Tragedy on the first day of Christmas! The Premier League legend, a two-time Champions League winner, has died aged 72
Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Thursday, December 25, 2025, 5:08 p.m. / Updated Thursday, December 25, 2025, 5:14 p.m.
There is mourning at Nottingham Forest, who are 17th in the Premier League, on the very first day of Christmas after the legendary John Robertson passed away at the age of 72.
The Nottingham Forest family have announced the passing of the club's iconic former footballer, two-time Champions League winner John Robertson.
The Scottish attacking midfielder, one of the greatest players in the team's history, linked his name to the club's golden pages, wearing the shirt of the “reds” in two different periods: 1970-1983 and 1985-1986.
John Robertson has died aged 72
His first and longest spell at Nottingham Forest was between 1970 and 1983, before he returned to finish his career in the 1985–86 season. In between, he had a brief spell at Derby County for two years.
Nottingham Forest expressed its deep sadness upon learning this news through an emotional statement, according to sportal.gr.
“It is with a broken heart that we announce the passing of Nottingham Forest legend and our dear friend, John Robertson. A true great player for our club and two-time European Champions Cup winner, his unrivaled talent, modesty and unwavering devotion to Nottingham Forest will never be forgotten,” the Englishmen announced.
Robertson scored the decisive goal in Nottingham Forest's European Champions Cup defense against Hamburg in 1980, having provided the cross from which Trevor Francis scored the winner against Malmo the previous season.
For Scotland, he scored the winning goal against England in 1981 and scored against New Zealand in the 1982 World Cup finals. He amassed 28 caps for his country before becoming assistant manager to his former Forest team-mate Martin O'Neill at Wycombe Wanderers, Norwich City, Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa.
