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 – the first British one million pound footballer – has died at the age of 69.  

A statement, shared on behalf of his family with ITV, read: ‘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.’

Trevor Francis, pictured here in 1979 holding the European Cup aloft, has died aged 69

Football is mourning the loss of Francis, who became the first British million pound player

Francis, pictured here with football royalty Pele in 1972, doubled the British transfer record

Gary Lineker was among those sharing their tributes to the legendary striker, with the Match of the Day host tweeting: ‘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.’ 

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

Viv Anderson, the first ever black player to play for England, posted on Instagram to say: ‘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’.

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

Gary Lineker worked with Francis on the pitch, and also as a television broadcaster

Former Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore hailed his hero as ‘an absolute gentleman’

Viv Anderson remembered Francis as ‘a wonderful person and fabulous teammate’

‘Got to know him well when Trevor was doing his Co Commentary’s for Sky a job he loved. RIP Trevor the first Million pound player who always looked a million dollars.’ 

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

‘Absolutely gutted that Trev has 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.’

Francis won 52 caps for England across a nine year spell, scoring twice at the 1982 World Cup

The official England Twitter account was quick to praise Francis for his contributions

The official England Twitter account also added their own tribute on Francis’s legacy. They wrote: ‘We are deeply saddened by the news that Trevor Francis has passed away aged 69. 

‘He won 52 caps and scored 12 goals – including two at the 1982 @FIFAWorldCup – for the #ThreeLions between 1977 and 1986. All of our thoughts are with his family, friends and former clubs.’

One of those former clubs, Sheffield Wednesday – where he finished 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.’

Nottingham Forest – where he enjoyed his greatest successes as a player – posted a Twitter tribute which read: ‘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.’ 

The PFA tweeted: ‘Everyone at the PFA is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Trevor Francis. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.’ 

Francis finished his playing career with Sheffield Wednesday, who also paid their respects

He was declared as ‘a true Forest legend’ for his role in winning two European Cups

He twice won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest after his big-money move 

Francis was a lethal striker in his time and won the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest having first risen to stardom at Birmingham City. 

Francis, who spoke to Mail Sport in a wide-ranging, emotional and fascinating interview in 2019, went into management after his playing career, most notably with Sheffield Wednesday before working for more than two decades in broadcasting. 

In a pre-cursor to the explosion of the transfer market’s astronomical sums of today, Francis was a superstar in his time. 

His move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 was monumental. The forward had racked up 118 goals in 280 games for his boyhood side when he left. 

Francis rose to prominence with his boyhood club Birmingham City (pictured in 1971)

Having played for Birmingham City as a player, he returned to the club as manager in 1996

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

Clough told everyone the fee — twice the previous British record — was a pound under the £1m mark. It was in fact £1,150,000 and the manager was trying to take pressure off his big-money man,’ Francis later revealed.

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

Francis had spoken about his remarkable career and personal struggle following the death of his wife in 2017. 

‘When you get in 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 I couldn’t have done any of what I did without her. 

‘We were married 43 years. You know, every day is difficult. I do get quite lonely. But I am trying to adapt. I have to.’ 

Francis was a major figure in English  football as a player, manager and then pundit 

After his football career, he turned to management as well as working as a television pundit

Francis lost his wife Helen in 2017, and spoke of the profound effect that had on him 

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

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

He stayed for almost a decade before joining Clough’s brilliant Forest side who went on to conquer Europe, with Francis playing an integral part. 

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

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

Francis’ move to Forest was not the only big deal of his career. He joined Manchester City for £1.2m in 1981. 

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

Francis was a tall forward and boasted an impressive scoring record 

He helped Nottingham Forest win back-to-back European Cups under Brian Clough

Francis signed for Sampdoria in 1983, pictured here with fellow English exile Luther Blissett of AC Milan

Graeme Souness and Francis are pictured during a holiday to Portofino in 1984

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 when he turned his hand to management,  guiding Wednesday to a third place finish in 1992. He returned to Birmingham in 1996 with the aim of steering them back into the top flight but was unable to do so and left in 2001. 

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

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