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Liverpool, Wrexham, Chelsea and Huddersfield hero Joey Jones has died at the age of 70.
Tributes have been paid to the Wales legend, who became synonymous with his iconic clenched fist salute and a famous banner showing how much he was adored by Liverpool fans. Fellow Reds legend John Aldridge tweeted on X this morning: "More sad news folks Joey Jones passed away last night.
"What a lovely man and an inspirational full back who gave his heart and soul in a red shirt and for all the clubs he played for! Our thoughts are with joeys family! I'm a lucky man to have met him many times. YNWA RIP topman."
The combative left-back began his career at Wrexham, making his debut aged just 17, before joining his beloved Liverpool in 1975, with Anfield legend Bob Paisley splashing around £110,000 for his services.
Jones became the first Welshman to claim a European Cup winners medal when Liverpool lifted the trophy for the first time in 1977, beating Borussia Monchengladbach 3–1, having eliminated Saint-Etienne in the quarter-finals and Zurich in the semi-finals. A banner was displayed by Reds supporters at the European Cup final in Rome, which read 'Joey Ate The Frogs Legs, Made The Swiss Roll, Now He's Munching Gladbach'.
It's etched in Liverpool folklore and is widely regarded as the finest banner in the Reds' history. The cult hero, who was serenaded by the Kop with the renowned 'oh Joey, Joey' chant, made exactly 100 appearances for the Merseyside giants, during which he also clinched the First Division and UEFA Cup.
In 1978, Jones returned to Wrexham in a club record £210,000 deal - a transaction that remained the Red Dragons' record signing until the Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney takeover led to the £300,000 acquisition of Ollie Palmer in January 2022.
Jones transferred to Chelsea in 1982 and played a pivotal role in the squad that stormed to the Second Division title in 1983/84. He stayed in the top flight with the Blues before moving to Huddersfield Town in 1985 - where he was crowned their player of the year in his debut season.
Jones then made a third return to Wrexham - taking his total appearances for the club to 479 as he finally ended his remarkable playing career after the 1991–92 season.
Jones, who earned 72 caps for Wales, later served as an Under 18s and reserve team coach at Wrexham - even having a brief stint as caretaker manager between the departure of Brian Flynn and Denis Smith in 2001.
Dubbed as Wrexham's 'ultimate Cult Hero' by the BBC, he reduced his duties at the club after undergoing heart surgery in 2002, but continued to nurture rising talents and returned to the Red Dragons as youth team ambassador in 2021.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Daily Star by clicking here.
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