Leeds United great Norman Hunter has died at the age of 76 after testing positive for coronavirus, the club has announced.
Sky News reports that the former England defender, who was part of Sir Alf Ramsey’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad, was admitted to hospital last week after contracting COVID-19 – the disease caused by coronavirus.
In a statement released on Friday morning, his old team said: “Leeds United are devastated to learn of the passing of club legend Norman Hunter at the age of 76.”
“Norman was taken to hospital last week after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and, despite continuing to battle and the best efforts of NHS staff, he sadly lost his fight earlier this morning,” it added.
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“He leaves a huge hole in the Leeds United family, his legacy will never be forgotten, and our thoughts are with Norman’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”
The Elland Road club had previously thanked supporters for their “amazing messages and well wishes” for Hunter, having become a fan favourite for his part of Don Revie’s famous title-winning teams in 1969 and 1974.
He also won the FA Cup, League Cup and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, and in 1974 was the inaugural winner of the Professional Footballers’ Association’s player of the year award.
Hunter made more than 500 appearances for Leeds during his illustrious 20-year playing career, which also included shorter stints at Bristol City and Barnsley.
He would go on to manage Barnsley after he stopped playing, and also took the reigns at Rotherham and Bradford before retiring from football completely in 1990
