“Crazy Horse” Emlyn Hughes dies](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)
LONDON (Reuters) - Former England captain Emlyn Hughes, the driving force behind Liverpool’s European Cup glories in the 1970s, has died of cancer aged 57.
Hughes, a central defender who spent 12 years at Liverpool, led the Reds to their first European Cup victories in 1977 and 1978. He underwent surgery for a brain tumour in August 2003.
Nicknamed Crazy Horse for his charging runs upfield, Hughes was signed by Liverpool manager Bill Shankly as a 19-year-old from Blackpool for 65,000 pounds in 1967.
The two men combined to make Liverpool the top team in European football, with Hughes providing unrelenting drive and enthusiasm on the pitch.
He won the league title four times, the European Cup and UEFA Cup twice each and the FA Cup once with Liverpool, and the League Cup with his next club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He won 62 England caps, many as captain.
“Those lucky enough to see him play will recall his boundless enthusiasm, 100 percent commitment to the cause and unrelenting passion for the club whenever he had the Liver Bird close to his chest,” a Liverpool statement said on Tuesday.
The son of a rugby league international, Hughes came from Barrow and played 665 games for Liverpool, scoring 48 goals.
Hughes was at Anfield until 1979 when he joined Wolves for 90,000 pounds. He also played for Rotherham United as player-manager, Hull City, Mansfield Town and Swansea City.
After his playing career, Hughes became a popular figure on television, appearing regularly on BBC’s “A Question of Sport”.
TRIBUTES PAID
“He was a magnificent captain for Liverpool and England as well,” team mate Phil Neal told Sky Sports News. "He was effervescent and a great leader. I never saw Emlyn down.
“He was still “Crazy Horse” battling with (illness) the way he did for Liverpool and England.”
Former Liverpool and England goalkeeper Ray Clemence said: “He will be sadly missed by everybody. For Emlyn to pick up the European Cup for the first time for Liverpool will have stayed in his memory and will stay in his family’s forever.”
“He started with Liverpool in midfield…As his career went on, he finished up playing centre-half and that was probably when Liverpool started to play football from the back and the way Liverpool Football Club moved up a gear.”