Former Scotland, Nottingham Forest and Derby County winger John Robertson, famously described by Brian Clough as the “Picasso of football”, has died at the age of 72.
Robertson was a key part of Nottingham Forest’s golden era, scoring the winning goal in the 1980 European Cup final and providing the assist for Trevor Francis’ winner in the 1979 final.
He also enjoyed success with Scotland, scoring a famous winner against England in 1981 and finding the net at the 1982 World Cup. In total, he earned 28 caps for his country.
After retiring, Robertson worked as an assistant manager alongside Martin O’Neill at clubs including Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa.
Despite early doubts from Brian Clough, Robertson went on to become one of the finest crossers of the ball in the game, earning praise from teammates who compared his ability to some of football’s greatest wingers.
