Francis Lee (footballer) facts for kids
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Lee with Manchester City, c. 1970
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis Henry Lee | ||
| Date of birth | 29 April 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Westhoughton, Lancashire, England | ||
| Date of death | 2 October 2023 (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1959–1967 | Bolton Wanderers | 189 | (92) |
| 1967–1974 | Manchester City | 249 | (112) |
| 1974–1976 | Derby County | 62 | (24) |
| Total | 500 | (228) | |
| National team | |||
| 1968–1972 | England | 27 | (10) |
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Francis Henry Lee (born April 29, 1944 – died October 2, 2023) was a famous English footballer and businessman. Many people knew him as Franny Lee. He was a very good striker who played for several top teams. Later in his life, he even became the chairman of Manchester City.
Francis Lee was known for being fast and determined on the field. He scored over 200 goals in his career! He helped his teams win important titles, including the League Championship with Manchester City and Derby County. In 2010, he was honored by being added to the English Football Hall of Fame.
He holds a special record in English football for scoring the most penalties in one season. This earned him the nickname "Lee 1 (Pen)". This was because his name often appeared with "1 (Pen)" next to it in newspaper results. Sometimes, people thought he might have fallen too easily to win these penalties. One time, this even led to a famous argument on the field with another player.
Outside of football, Francis Lee was also a successful businessman. He started a company that recycled paper to make things like toilet paper. This business made him a millionaire. He also briefly trained racehorses and played cricket as a hobby.
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Starting at Bolton Wanderers
Francis Lee began his football journey as a young player. He was only 16 when he played his first game for Bolton Wanderers in November 1960. It was a big match against Manchester City, and Bolton won 3–1! He played alongside a club legend, Nat Lofthouse, and both of them scored.
He became a professional player in May 1961. Lee quickly became Bolton's top goal scorer in the 1962–63 season. Even after Bolton was moved down to a lower division, he kept scoring. In the 1964–65 season, he scored 23 goals in the league, which was his best for the club. By September 1967, he had scored 106 goals in 210 games for Bolton before moving to Manchester City.
Time at Manchester City
In 1967, Manchester City manager Joe Mercer bought Francis Lee for £60,000. This was a record amount for the club at the time. Mercer believed Lee was the "final piece of the puzzle" for his team.
Lee played his first game for Manchester City in a 2–0 win. The very next week, he scored his first goal for them. In his first season, he scored 16 goals in 31 games. He was a key player when City won the league title on the very last day of the season. They won 4–3 against Newcastle United, and Lee scored one of the goals!
The next year, in the 1968–69 season, Lee helped Manchester City win the FA Cup. He was also the top scorer for City in the 1969–70 season and for the next four seasons too. One of his most important goals was a penalty in the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, which City won.
In the 1971–72 season, Francis Lee set a British record. He scored 15 penalties out of his 35 goals that season! This is why he was called "Lee 1 (Pen)". He also held the record for scoring the most goals in Manchester derbies (games against Manchester United), with ten goals. Later, Wayne Rooney broke this record.
Playing for Derby County
In 1974, Francis Lee left Manchester City and joined Derby County. He was sad to leave City, but he quickly showed his worth at Derby. In his first game against his old club, he scored the winning goal for Derby!
That season, Lee scored twelve league goals. Derby County won their second league title, and it was Lee's second championship medal! On November 1, 1975, Lee had a very famous clash with Leeds United defender Norman Hunter. This incident was even shown on TV. After some pushing and shoving, both players were sent off the field. Lee got a cut lip and was banned from playing for four weeks. This moment is still remembered as one of sport's most dramatic send-offs.
Lee played for Derby for two seasons, appearing in 80 games and scoring 30 goals. His last game as a professional footballer was on April 24, 1976, where he scored two goals in a 6–2 win.
Playing for England
Francis Lee first played for the England national team on December 11, 1968. He was 24 years old. His first goal for England came in his next game, a 5–0 win against France.
Lee was part of the England team that played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He was the first English player ever to receive a yellow card in a World Cup game. This happened when he accidentally kicked the Brazilian goalkeeper. He played in important World Cup games, including the one where England was knocked out by West Germany.
Life After Football
Business Ventures
After retiring from football, Francis Lee became a successful businessman. His company, FH Lee Ltd, made products like toilet paper from recycled paper. This business was very successful and made him a millionaire.
In 1994, Lee became the chairman of Manchester City. Many fans were very happy about this because they wanted him to take control of the club. He made big promises, saying the club would be the "happiest" and the players would be the "best paid." However, things didn't go as planned, and the club faced tough times. Lee stepped down in 1998. He later sold all his shares in the club.
Besides his paper business, Lee also trained racehorses for a while. He trained many winners from 1984 to 1996.
Personal Life
Before becoming a professional footballer, Francis Lee was also good at cricket. He played for his local school team. After his football career ended, he briefly returned to cricket, playing for a local team in 1977.
In 2016, Francis Lee was honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was for his great contributions to football and his charity work.
Francis Lee passed away on October 2, 2023, at the age of 79, after a long illness.
Career Statistics
International Goals
Here are the goals Francis Lee scored for the England national team:
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | |||
| 1968 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1969 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1970 | 9 | 3 | |
| 1971 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1972 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 27 | 10 | |
Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lee goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 March 1969 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  France |
4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 3 May 1969 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland |
2–1 | 3–1 | British Home Championship |
| 3 | 7 May 1969 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Wales |
2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | 8 June 1969 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Uruguay |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 18 April 1970 | Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales | Wales |
1–1 | 1–1 | British Home Championship |
| 6 | 24 May 1970 | Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador |  Ecuador |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 25 November 1970 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  East Germany |
1–0 | 3–1 | |
| 8 | 21 April 1971 |  Greece |
3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1972 qualification | |
| 9 | 12 May 1971 |  Malta |
2–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 10 | 29 April 1972 |  West Germany |
1–1 | 1–3 | UEFA Euro 1972 quarter-finals |
Awards and Achievements
Manchester City
- Football League First Division: 1967–68
- FA Cup: 1968–69
- Football League Cup: 1969–70
- FA Charity Shield: 1968, 1972
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1969–70
Derby County
- Football League First Division: 1974–75
- FA Charity Shield: 1975
Individual Honors
- Rothmans Golden Boots Awards: 1971, 1972
- Football League First Division Golden boot: 1971–72
- Manchester City Player of the Year: 1969–70
- English Football Hall of Fame
- 1969 Ballon d'Or: 13th place
- Most penalties scored in First Division: 1972
- Manchester City top goalscorer: 1968–69, 1969–70 (shared), 1970–71 (shared), 1971–72, 1973–74
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Images for kids
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Lee with Manchester City, around 1970
See also
In Spanish: Francis Lee para niños
