FORMER England striker Trevor Francis has died aged 69.
Here we look at the career of the iconic striker who became English football’s first player to be sold for £1million in the 70s.
When did Trevor Francis play for Birmingham City?
Trevor started off playing football at school in Plymouth before joining Birmingham City.
He made his debut in 1970 when he was only 16 years old.
During his time with the club, he scored 119 goals in just 280 appearances.
How much was Trevor Francis’ transfer to Nottingham Forest?
Trevor became the first British footballer to request a £1million transfer fee when he joined Forest in 1979.
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The club’s manager at the time, Brian Clough, claimed the official price was £999,999 to make sure the pressure didn’t go to Trevor’s head.
During his time with Forest, he scored a total of 28 goals in 70 appearances.
He also scored the winning goal in the 1979 European Cup final.
Speaking in an interview in 2019 about being the first one million pound player, Trevor said: “I never realised at the time the significance of it,” he says.
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“I smashed, literally smashed, the transfer record. Doubled it. It was just a magical figure – a million pounds. Paris Saint-Germain spent nearly £200m on Neymar, but I don’t think it has the same magical appeal that £1m did. Do I feel proud of being the first £1m player? Absolutely.”
Which other teams did Trevor Francis play for?
Trevor was eventually sold to Manchester City in 1981 after his spell with Forest.
He also played for Sampdoria, Atalanta, Rangers, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday.
The footballer won 52 caps for England scoring 12 goals between 1977 and 1986.
He also featured at the 1982 World Cup in Spain before retiring from football in 1994.
How did Trevor Francis die?
On July 24, 2023, it was reported that Trevor passed away at his home in Marbella.
A statement said: “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.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
