An English international on 52 occasions, Trevor Francis was the hero of the C1 final in 1979. An incredible feat.
We are talking about a time when football did not allow transfer offers of more than 300 million euros… We are talking about a time when dreams came true.
What could Nottingham Forest managers dream of after winning their ticket to the English top flight in 1977? Certainly not to win the biggest European competition two years later.
Forest and Monaco strike at the same time
This is what happened to Brian Clough and his men in 1979. The coach of Forest and his team achieved one of the greatest feats in the history of the C1, the European Cup of champion clubs, the real one, which brought together the first in the ranking, not the dolphins.
Nottingham Forest had already signed a rather incredible performance by winning the crown of England in 1978 as promoted (like AS Monaco at the same time in French D1), with seven points better than Liverpool, the defending champion.
This club would not be the same without this legend. We owe a great debt to Trevor Francis. Whether it was before your time or you were lucky to witness it all. This man means an awful lot to the club we hold close to our heart. ❤️
— Callum Castel (@callumcasteln) July 24, 2023
1978-1979 marked the club’s European consecration and Trevor Francis became the hero of the final, the only C1 match he played that season, by scoring the goal against the Swedes of Malmö, heading in a cross from John Robertson (1-0, 45th + 1).
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. pic.twitter.com/GNBeV4onDp
—England (@England) July 24, 2023
Trevor Francis left this world at the age of 69, we learned on Monday, following a heart attack at his home in Spain. After a second C1 won in 1980 with Forest, the native of Plymouth continued his career at Manchester City, in Serie A (Atalanta, Sampdoria) to finish it in the country, in Sheffield in 1994.
We will not forget either his 52 selections with the Three Lions and his 12 goals, including two scored during the 1982 World Cup, and another participation in a World Cup, in 1986.
