John Robertson (left), Getty Images December 25, 2025, 9:51 p.m

The world of football says goodbye to John Robertson – a man whose name is forever written in golden letters in the history of Nottingham Forest.

The winger, who iconic manager Brian Clough called the Picasso of our game, has died at the age of 72, leaving behind the legacy of one of the most remarkable eras in European football. Robertson became a key element in the Brian Clough miracle.

It was he who scored the only and winning goal in the 1980 European Cup final against Hamburg, allowing Forest to defend the title of the continent’s strongest team. A year earlier, in the 1979 final against Malmö, it was after his jeweled header that Trevor Francis scored the decisive goal.

His captain John McGovern once said: “He was like Ryan Giggs, but with two working legs and even more talent.”

Robertson’s path was not easy. Before Clough’s arrival in 1975, he was on the transfer list and considered a player without a future. Brian Clough described him in his biography as untidy and indifferent, but later admitted:

“I turned him into one of the best players I’ve ever seen. He was as good as the Brazilians or the Italians.”

In general, as part of the Foresters, Robertson won: • 2 European Champions Cups; • The title of champion of England; • UEFA Super Cup; • 2 League Cups. In 2015, Nottingham Forest fans officially recognized him as the best player in the entire history of the club.

John Robertson played 28 matches for Scotland. Fans will always remember his winning goal against England in 1981 and his goal in the 1982 World Cup final against New Zealand.

After his playing career ended, he became an integral part of Martin O’Neill’s success. As an assistant, Robertson helped build the legendary Celtic side of the early 2000s (three league titles and a UEFA Cup final), and also worked at Leicester and Aston Villa.

John Robertson remains a symbol of how a coach’s faith and boundless natural talent can lift a player from the grassroots to the pinnacle of world football. His contribution to the game will forever remain the standard of skill of the classic winger.