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5 months ago
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Wales and Burnley legend Leighton James has died at the age of 71.
James, a winger, made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and represented his country 54 times.
After retiring, he served the game for almost two decades as a manager, taking the reins at nine clubs in England and Wales. He also worked as a pundit.
'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.
'Amongst his most famous moments with the dragon on his shirt was scoring a penalty in a famous win over England at Wembley in 1977. He was a star of the only Cymru team to top a qualifying group before going on to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 1976.
Wales and Burnley legend Leighton James has died at the age of 71 and tributes have been pouring in
He started his career at Burnley and made his debut at 17, going on to have three stints with 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 stories of his playing skills still echo around Turf Moor.
'Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.'
Another of his former clubs, Swansea, wrote: 'Swansea City is 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 a Jack, always a Jack.'
'Welsh football has lost a massive personality. A brilliant player, entertaining pundit and bonafide legend. RIP Leighton James,' wrote football culture magazine Alternative Wales.
James was born on 16 February, 1953 in Loughor in Swansea and started out with Burnley.
He made his Clarets debut aged 17 against Nottingham Forest and first turned out for the Welsh senior team at 18 against Czechoslovakia in 1971.
Derby County shelled out £300,000 to take him from Burnley, where he is pictured, and he made over 600 appearances in club football
His first stint 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 out of their hands.
He would enjoy a total of three stints at Burnley, times with QPR, Sunderland, Bury, and Newport, and pulled on the strip of his local side, Swansea in a storied career.
James retired in 1989 in his final spell at Burnley after being dismissed as the youth team manager.
More to follow.
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