British football mourns the death of Leighton James

Former Wales international Leighton James has died aged 71.

James was a stalwart of the Wales squad during the 1970s, playing 54 times for his country and scoring 10 goals, per The Guardian.

His most famous goal was against England at Wembley, a match-winning penalty late in the game to secure a famous victory in 1977.

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James was born in 1953 in the Gorseinon area of Swansea, a club he would later represent 88 times, per ITV News.

The Wales winger got his start in professional football with Burnley, for whom he played 399 games during three spells.

James would represent many clubs in his career outside of Swansea and Burnley, pulling on the shirts of Queens Park Rangers, Newport County, and Sunderland among others.

Following his playing career, James moved into management, taking charge of various teams in the English Football League and the Welsh football pyramid from 1993 to 2012.

Burnley chairman Alan Pace said: “We are sorry to hear the news of Leighton’s passing. He left an indelible mark on this football club and stories of his playing skills still echo around Turf Moor. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time,” in a statement, per The Guardian.

The Football Association of Wales released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) writing: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Leighton James has sadly passed away. Amongst his most famous moments with the dragon on his shirt was scoring a penalty in a famous win over England at Wembley in 1977.”

In tribute to their former player, Burnley and Swansea have confirmed they will wear black armbands during their upcoming fixtures, per The Guardian.

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