1982 WORLD CUP TREVOR FRANCIS
Trevor Francis became England’s most expensive player in 1979 when Nottingham Forest bought him for £1million. Archive video footage shows Trevor arriving at the ‘City Ground’ in his Jaguar XJ-S, as he’d already established himself as a top player with Birmingham City previously. He been an England international for two years already, so prestige XJ-S ownership seemed appropriate.
He would sometimes return home to Pennycross in Plymouth where locals would see him cruise by in his Jag. One resident happened to see him parked up in his parents’ driveway with the bonnet up after suffering water pump issues. On suggesting that he could keep the oil and grease away from his hands and instead take the XJ-S to a local garage, the ever-modest Francis politely declined, saying that he didn’t want any ‘local celebrity’ treatment.
FUN FOOTBALL FACT Francis played 52 times for England between 1977 and 1986. He scored 12 international goals, two of those in the group stages of the 1982 World Cup itself. He would also justify his then England record £1m price tag by scoring the winning goal for Nottingham Forrest in the 1979 European Cup Final against Malmo.