List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has paid tribute to “trailblazer” Trevor Francis following his death at the age of 69. Bellingham, who spent his formative years at Birmingham where Francis also made his name as a teenager, thanked him for the guidance he had provided. In a post on his official Twitter account, the 20-year-old said: “A very sad day for @BCFC and all of football. Beyond legendary, a trailblazer, a great and an icon of the game. “The only thing that could exceed his quality and accolades on the pitch was his class off it. Thank you for all the guidance and the benchmarks you set. Rest in peace, King Trevor!” Bellingham was one of a series of current and former players to pay their respects to Francis after a spokesman for the family confirmed on Monday the former Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and England striker had died following a heart attack. He became Britain’s first £1million player when he joined Forest in 1979 and he went on to score the club’s winner in the European Cup final later that year. John McGovern, who lifted the trophy as Forest captain, said in a video interview tweeted by the club: “I’d be describing him as a footballer, absolute top class, but as a person he would probably be up there as well. Football has lost a true great of the game Former Nottingham Forest team-mate Martin O'Neill. “My condolences certainly go out to his family because this is one of the game’s nice guys.” Another former team-mate at Forest, Martin O’Neill, said on social media: “Really devastated to hear the tragic news that Trevor Francis has passed away. A phenomenal player, superb team-mate and a great friend. Football has lost a true great of the game.” Francis earned 52 England caps and later led Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham to major finals as a manager. A post on England’s official Twitter account said: “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.” Former Forest and England goalkeeper Peter Shilton tweeted: “I’m absolutely devastated to hear about my old team-mate Trevor Francis. Such a wonderful gentleman a friend and a terrible loss.” Francis former club’s Birmingham, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Sampdoria, Atalanta, Rangers, QPR and Manchester City offered their condolences, with the Genoa club writing simply: “Rest in peace, Trevor #Francis.” Former England striker turned TV presenter Gary Lineker wrote: “Deeply saddened to hear that Trevor Francis has died. “A wonderful footballer and lovely man. Was a pleasure to work alongside him both on the pitch and on the telly. RIP Trevor.” Former England team-mate Peter Reid said: “Great fella, played against him, England team-mate. He signed me for QPR from Everton. RIP Trev.” Chris Waddle, who was a member of Francis’ Owls side that reached the League Cup and FA Cup finals of 1993, tweeted: “So sorry to hear the sad news that Trevor Francis has passed away, he was a lovely man and such great player and thank you so much for bringing me to SWFC..RIP legend.” Mark Bright, another member of that Wednesday side, added: “RIP, Trevor Francis. Trev signed me when he was player/manager at SWFC. “The club experienced some great times in the early 90’s, both Trev his wife Helen were very kind in helping me to settle in at the club. I greatly appreciated it then & now. Love to sons Matthew & James.” Chris Kamara, the former Brentford and Swindon midfielder who later became a media colleague of Francis’, also offered his condolences. He wrote: “Oh no, just heard Trevor Francis has passed away. What a player he was & what a gentleman. Got to know him well when Trevor was doing his co-commentary’s for Sky, a job he loved. “RIP Trevor the first million pound player who always looked a million dollars.” Another media colleague, Hayley McQueen, daughter of former Leeds and Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen, said: “Gutted about the passing of Trevor Francis, he was never the same after the passing of his beloved wife Helen six years ago. “One of the loveliest couples you could meet who took me under their wing whilst working on a World Cup way back, dinners, lunches & even meet-ups back in London.” Francis broke into the Birmingham team at the age of just 16 and his fame went beyond the game. Former heavyweight world boxing champion Frank Bruno tweeted: “Trevor Francis RIP. Sad news about the sudden death of Trevor, he played in an era when I watched Match of the day avidly, another legend gone too soon. We met a few times, especially when I did events in and around the midlands.” Journalist and TV presenter Piers Morgan wrote: “RIP Trevor Francis, 69. Britain’s first £1m footballer who had 52 caps for England and won back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest. “Then became a superb TV pundit and was by all accounts a lovely man. Sad news. RIP.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football remembers Trevor Francis – Monday’s sporting social James Anderson could play until he’s 50, says Saqib Mahmood PSG give Kylian Mbappe permission to talk to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is pushing back toward its all-time high, technology shares have surged, sentiment among

A former volleyball player has filed a lawsuit alleging hazing within Northwestern University's women's volleyball team -- the latest accusation against the school's athletic programs.

Canada revealed new rules to ban some fossil fuel subsidies, targeting those that unfairly advantage oil and gas,

After trying and failing to dunk on a camper, NBA fans are treated to yet another hilariously embarrassing moment courtesy of Grant Williams.Grant Williams certainly had his fair share of viral moments this season. Like, remember when Grant dressed up and answered questions as Batman? Or the leg...

Shares of Chinese companies traded in the US recorded their biggest one-day advance since early January after top

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without a key weapon during training camp, but some upside to the injury timeline ices the sting.The Kansas City Chiefs are kicking off training camp, hopeful it's the first step in a lengthy pursuit to defend their Super Bowl victory from February.Back in...

A Donald Trump ally has turned over thousands of documents to special counsel Jack Smith related to efforts to find supposed voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election -- including materials that haven't been previously disclosed to investigators looking into events surrounding January 6, 2021.

Women's World Cup co-host New Zealand can potentially secure a place in the tournament's knockout stages with a win against the Philippines in Group A on Tuesday.

Twitter's name change is a XXXXing embarrassment.

Trevor Francis, British football’s first million-pound player, has died at the age of 69. The ex-Birmingham and England 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. “He died in Spain this morning from a heart attack,” said a spokesperson. Forest shattered the British transfer record when they paid £1.15m for him in 1979, although manager Brian Clough famously claimed the fee was £999,999 to take pressure off the player. He started his career at Birmingham, playing 328 times and scoring 133 goals. In 1971, at just 16 years old, he became the youngest ever player to score four times in Football League history in the Blues’ 4-0 win over Bolton. At international level, he played for England 52 times between 1976 and 1986, scoring 12 goals, and played at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He earned his record move to Forest in 1979 and headed the winner in the 1-0 victory over Malmo to win the European Cup just a few months later. Francis missed the European Cup win over Hamburg a year later through injury and joined Manchester City in 1981. Spells at Sampdoria, where he won the Coppa Italia, Atalanta, Rangers and QPR – where he was player-manager – followed. He moved to Sheffield Wednesday in 1990 before he replaced Ron Atkinson as manager. Under Francis, the Owls finished third in the old First Division in his first season in charge before finishing seventh in the newly created Premier League while also being runners-up to Arsenal in the 1993 FA Cup and League Cup finals. He left in 1995 and returned to Birmingham the following year, reaching the play-offs three times and also the 2001 League Cup final where they lost to Liverpool. Francis left St Andrew’s in October 2001 and joined Crystal Palace soon after, leaving the Eagles in 2003 in what was his last job. Francis spent half a year in Spain and the rest in Solihull. He suffered a heart attack 11 years ago and had kept himself fit with daily power walks. He had an annual health check through the League Managers’ Association and, according to his spokesman, was “enjoying life very much having eventually got over the death of his wife”. Helen passed away in 2017 after a battle with cancer. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Today at the World Cup: Ary Borges hat-trick has Brazil up and running James Anderson could play until he’s 50, says Saqib Mahmood We’re massively up for it – Zak Crawley says England hungry to end on Oval high

GUATEMALA CITY Senior U.S. Department of State official Brian Nichols said on Monday he had spoken with Guatemalan