It may be that today the English teams are spending lavishly on their transfer support and the amount of one million pounds to seem insignificant even for B’class teams, however far away 1979 was a record amount!
And indeed it had been given exactly 45 years agowith the Nottingham Forest to… gild, then her Birmingham to obtain him Trevor Francis…
The then 25-year-old striker had become the first player in England for whom a seven-figure sum was spent, breaking the previous record which was not even 500 thousand!
The show was stolen in his own way by the emblematic coach of Forest, Brian Cloughwhich had appeared in Francis’ presentation with sports clothing and squash racket…
Clough would later say that the amount was 999,999 poundsin order not to fall on the footballer the burden of being the first millionaire, however the amount eventually reportedly reached £1,150,000 through additional amounts stipulated in the agreement.
Francis, however, would only stay in Nottingham for two years, scoring 37 goals in 92 matchesas well as three titles – two Champions Cups and a European Super Cup.
He would later play for Manchester City, Sampdoria, Atalanta, Rangers, QPR, Wollongong City and Sheffield Wednesday before retiring in 1994. The previous summer, he died aged 69 of a heart attack at his home in Marbella.
It’s 45 years since Trevor Francis became the first £1m player.
Not that Brian Clough was too fussed. He was late for a game of squash, young man…
— A Funny Old Game (@sid_lambert) February 9, 2024
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
