Nottingham Forest have this afternoon announced the sad passing of Trevor Francis. He was 69-years-old.
Francis was responsible for the most iconic moment in the club’s history. His back-post header against Malmo in the 1979 European Cup Final placed Forest on the map.
The former striker was signed by Forest from Birmingham City for £1 million. It was the first transfer to reach that amount at the time and it saw him create history.
Francis scored 37 goals in 93 appearances for the Reds. He etched his name into folklore with his famous goal but he was a hardworking player who was integral under Brian Clough.
After leaving Forest he headed to Manchester City before playing for Sampdoria, Atalanta, Rangers, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday.
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A staggering playing career saw him play as a professional for 24 years. He then went into management where he managed QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham and Crystal Palace.
Francis played in the best Forest team of all time and he deserves his place in history. The Miracle Man will never be forgotten and the Reds are forever indebted to his contribution.
Gary Lineker and Collymore post heartfelt tributes to Forest legend Francis
The tributes have been pouring in for Francis. His passing has rocked the footballing world and the outpour has been heartwarming.
Lineker shared a pitch on a few occasions with Francis. He also worked with him during his broadcasting career and he’s taken to Twitter to post his condolences.
He tweeted: “Deeply saddened to hear that Trevor Francis has died. A wonderful footballer and a lovely man. Was a pleasure to work alongside him both on the pitch and on the telly. RIP Trevor.”
Collymore is also a City Ground hero. He helped Forest claim a third-place finish in the Premier League during the 1994/95 campaign.
Although his achievements with Forest pale into significance alongside Francis, he’s also shared an emotional tweet.
He posted: “The loveliest of men, humble, humourous, 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 will never be forgotten by those of a Forest persuasion.
He was a people’s man and those celebrations back in 1979 were all down to the brilliance of Francis.
It’s hard to imagine what would have happened had Forest not won the European Cup all of those years ago.
Thanks to Francis, the dream became a reality and he will be sorely missed on the banks of the River Trent.