He wants everyone to love him. The only silverware he picked up during that long career was the old Division Two title with Huddersfield Town. They had a son and a daughter together: Frank Junior and Kim Malou. Tough guy boss Revie wasnt so forgiving when Frank ignored his clear instructions not to go out. 'The era of the 1966 players has made us really aware of this.'. Frank said: Yeah, I was a bit of a rascal. His most famous goal, considered one of the best of all time, came for Bolton against Ipswich Town, where he did a fewkeepy uppies outside the box before flicking it over his head and volleying it into the net. Huddersfield, Leicester and Bolton clubs also honoured their former star, who led an extraordinary 828-game career racking up 260 goals. "Frank brought joy to so many people throughout his career and in his. Worthington's wife Carol paid tribute to the much-loved football showman, who died in hospital in . The England star,who refused to wear shinpads during matches, was compared to George Best in terms of his footballing talent and love of women and nightclubs. Tributes have poured in for footballing icon Frank Worthington, who has died aged 72 after a long battle with dementia. The Super League fixture had been a doubt due to safety concerns relating to the pitch. More #bbcfootball BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 23, 2021. The Jeff Astle Foundation believe the number may represent a fraction of the actual total. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Worthington's wife Carol paid tribute to the much-loved football showman, who died in hospital in Huddersfield. All reactions: 43. You could talk to him about the game for hours. Carol Worthington, speaking at their Huddersfield home, said: Frank had been declared bankrupt after returning from playing in America when he was landed with a big, unpaid tax bill. Best wants everyone to love him. It was, he admitted, a mistake. [32], He died on 22 March 2021 following a lengthy illness at the age of 72 in Huddersfield.[33][34]. He turned up at Bolton looking like he'd just left a nightclub. Living close to the edge was what Frank was used to. Lives in Eugene, Oregon. The couple had spent the last 25 years living together at their Huddersfield home after the much-loved football showman eventually hung up his boots at the start of the 90s. After the money stopped coming in I was made bankrupt as well. Worthington's daughter, Kim Malou, announced on Facebook in 2016 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, but he issued a statement the following day denying that he had the condition. 'The ball comes down and I hit it. The kind the fans might have selected., Worthington loved football for its own sake a passion which kept him going through an extraordinary 22 seasons in the Football League. I read that when he was a kid growing up in Halifax he played on the street with his two older brothers who used to kick lumps out of him. But Frank denied suffering from the brain disease. Sutton's professional footballer father, Mike, died on Boxing Day following a 10-year battle with dementia. "Carol Dwyer wearing her fathers, #NoelDwyer, international jersey and cap. Newcastle United striker Malcolm Macdonald ended up losing 1,200 to Frank. The only silverware he picked up during that long career was the old Division Two title with Huddersfield Town. That first touch killed the ball stone dead. He was my boyhood hero when he was at @LCFC," Lineker posted on social media. Frank said: Yeah, I was a bit of a rascal. But he will also be remembered as a dedicated playboy who loved to impersonate Elvis the explanation for his flamboyant sideburns and who took pride in his extensive list of conquests. He was flamboyant, a cavalier and he played up to the playboy image. When he signed for Southampton in 1983, Lawrie McMenemy told him I dont care how you train, just so long as you perform for me on a Saturday.. They included Miss World Mary Stavin, Miss Barbados Lindy Field, Profumo Affair model Mandy Rice-Davies, his first wife Birgitta who won Miss Sweden and his second spouse Carol Dwyer, who had been a Page 3 Girl. In 1973 Frank married his first wife Birgitta, who had already given birth to his son Frank Junior. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. He was my boyhood hero when he was at LCFC. . ", Worthington's first club Huddersfield tweeted: "Everyone at#htafcis devastated to hear of the passing of Town legendFrankWorthington. he said 'no comment', A jury at Bradford Crown Court have heard details of police interviews given by Mohammed Taroos Khan, Yorkshire waterfall walks you have to try at least once in your life, We've compiled a list of the top 10 walking trails in Yorkshire. Despite failing that Liverpool medical Frank played until he was aged 43, running out for over 20 clubs here and in the US, before finally hanging up his boots in 1992. I remember I was with him in one get together Revie organised. The increased risk of dementia for footballers after years of heading the ball has only recently become known. Everton won but I couldn't help feel for Frank because it was probably his last chance to play in an FA Cup final. There was an aura around Frank. and He said at the time: 'I have never been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or any other neurological disorder or illness. Mind, he did have a reputation, Frank. He confessed to smoking cannabis and snorting cocaine through a bank note. Frank, who played for 24 clubs including Leicester City and Leeds United, also confessed to taking cocaine and nearly drove a car off a cliff in Spain. He had a terrific football brain, sharp as a knife. 'This meeting should have happened 20 years ago,' said Sutton. On the marriage front, Worthington was more frugal than one might have expected from such a fast liver. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Great pals with the late George Best he lived with Lindy, the sister of the Manchester United stars first wife Angie. Most relevant . I have four international defenders in tow - Terry Butcher and Russell Osman are right behind me - but I am juggling with it and juggling with it. [26], Worthington further represented England in the 1991 edition of the World Cup of Masters, scoring in the opening round against Uruguay. Rock-star good looks, long hair, sharp sideburns, a fluorescent, flowery shirt, tight purple jeans and cowboy boots and we all thought "Jeez, what's this?". Frank Worthington Death He died peacefully in hospital in Huddersfield on 22 March 2021, at the age of 72 following a long illness, his family announced. Comments. Never shy about discussing his pulling prowess, he also told a journalist what happened after bedding a teenager in Sweden. Frank Worthington's widow has revealed she is being forced to sell the family home due to an uncertain financial future which she describes as 'terribly bleak'. Thanks to his family, I managed to get over to Yorkshire to see Frank for a last glass of wine and I'm glad he still recognised me so we could share a few more laughs. Best wants everyone to love him. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Today his former clubs paid their respects to one of football's . 'They have not been interested,'he added. For this mercurial talent, who has died at the age of 72, was just as well known for his inexhaustible exploits in the bedroom and on the dancefloor as his prowess in front of goal. "Profoundly saddened to hear thatFrankWorthingtonhas died. Former England striker Frank Worthington has died aged 72 following a long illness. Frank Worthington with model Carol Dwyer. When we walked back the next day, there was the car balancing on the edge of a big drop.. Slipping out the hotel through a side door with a few other England players they visited a casino. With Liverpool out of the picture, Frank signed for Leicester City instead, scoring 72 goals in 210 games for the Midlands side. Franks cause of death has not been announced. For the Canadian general, see, Chorley v. Macclesfield Town programme, 19 November 1988, "Guiseley A.F.C., 198990, Appearances / Goals", "Frank Worthington, supremely talented footballer and one of the game's great entertainers obituary", "Frank Worthington dies at 72: A born showman who made headlines on and off the pitch", "Rest in Peace: Frank Worthington (1948-2021)", "UNCOVERED: Our first picture ever of THAT Frank Worthington goal 34 years on", "Frank Worthington: football maverick described as 'the working man's George Best' dies aged 72", "Frank Worthington dead at 72: Tributes paid to great maverick of English football", "Kevin Garside: Oh for some flair like Frank's to fire up dull England", "Breathtaking Frank Worthington moment as Huddersfield Town mark his 71st birthday against Birmingham City", "Frank Worthington The man, the myth, 'that' goal", "They Could Have Been One of Football's Greatest: Frank Worthington", "Frank Worthington dead: Former England star passes away age 72 following illness", "Entertainment was all for Frank Worthington on the pitch and off it", "I World Cup of Masters (also known as III Copa Pel)", "Did Huddersfield Town legend Frank Worthington's Playboy lifestyle ruin a move to Liverpool? He played for Huddersfield Town, Leicester City, and several other football teams during his career. Frank was running between the lines before anyone drew them. 'I scored a nice one at Chelsea once in a game we lost, but that's not what I remember from that day. The 62-year-old revealed Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, had helped in many ways' and he is set to attend Worthington's funeral today. He described him as one of the best centre-forwards of all time. Yet, in the players' lounge, after the game, he was the first over with a drink saying how pleased he was for me. [29], Worthington was married twice: firstly in 1973 to Brigitta K. Egermalm, and secondly in 1986 to Carol, the daughter of Noel Dwyer, the Irish international goalkeeper. Jemma Carr Worthington was a fan favourite, much-loved for hisoutlandish sense of dress and well-reported playboy lifestyle. In later life, when asked who he had played for, he liked to reply I had 11 clubs or 12 if you count Stringfellows.. There were rumours that he had a sexually transmitted disease, but the player insisted it was blood pressure due to constant carousing. He wants everyone to love him. Everyone was chasing us for money but with sickness and other benefits we just about managed to get the interest paid on the mortgage. When Frank, Willie Morgan, Mike Walsh and I went to an Elvis convention in Blackpool, Frank was even more popular than the Elvis impersonator on stage, jumping up to sing Suspicious Minds. Around that time he declared bankruptcy because he couldnt pay off tax bills of 36,000. Fat lot of good it did him. He once admitted that should he have 'taken things a little easier early on' he would have progressed in his career further. There was a big headline in the local paper: Worthington Arrives Today. LEGENDS of the game, footie experts and celebrity fans paid tribute to Frank on social media. During a lengthy playing career, the striker represented more than 20 clubs but the latter years of his life saw wife Carol became his full-time carer with benefits their only source of income. 2 comments. 'The fact is the FA and PFA [Professional Footballers' Association] have not done anywhere near enough. Ex-Leicester and England star Gary Lineker described him last night as my boyhood hero and a wonderful character. I loved football and the ladies and I was not prepared to give up either. . to Carol Dwyer [registered in Halifax, December 1986]. 'He wasn't impressed.'. I once read an interview with him when he had just moved clubs - to Bolton I think - and he said he was knuckling down, getting self-disciplined; instead of going out seven nights a week, he said, he was going to cut it down to just the six. W---y-w---y-w---y-w---y-Worthington! they would shout. One of English football's great mavericks, Worthington died peacefully in hospital on March 22 at the age of 72 following a long illness and the funeral of the former Huddersfield . Plus he scored big goals at times that mattered. . 'I pointed to the Main Stand and said: 'You could have got a better view of that from over there.' [15], He showed flair[16] and skill[17][18] in his play; he did not wear shin guards and his socks often fell to his ankles. Sir Alf Ramsey swore when he turned up to fly with the England team wearing cowboy boots, a velvet jacket and silk shirt. While his England caps ended at just eight after manager Don Revie discovered Frank had ignored a strict curfew by going out drinking and gambling at a casino. Never shy about discussing his pulling prowess, he also told a journalist what happened after bedding a teenager in Sweden. February 28, 2022 Carol Dwyer is the wife of the popular former football player Frank Worthington who recently passed away at the age of 72. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.". Every moment I've thought of Frank Worthington today has made me smile. It was the decade when, as the author Rob Steen put it, flair wore flares. Peter Reid For The Daily Mail Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," Bolton tweeted. Huddersfield were not exactly a glamour club, but that didnt stop Frank becoming a major attraction. Very sad news. Tony Cottee, A great player, entertainer and character, even at 9 we had to go just to see him play. Gambling was a major part of football back in those days and one marathon card game in 1974 went on until 9am in the morning after England beat Bulgaria. Light on his feet, agile, you couldnt take your eyes off him. That was when they could prise him off the dancefloor. On the football pitch, my word what a presence he was. You can see why Worthingtons attitude failed to impress Ramsey or his successor Don Revie, a pair of pragmatic England managers. Boss at Self-Employed. Frank Worthington's wife Carol Dwyer is in deep shock since the death of the former footballer on March 22, 2021. [28] In 1972 he undertook a medical at Liverpool ahead of a proposed transfer to the club. Worthingtonwore Birmingham's colours from 1979 to 1982. He'd be the last off the training pitch because he loved that environment. and All of our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time,' Birmingham posted on twitter. There are 100+ professionals named "Carol Dwyer", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. But in another way he was unlucky with when he was born. Juggling the ball, practising tricks and free-kicks. With Liverpool out of the picture, Frank signed for Leicester City instead, scoring 72 goals in 210 games for the Midlands side. Slipping out the hotel through a side door with a few other England players they visited a casino.