Fulham legend Johnny Haynes has passed away after a car crash in Edinburgh, according to reports this evening.
The 71 year-old was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but succumbed to his injuries. A spokesman for the hospital has said:
“I can confirm Johnny Haynes has passed away tonight. His wife remains in hospital in a stable condition.”
Haynes, universally known as the ‘Maestro’, was the first player to earn £100 a week after the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961. He turned down offers from elsewhere to spend his entire professional career with Fulham, whom he joined as a schoolboy in 1950 to team up with his great friend George Cohen. Widely regarded as one of the best passes of a football ever seen, Haynes made 594 appearances for Fulham, scoring 147 goals.
He took the club to two FA Cup semi-finals in 1958 and 1962. The classy midfielder won 56 England caps, scoring eighteen goals, and captained his country but missed out on selection for the 1966 World Cup after a car accident in Blackpool saw him break both of his legs. It was some achievement for Haynes to return to professional football and he stayed with Fulham even though they dropped out of the top flight, finishing his playing career in 1970 after a short stint as the club’s player-manager.
Our thoughts are with Johnny’s friends and family as well as all the Fulham fans who loved watching him play.
