Tributes paid after death of two Nottingham Forest legends

The news of the death Chris Bart-Williams at the age of 49, follows the announcement of the passing of two-time European Cup winner Trevor Francis

Chris Bart Williams (left), Trevor Francis (right)
Author: Ella BicknellPublished 25th Jul 2023

Former Nottingham Forest players and fans are remembering two Nottingham Forest legends, Trevor Francis and Chris Bart Williams.

Trevor Francis

The first British £1m player Trevor Francis has died aged 69.

A spokesperson has confirmed, Francis died at his home near Marbella in Spain on Monday morning.

Francis, who won 52 caps for his country and lifted the European Cup with Forest twice.

He scored the winning goal in the 1979 European Cup final as Forest beat Malmo 1-0 and was part of the squad when the club won the competition again the following year.

Former Forest team-mate Peter Shilton was among the first to pay tribute to Francis.

The former England goalkeeper tweeted: "I'm absolutely devastated to hear about my old team mate Trevor Francis such a wonderful gentleman a friend and a terrible loss."

Rich Ferraro, from the 1865 The Nottingham Forest Podcast called him a "prodigious talent" with his goal during the European Cup final "one of the most important moments on in the club's history"

He said: "He repaid that 1 million pound fee and more!"

Chris Bart-Williams

Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Chris Bart-Williams has died aged 49.

Sheffield Wednesday, another former club, announced he had died in the United States, where he was a coach and mentor.

Bart-Williams moved to Forest in 1995 and made more than 200 outings for the City Ground side before stints at Charlton and Ipswich Town.

Former Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley posted on Twitter: "I'm so upset to hear the news of Trevor Francis passing and my former team mate Chris Bart Williams, both so young, it is so sad , RIP Trevor and Chris."

Former Sheffield Wednesday striker Mark Bright described Bart-Williams as "a wonderfully gifted player, with a huge personality, and a very charismatic guy".

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