warns against treating climate change as ‘Religious Crusade’

British Housing Minister Michael Gove warned against viewing the fight. He supported...