Trevor Francis, a former England forward and the first player to be transferred in Britain for £1 million and has died at the age of 69.

Francis started his football career with his Birmingham City debut at 16. His career included spells with Forest, Manchester City, Sampdoria, Atlanta and Rangers before he went into management. He was initially a player-manager.

One of the many things he is remembered for is his European Cup-winning goal for Nottingham Forest. His goal against Malmö secured the European Cup in his first season. Francis played 52 times for England from 1977 to 1986. He was also featured at the 1982 World Cup, where he scored twice.

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A statement from his family 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.”

He was married to Helen Francis, who passed away in 2017. Her death left a deep impact on Trevor.

Who was Helen Francis?

In his autobiography, One In A Million, Francis, Trevor had described “life without her is so difficult” after Helen passed away in 2017.

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Speaking to Daily Mail in an interview in 2019, he said working as a pundit post retirement was the only thing keeping him sane after losing his wife. “I don’t like it when I wake up and have nothing planned. That’s the worst part. I like to have some focus so I am trying to slowly start again. It’s so hard because of the deep love I had for Helen and also because I am useless in the house. She did everything for me. I don’t mind admitting that. All of a sudden I am living by myself and I suppose I never contemplated this would ever happen. It is a tougher challenge than anything I ever faced in football.”

They were married for 43 years before Helen’s death.