Former England captain Emlyn Hughes,has died of cancer aged 57.
Hughes, who spent 12 years at Liverpool, leading the club to their first European Cup victories in 1977 and 1978, underwent surgery for a brain tumour in August 2003.
Nicknamed Crazy Horse for his barnstorming style of playHughes won the league title four times, the European Cup and UEFA Cup twice each and the FA Cup once with Liverpool, and the League Cup with his next club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He also won 62 England caps, many as captain.
“Those lucky enough to see him play will recall his boundless enthusiasm, 100 percent commitment to the cause and unrelenting passion for the club whenever he had the Liver Bird close to his chest,” a Liverpool statement said on Tuesday.
“He was a magnificent captain for Liverpool and England as well,” former team mate Phil Neal told Sky Sports News.
“He was effervescent and a great leader. I never saw Emlyn down.
“He was still “Crazy Horse” battling with (illness) the way he did for Liverpool and England.”
Former Liverpool and England goalkeeper Ray Clemence added: “He will be sadly missed by everybody. For Emlyn to pick up the European Cup for the first time for Liverpool will have stayed in his memory and will stay in his family’s forever.”
“He started with Liverpool in midfield…As his career went on, he finished up playing centre-half and that was probably when Liverpool started to play football from the back and the way Liverpool Football Club moved up a gear.”
