Former Sampdoria and Atalanta striker Trevor Francis, whose career highlight was twice winning the European Cup at Nottingham Forest, has died at the age of 69.
Francis was in Spain when he suffered a fatal heart attack.
He became the first ever £1m football player from Britain when making the move from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest in January 1979, going on to win back-to-back European Cups with the club in 1979 and 1980.
Francis spent five years in Italy, representing Sampdoria along with fellow Brit Graeme Souness from 1982-86 and then spending a season with Atalanta in 1986-87.
Injuries were a constant problem during that period in Serie A, but he still won the Coppa Italia for Samp and was top scorer in that 1984-85 tournament with nine goals.
After 18 goals in 89 Serie A appearances, Francis returned to Britain for Glasgow Rangers, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday, then became a coach.
He was also a regular in punditry when covering Italian football for English television.
“This has come as a huge shock to everybody. We are all very upset,” read a statement from his family.
“He was a legendary footballer, but he was also an extremely nice person.”