Chris Bart-Williams dies aged 49 as footballing world pay tribute

Former Nottingham Forest star Chris Bart-Williams has died aged 49. The midfielder represented England at ‘B’ level and spent eight seasons in the Premier League.

Bart-Williams was born in Sierra Leone but went on to represent England at Under-21 level, winning 16 caps before making a single appearance for the ‘B team’. The former midfielder began his career at Leyton Orient before leaving for Sheffield Wednesday in 1991 for a club-record fee of £275,000.

After making 124 appearances for the Owls, Bart-Williams joined Forest in 1995 for £2.5million. He spent just over six tears at the City Ground, scoring 35 goals in 245 appearances, before heading to Charlton Athletic on loan.

The move then became permanent in 2002, with Bart-Williams going on to enjoy short stints at Ipswich Town, Cypriot outfit APOEL and lesser-known Maltese side Marsaxlokk. The versatile midfielder was adored throughout his career and tributes from former teammates have flooded social media, sending condolences to his loved ones.

Former Arsenal and Everton star Kevin Campbell, who shared the dressing room with Bart-Williams at Forest, wrote on Twitter: “R.I.P. Chris, love you Bartman! My lil brother we shared such great moments and I truly am devastated at the extremely sad news!”.

Ex-Forest star Mark Crossley also wrote about his passing in a joint-statement as he paid tribute to Trevor Francis too, who passed away on Monday aged 69. He said: “Devastating and I’m so upset to hear the news of Trevor Francis passing and my former team mate Chris Bart Williams, both so young, it is so sad , RIP Trevor and Chris.”

Carlton Palmer, who played with Bart-Williams at Wednesday, sent his condolences to both former players too, commenting: “I am absolutely shell shocked Trevor Francis and now the Bartman lost for words. Love and blessings to both families.” Ipswich Town also offered their condolences via their official Twitter account, stating: “The Club is saddened to learn of the passing of former player Chris Bart-Williams. Once a Blue, always a Blue.”

Bart-Williams had been keen to pass down his knowledge to young players after retiring, running the CBW Soccer Elite in the United States over the years which provided young footballers with coaching and mentoring as they looked to break through the ranks – as well as providing support to colleges looking to recruit. Speaking in 2018, he told The Mirror that it would be a ‘shame to waste his experience’ by not helping the next generation.