He will be missed.
Football mourned the loss of Ray Wilkins last Wednesday, as he passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was a man loved by everyone who had the pleasure to work with him.
Tributes have been pouring in from former teammates, current players who learned from his coaching, and colleagues in the broadcast media. Nobody had a bad word to say about him.
Wilkins was much loved by fans of all his former clubs; AC Milan fans prepared a banner with the words ‘Ciao Ray’ displayed on it and hung it proudly from the stands during the Milan derby against Inter.
Minutes’ applause for ‘Butch’ have been held around Premier League stadiums this weekend, but Chelsea went the extra mile to pay their respects.
Before Chelsea’s fixture against West Ham today at Stamford Bridge, a video was shown from the big screens at the stadium. It showed players past and present speaking about their experiences with Wilkins and discussing the positive effect he had on the club.
WATCH: A moving tribute to the legendary Ray Wilkins from everyone at Stamford Bridge prior to kick off. 👏
Follow live updates as @ChelseaFC host @WestHamUtd at Stamford Bridge, live on Sky Sports Premier League: https://t.co/yklallnyJy https://t.co/tUcQLskdw8
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 8, 2018
You can watch the full video here:
Before today's game, Stamford Bridge will pay tribute to the one and only Ray Wilkins… pic.twitter.com/dsa3Nawf6O
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 8, 2018
He also featured on the front of the matchday programme.
Ray Wilkins on front of Chelsea programme. Club planning a very emotional and fitting tribute to a true legend. pic.twitter.com/0JHJ7kK4dc
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) April 8, 2018
Wilkins played for Chelsea for six years during the 70s before embarking on a playing career that took him to QPR, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Rangers.
Fans of all clubs adored this classy act from Chelsea.
An amazing tribute by @ChelseaFC for Ray Wilkins 💙 pic.twitter.com/LWQMYVMbru
— OneFootball HQ (@OneFootballHQ) April 8, 2018
Top class by @ChelseaFC in honour of Ray Wilkins. Hugely fitting tribute
— Paul McCarthy (@PaulMcCarthy66) April 8, 2018
Class tribute for Ray Wilkins by Chelsea!
— Jon Davies (@jonnyd92) April 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/CR689908/status/983003820459528192
Class tribute to Ray Wilkins from Chelsea today. Nice touch placing flowers and his number 8 shirt on the assistants seat in dugout. Fair play 👏🏻. #CFC #CHEWHU
— James (@James_Hall92) April 8, 2018
