Former Chelsea and Aston Villa player Ian Hamilton dies at 73

Former Chelsea and Aston Villa player Ian 'Chico' Hamilton has passed away, per the BBC.

According to the BBC, the midfielder made history by becoming Chelsea's youngest ever league player and goalscorer at the age of 16.

After less than a year at Southend United, Hamilton signed for Aston Villa.

At Villa Park, he was part of the Villa team that won the League Cup in 1975, beating Norwich 1-0, recalls the Birmingham club on its website.

"The flamboyant and hugely-popular midfielder played an integral part in Villa’s emergence from the darkest days of the club’s history during the early 1970s, scoring 48 goals in a total of 252 league and cup appearances," Villa writes.

"The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Ian’s family and friends at this difficult time," the Premier League club added.

"Chelsea Football Club sends our deepest condolences to Ian’s family and friends," Chelsea writes in a statement on its website.

After his spell at Villa, Hamilton played for Sheffield United and American clubs Minnesota Kicks and San Jose Clash.

According to the Aston Villa website, he then worked as a coach at a school in Ohio, before retiring to the Costa Brava in Spain.

Announced in 2023, Hamilton suffered from dementia, per Aston Villa. 'Chico' died at the age of 73.