Trevor Francis (born 19/4/1954, Plymouth) is a former English footballer and manager who gained 52 caps for England. He was England's first £1 million player.

 

Francis made his debut for Birmingham City in 1970, aged just 16. His talent was noted when, before his 17th birthday, he scored four goals in one game. He played at Birmingham until 1979 when he was signed by Brian Clough to Nottingham Forest for a record fee of £1 million. In 1981 he transferred to Manchester City, where he scored 12 goals in 26 games and made the squad for the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

 

Later that summer Francis was approached by Italian giants Sampdoria. He helped win the Coppa Italia in 1985. He then joined Atalanta where he played twenty-one times. In 1986, he made his 52nd and final appearance for England in a victory over Scotland. He scored eleven goals for the national side. Francis returned to Britain in 1987, joining Rangers, winning the Scottish League Cup that same year.

 

In 1988, Francis signed to QPR, where by November he had taken over as manager. He left after a year in charge. He moved to Sheffield Wednesday where he gained a good reputation with supporters. He became manager in 1991 after Ron Atkinson’s departure, guiding them to an excellent third place finish in 1992. He left The Owls in 1995, returning to Birmingham City as manager in 1996. He remained there until 2001 where he had a spell at Crystal Palace, defeating Liverpool in an FA Cup fourth round replay at Anfield in February 2003.

 

More recently, Francis works as a TV pundit.