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Former Fulham and England soccer player Johnny Haynes, one of the most gifted playmakers the country has ever produced, has died after a car crash in Scotland, a hospital spokesman said on Tuesday.
Haynes, who became famous as the first British footballer to earn 100 pounds per week, died from his injuries at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. He was 71.
His wife Avril, who was also involved in the crash in the Scottish capital, remains in hospital in a stable condition, the spokesman said.
Haynes is remembered by many at Fulham as their best-ever player, nicknamed "The Maestro".
He spent his whole career in England at the west London club, playing 657 times and scoring 157 goals, although he never won any club honours.
He made 56 appearances for England, 22 of them as captain. His England career ended in 1962 after he was injured in a car crash. He continued to play for Fulham for eight years before moving to South Africa to take up a coaching role.
Fulham fans flooded the club's website (http://www.fulhamfc.com) with tributes to his talent.
"The fact that I can remember individual goals and inch-perfect passes, despite the mists of 40-years testifies to how brightly that talent shone," one supporter wrote.
Earlier in the day the website had reported prematurely that Haynes had died when in fact he was still in a critical condition. It apologised "wholeheartedly" for any distress the message had caused.
