Former England midfielder and Manchester City legend Colin Bell has died at the age of 74 after a short, non-Covid related illness.
He leaves behind his wife Marie, children Jon and Dawn, and grandchildren, Luke, Mark, Isla, and Jack.
“It is with the deepest sadness and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Manchester City legend Colin Bell,” wrote Manchester City on its Twitter page.
Bell made 492 appearances for City in 13 years with the club, winning First Division titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup and scoring 152 goals while in Manchester.
He also scored nine goals in 48 games for England and was part of the 1970 World Cup squad.
According to SkySports, the Manchester City players will come out in retro shirts with the number eight Bell on them for Wednesday night’s match against Manchester United.
Known as Colin The King, in 2004 City fans chose to name the place at the Etihad Stadium with his name. Bell’s name is also still sung regularly at every Manchester City match.
“Colin Bell will always be remembered as one of Manchester City’s greatest players and the very sad news today of his passing will affect everybody connected to our club,” said Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
“I am fortunate to be able to speak regularly to his former manager and teammates, and it’s clear to me that Colin was a player held in the highest regard by all those who had the privilege of playing alongside him or seeing him play. The passage of time does little to erase the memories of his genius. The fact that we have a stand at the Etihad Stadium named after Colin speaks volumes about the importance of his contribution to this club.
“Colin was incredibly humble and a modest and understated man with an obvious inner strength of character. He was clearly comfortable with who he was and what he had achieved in the game. For the rest of us, there is always the thought of what might have been if injury had not affected his career. Undoubtedly more trophies for City and far more than the 48 England caps to his name,” said the chairman.
“Our Club has lost a true great. Everyone’s thoughts and best wishes are with Colin’s family,” he added.
Source: Manchester City, Twitter, SkySports