Trevor Francis Wiki – Trevor Francis Biography
Trevor Francis, Britain’s first 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 “He had a heart attack in his apartment in Spain this morning.” On behalf of the family, this has been a huge shock to everyone. We are all very upset. “He was a legendary footballer, but he was also an extremely nice person.” Francis, who spoke to Mail Sport in a comprehensive, emotional and fascinating interview in 2019, moved into management after his playing career, most notably with Sheffield Wednesday before working for more than two decades in broadcasting. In a precursor to today’s exploding transfer market astronomical sums, Francis was a superstar in his time. His move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 was monumental. The striker had racked up 118 goals in 280 appearances for his boyhood team when he left. Brian Clough’s team shelled out Francis’ massive fee, making him the first British player to be transferred for that amount in history. Clough told everyone that the fee, double the previous British record, was a pound short of the £1 million mark. In fact it was £1,150,000 and the manager was trying to take the pressure off his big money man”, Francis later revealed. Giuseppe Savoldi was the world’s first millionaire when he moved from Bologna to Napoli in 1975.
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Age
Trevor Francis was 69 years old.
Tributes
Francis had spoken about his remarkable career and his personal struggle following the death of his wife in 2017. “When you come 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 I couldn’t have done anything I did without her.’We were married 43 years. You know, every day is hard. I feel quite alone. But I’m trying to adjust. I have to do it”. His former teams have paid tribute to him on social media and Francis’ legacy is formidable. His 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 team, 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 Malmo in 1979, timing his run perfectly at the far 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 problem in his career. He joined Manchester City for £1.2 million in 1981. The club then ran into financial difficulties and he moved to Sampdoria, the Italian giants at the time, playing alongside his great friend Graeme Souness and helping them to the Coppa Italia. He spelled for Atalanta, Rangers, Queen’s Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday before retiring from playing and he too had a respectable international career with 52 caps for England and 12 goals. Life on the bench started well for Francis when he shook hands with management, guiding Wednesday to a third-place finish in 1992. He returned to Birmingham in 1996 with the aim of leading them back to the top flight, but was unable to do so and left in 2001. His last management job came at Crystal Palace, where he was sacked by then-chairman Simon Jordan on his birthday in 2003. Francis then turned to his work as a television commentator, a field in which he was a highly respected and admired figure.
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