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Kevin Keegan, the two-time Ballon d’Or-winning footballer who captained and managed England and won the European Cup with Liverpool, has died at the age of 75.
Keegan revealed last month that he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer.
“It is with immense sadness that we announce that Kevin Keegan has passed away at the age of 75,” family statement reads. “Kevin had been battling cancer and was surrounded by his wife and daughters in his final moments.”
“A double Ballon D’or winner, Kevin was a much loved husband, father and grandfather. The family would like to thank Kevin’s incredible medical team for all their support. This is a hugely difficult time and they are requesting space and privacy.”
Keegan won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards in 1978 and 1979 during his time in Hamburg, then called the European footballer of the year. He also reached another European Cup final with the German club, losing to Nottingham Forest in 1980.
He scored 21 goals in 63 appearances for England and played at the 1982 World Cup, his only appearance at football’s biggest tournament after England failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 editions.
Keegan became one of football’s first crossover celebrities. His trademark perm was widely copied by players across Europe, while he released a pop single, appeared in an aftershave advertisement alongside former heavyweight boxing champion Henry Cooper and became a familiar face on British television.
During the 1970s, Keegan’s popularity extended far beyond football, making him one of the sport’s most recognisable figures of the era.