Terry Yorath impact on Welsh football ‘immeasurable’ – Wales boss Craig Bellamy

Terry Yorath’s impact on Welsh football has been described as “immeasurable” by current Wales boss Craig Bellamy following the former national team manager’s death at the age of 75.

Yorath, who has died following a short illness, won 59 caps for Wales between 1969 and 1981, 42 of them as captain, and led his country to the quarter-finals of the 1976 European Championship.

Cardiff-born Yorath later managed Wales from 1989 to 1993, taking them to the brink of 1994 World Cup qualification when a missed penalty in the final game against Romania proved costly.

“The impact Terry Yorath had on Welsh football is immeasurable,” Bellamy said on the Football Association of Wales’ X account.

“Terry epitomised everything it means to represent Cymru as a player, and watching the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign with him as manager was the first time I experienced genuine belief that our country could qualify for a major tournament.

“As a country, we have so much to thank Terry for what he did.

“My thoughts and condolences are with Terry’s family and friends during this difficult time, everyone in the Welsh football family will miss an incredible person.”

Yorath, a fearsome competitor who played a big part in the Leeds team under Don Revie, winning the First Division title, before spells with Coventry, Tottenham and Bradford, was called an “icon in Welsh football” by Ashley Williams.

“As a former Wales captain myself he’s such an icon in Welsh football,” Williams, Wales’ skipper at Euro 2016, told Sky Sports.

“A footballing hero, such a big personality in Welsh football. It’s a huge loss for Welsh football.

“He was one of those massive names you hear about when you get selected for Wales. He’s at the top of that list and you know you’ve got to live up to what he achieved.”

Speaking on behalf of the family, Yorath’s children said in a statement: “To most he was a revered footballing hero, but to us he was Dad; a quiet, kind and gentle man. Our hearts are broken but we take comfort knowing that he will be reunited with our brother, Daniel.”

Daniel, one of Yorath’s four children, died aged 15 in 1992 from a genetic heart condition after playing football in the garden with his dad.

BBC Sport presenter Gabby Logan, another of Yorath’s children, left part-way through Wednesday’s Match of the Day programme to be replaced by Mark Chapman, who confirmed it was due to “a family emergency”.

Yorath made 199 appearances for Leeds, his first professional club, in a nine-year spell from 1967. He won the First Division title with Leeds in 1974 and earned a runners-up medal in the FA Cup, European Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.

“Everyone at Leeds United is devastated to learn of the passing of club legend Terry Yorath,” his former club said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Terry’s family, friends and former team-mates at this incredibly sad time.”

Yorath was captain when Wales claimed their only Wembley victory over England in 1977, and oversaw victories over Brazil, Germany and Italy during his time as manager.

He was player-assistant coach for Bradford and present at Valley Parade in 1985 when a fire killed 56 people.

Yorath later managed Swansea, Bradford, Cardiff, Lebanon, Sheffield Wednesday and Margate, as well as Wales.

He spent nine years at Leeds until 1976 during a golden era under Revie and when the entire side was made up of household names, but he established himself in the first team during the 1972-73 season.

Former team-mate Eddie Gray said it was “a sad day for everybody connected with the football club”.

Gray told the Press Association: “He was a tough player, a very good player. He was captain of his country, which made him very proud. It’s a sad day for everybody connected with Leeds United.

“It was expected, so it was not a shock to everybody, but I’d like to send my condolences to all the family.

“He was a big part of the success we had at Leeds. He was a very proud Welshman and his greatest achievement was to have been captain of his country. He loved playing for his country.

“He came through the ranks at Leeds as a young lad like all the players at that particular time and we had a lot of top players, but he went about his role with a lot of tenacity and did very well.

“A tough player and a very good footballer, but above all he was a very good man.”