Wales and Burnley legend Leighton James has died aged 71.
A winger, James made over 600 appearances in the Football League and represented his country 54 times.
After retiring, he worked for almost two decades as a coach, taking charge of nine clubs in England and Wales. He also worked as an expert.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that international Leighton James has sadly passed away,” the Welsh FA wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
‘Among his most famous moments with the dragon on his shirt was scoring a penalty in a famous victory over England at Wembley in 1977. He was a star of the only Cymru team to top a qualifying group before reaching the quarter-finals. of the 1976 Euro Cup.
Wales and Burnley legend Leighton James has died aged 71 and tributes have poured in.
He began his career at Burnley and made his debut at the age of 17, spending three seasons at the club.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”
Burnley chairman Alan Pace said: “We are sorry to hear the news of Leighton’s passing. He left an indelible mark on this football club and the stories of his playing abilities still resonate around Turf Moor.
“Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”
Another of his former clubs, Swansea, wrote: “Swansea City are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Leighton James at the age of 71.
‘The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Leighton’s friends and family at this sad time. Once Jack, always Jack.
“Welsh football has lost a huge personality. A brilliant player, an entertaining expert and a true legend. RIP Leighton James,” wrote the football culture magazine Alternative Wales.
James was born on February 16, 1953 at Loughor in Swansea and started out at Burnley.
He made his debut for the Clarets aged 17 against Nottingham Forest and first played for the senior Wales team aged 18 against Czechoslovakia in 1971.
Derby County shelled out £300,000 to take him from Burnley, where he is pictured, and he made more than 600 appearances in club football.
His first spell at Burnley saw him score 45 goals in 180 games, and that led to Derby County shelling out a club-record £300,000 to take him off their hands.
He would enjoy a total of three seasons at Burnley, spells with QPR, Sunderland, Bury and Newport, and played for his home team, Swansea, in a historic career.
James retired in 1989 in his final spell at Burnley after being sacked as youth team manager.
More to follow.