Ray Wilkins, an elegant midfielder who captained England’s national soccer team and played for illustrious clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and AC Milan in a 24-year career, died on Wednesday in London. He was 61.
His death was confirmed in a family statement released by St. George’s Hospital, where he had been placed in a coma following cardiac arrest on Friday.
Wilkins, who was nicknamed Butch, was a gifted two-footed, or ambidextrous, midfielder and an intelligent passer. He began his professional career as a substitute with Chelsea in 1973, when he was just 17. He became a team captain in 1975.