Soccer lost another of it’s legends yesterday with the death of legendary manager Terry Venables. The Englishman was one of the most revered and loved managers in the country of England, where he spent much of his professional career.
He passed away sadly at the age of 80 on the night of October 25 in the comfort of his own home. Tributes have come in for the manager who was affectionately nicknamed ‘El Tel’, who had a very illustrious and exciting career.
What illness did Terry Venables have?
In a statement released by the family of the famed manager, they said, “We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness.” What the long illness was has not been mentioned anywhere.
“We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives.”
Terry had long suffered from arthritis, which had cut his playing days short in 1974, and actually started his journey into coaching. Venables himself never spoke publicly about any illness he had suffered. A close friend and former manager Ron Atkinson also confirmed that Venables has been ill for a while. He said, “I knew he has been ill for some time. Football has lost another one of its legends.”
Which teams did Terry Venables manage?
Terry Venables played more than 500 games as a midfielder for clubs like Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and Crystal Palace. He also had two appearances for the England national team.
He entered coaching as the manager of Crystal Palace between 1976 and 1980. The next four years he spent at Queens Park Rangers, helping them get promotion and become FA Cup runners up.
Venables would then make a big move to Spain as the manager of FC Barcelona. He won the La Liga and Copa de Liga trophies there. He is also credited with being the one to allow the legendary Diego Maradona to leave Camp Nou, and brought Gary Lineker there.
He would return to England at Tottenham, spending 4 years and only winning the FA Cup. In 1994, he would become the manager of the England national team. He lead in the 1996 Euro tournament, where they went to the semi finals, and played some very good football. Many of his England squad appreciated him a lot.
He would then managed Australia’s national team and returned to Crystal Palace for a short stint. He would then manage Middlesbrough alongside Bryan Robson and later Leeds United. In 2007, he would manage for the last time as the assistant manager of the England squad.
We offer our deepest condolences to the people affected by the loss of Terry Venables, and hope he is in a better place.
