Trevor Francis, British football’s first £1million player, has died at the age of 69. The ex-Birmingham striker, who scored Nottingham Forest’s winner in their 1979 European Cup final triumph, earned 52 England caps and later guided Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham to major finals as a manager.
Plymouth-born Francis burst onto the scene as a teenager with Birmingham, making his first-team debut at 16 in 1970. 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.
pic.twitter.com/GNBeV4onDp — England (@England) July 24, 2023 “He died in Spain this morning from a heart attack,” said a spokesman.
Forest shattered the British transfer record when they paid £1.15 million for him in 1979, although manager Brian Clough famously claimed the fee was £999,999 to take pressure off the player.