Trevor Francis - The first £1m footballer whose talents eclipsed his price tag
Diving headlong to meet John Robertson's cross beyond the far post, Trevor Francis crash-landed in the shot-putting circle at Munich's Olympic stadium.
His brave, tumbling header turned out to be Nottingham Forest's winner in the European Cup final against Malmo 44 years ago. Francis, Britain's first £1million footballer, became the big shot in an orb normally reserved for giants who toss 16lbs cannonballs – and the big shot who planted Brian Clough's standard at the summit just 110 days after Old Big 'Ead unveiled his historic transfer market coup, wafting a squash racquet like a carpet beater.
In an otherwise dreary spectacle, Francis's goal was like discovering a Rembrandt at a car boot sale, but he expected Clough to be full of the joys after conquering Europe. “I thought he would be incredibly happy after winning the European Cup for the first time, but he wasn't particularly happy at all,” mused Francis five years ago.
“He saw it as an opportunity to show the world just how good his team was, but we didn't play great and didn't perform to our potential, so it was a rather subdued Brian Clough in the dressing room afterwards.”
On the day Saudi Arabian spendthrifts offered vulgar sums of money with no bearing on real life for France striker Kylian Mbappe, it was announced Trevor Francis – the man whose transfer fee remains a definitive point of reference – has died at the age of 69.
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Francis was not just an historic price tag from a moment in time. He was a wonderful player, one of the finest talents British football has produced in the last 60 years.
When he ghosted past defenders, dipping his shoulder and accelerating like a Ferrari, he was one of the most quicksilver forwards in Europe. A boy wonder at Birmingham City, he scored 118 goals in 280 games – a formidable return at a club who never threatened to win a trophy – including four against Bolton when he was still just 16.
Trevor Francis won back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest (Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)
Trevor Francis took his talents to the international stage (Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)When Clough, who had first tried to sign Francis when he managed Derby, ended an eight-year pursuit of his quarry, he insisted the transfer fee was £999,999 because he refused to meet Birmingham's £1m valuation.
In truth, the price was £1.15m – more than twice the previous British transfer record of £516,000, with which West Bromwich Albion parted to land David Mills from Middlesbrough. It was Clough's way of trying to trying to take the pressure off Francis, but he never escaped the fee.
He played professional football for 23 years, won 52 England caps spread over nine years and managed four clubs, but everywhere he went, Francis was invariably introduced as the first £1m footballer – as if he had never achieved anything else in the game.
“I smashed, literally smashed, the transfer record,” he said four years ago. “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 £1 million did.”
Francis during his time with Sampdoria (Getty Images)Have your say! What's your favourite Trevor Francis memory? Give us your pick in the comments section.
As a player, Francis won trophies at four clubs. He also scored twice for England at the 1982 World Cup, against Czechoslovakia and Kuwait, as Ron Greenwood's side returned home unbeaten despite conceding only once in five games. As a manager, he was once embroiled in controversy at QPR after refusing to let midfielder Martin Allen attend the birth of his child.
But he was revered at Sheffield Wednesday for leading them to Wembley four times in 48 days in 1993 – the Steel City FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, League Cup final against Arsenal and replayed FA Cup final with the Gunners.
Trevor Francis was best remembered as manager at Sheffield Wednesday (Mark Leech/Getty Images)His death, following a heart attack in Spain, is a shattering blow to everyone who envied those twinkling feet, not least at Birmingham, where Bluenose comedian Jasper Carrott was a lifelong friend. One of Carrott's great stand-up routines is a glorious throwback to commercial radio BRMB sports presenter Tony Butler – who died earlier this month – holding court on the airwaves.
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Mimicking Butler's strangled vowels, Carrott says: “This week's competition is for two free tickets to last season's Cup final, and the question is: What are Trevor Francis's initials?”
Desperate phone-in caller: “Hello, Tone – is it 1968?” Butler: “You've won, you're the nearest.”
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