Football’s ‘Picasso’ John Robertson dies at 72

Robertson was a central figure in Nottingham Forest’s golden era, scoring the winning goal as the club defended the European Cup against Hamburg in 1980. He had also delivered the cross for Trevor Francis’ decisive goal in the 1979 final against Malmo.

At international level, Robertson earned 28 caps for Scotland, scoring a memorable winner against England in 1981 and finding the net against New Zealand at the 1982 World Cup finals.

Born in Viewpark, North Lanarkshire, Robertson joined Forest in 1970 and became a key player under Clough after initially being listed for transfer. Between 1976 and 1980, he made 243 consecutive appearances for the club and scored the decisive penalty in the 1978 League Cup final replay win over Liverpool.

He later moved to Derby County in 1983, though injuries limited his impact, and brief returns to Forest and non-league football followed. With Forest, Robertson won multiple domestic and European honours, including league titles, two League Cups and the Uefa Super Cup. In 2015, he was voted the club’s greatest-ever player in a Nottingham Post poll.

After retiring, Robertson enjoyed a successful coaching career as assistant to Martin O’Neill at several clubs, including Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa, winning league titles and domestic cups in Scotland and helping guide Leicester to top-flight promotion, reports UNB.