Former Barcelona, Spurs, And England Terry Venables Dies At 80

Former Barcelona, Spurs, And England Terry Venables Dies At 80

The family of Terry Venables, the former manager of England’s national football team, Tottenham Hotspur, and Barcelona, has announced his passing at the age of 80 following an illness.

Venables achieved notable success during his tenure as manager of the England team, leading them to the semifinals of the 1996 European Championship, held in their home country, although they were ultimately defeated by Germany in a penalty shootout.

“We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness,” the family said in a statement on Sunday.

In addition to his time at Tottenham, where he secured victory in the FA Cup during the 1990-91 season, Venables also had managerial stints at Crystal Palace, Leeds United, and Barcelona, which contributed to a remarkably successful career.

His time at Barcelona, in particular, saw Venables earn the nickname “El Tel” as he won the La Liga title and led the team to the European Cup final in 1986. Notably, Venables played a pivotal role in bringing British strikers Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes to the Nou Camp.

“The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for.

“He was much more, though, than just a great manager, he was vibrant, he was charming, he was witty, he was a friend,” Lineker, who also played under Venables at Spurs and England, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Venables started his football career as a player with Chelsea, going on to play for Tottenham, QPR, and Crystal Palace before retiring to become manager of Crystal Palace.

As a player, he made over 500 appearances in the league and won the League Cup with Chelsea in 1965 and the FA Cup with Spurs in 1967. He made two international appearances for England.

Additionally, Venables served as the chief executive of Tottenham Hotspur from 1991 to 1993, providing further contribution to the club during his two-year tenure in that role.

“We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Venables, our former player, manager and chief executive, who passed away on Saturday,” Spurs said in a statement.

The club said they would pay tribute to his memory by holding a minute’s applause ahead of their clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Union of League Managers also paid tribute to him.

“The LMA is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of LMA member and former LMA President Terry Venables,” said LMA chief executive Richard Bevan.

“Our thoughts are very much with Yvette and all of Terry’s family at this time.”