A hugely popular figure in English football and beyond, Venables was the cover star of the first ever issue of FourFourTwo
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Terry Venables, the England manager who famously led the nation to the semi-finals of Euro 96 on home soil, has died at the age of 80.
A statement issued on behalf of his family read: "We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday [Saturday] after a long illness.
"We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives."
Venables later returned to the England set-up as assistant manager to Steve McClaren (Image credit: Getty Images)
England boss between 1994 and 1996, Venables also had stints in charge of, among others, Tottenham, QPR and Barcelona – where he earned the nickname El Tel, having been recommended for the job by Bobby Robson.
A 1966/67 FA Cup winner with Spurs as a player, he later repeated the feat as a manager by leading the North London club to glory in 1990/91.
Prior to that success, he had guided Barca to the 1984/85 La Liga title – having begun his coaching career at Crystal Palace, taking them from the third tier to the top flight in the space of three seasons during the late 70s.
Venables started his playing career with Chelsea, helping them win the 1964/65 League Cup; he was capped twice by England (Image credit: Getty Images)
Reacting to the news of Venables' passing, League Managers' Association (LMA) chief executive Richard Bevan said:
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"The LMA is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of LMA member and former LMA President Terry Venables.
"Our thoughts are very much with [Venables' widow] Yvette and all of Terry's family at this time."
Venables featured on the cover of the very first issue of FourFourTwo back in 1994.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
