Former Chelsea, Arsenal and England defender John Hollins has died at the age of 76.
The Guildford-born player was best known for a successful 12-year stint in the Chelsea first team between 1963 and 1975, during which he scored 64 goals in 562 games for the Blues.
Hollins - who started out as a midfielder before transitioning into a full-back role - had come through the Chelsea youth academy and became a regular for the Blues during his teenage years, playing 41 times in the 1964-65 First Division.
Hollins won the EFL Cup with Chelsea in the same season, before also clinching the FA Cup in the 1969-70 season and winning the European Cup Winners' Cup one year later.
The Englishman was named Chelsea's Player of the Year in both of those campaigns before transferring to Queens Park Rangers in 1975, helping the Hoops finish second in the top tier in his debut season, just one point behind champions Liverpool.
After turning out 183 times for QPR, Hollins made the move to Arsenal in 1979, scoring 13 goals in 173 games and being named the Gunners' Player of the Year in the 1981-82 campaign, the same year he was awarded an MBE for services to football.
Arsenal reached the 1980 European Cup Winners' Cup final with Hollins in the side, but the North London club lost on penalties to Valencia, and the defender returned to Chelsea for the 1983-84 season to help the Blues win the Second Division and return to the first tier.
Chelsea Football Club is greatly saddened to announce the passing of our former player and manager John Hollins MBE.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 14, 2023
All at the club send our heartfelt condolences to John's family and friends. 💙
With a total of 592 matches for Chelsea, Hollins sits fifth in the Blues' all-time appearance charts behind Ron Harris (795), Peter Bonetti (729), John Terry (717) and Frank Lampard (648).
"We were so sorry to hear of the death of John Hollins," Chelsea director Lord Daniel Finkelstein said in a statement. "He was a hero to the fans of this club, and very much that to me.
"He was at the heart of one of Chelsea's greatest teams and, as well as contributing to its trophy success, he expressed its spirit. He lifted up the team with his play and lit up the Bridge with his smile.
'He gave a life of service to this club, as a player, as a manager and as a match-day ambassador. He was greatly loved and will be much missed."
Hollins's son Chris Hollins - a former sports presenter for the BBC - added: "John was always so modest about the role he played in Chelsea's history. He was only 15 when he signed for the club and went on to win trophies in those incredible sides of the '60s and '70s.
"He had so many stories, but he always told us he just loved running out at the Bridge and wearing that famous blue shirt. We will miss him as a husband, a father and grandfather and will always be proud of what he achieved in the game."
Despite his success at club level, Hollins only earned one cap for England in a 2-0 friendly win over Spain in 1967, while he was also an unused substitute in a Euro 1972 qualifier against Greece.
After retiring as a player, Hollins returned to manage Chelsea between 1985 and 1988, and he also took charge of QPR, Swansea City, Rochdale, Stockport County, Crawley Town and Weymouth.
