FORMER England and Ipswich striker Paul Mariner has died at the age of 68 after a short battle with brain cancer.
Mariner scored 139 goals in 339 games for Ipswich and was a member of their FA Cup-winning side of 1978 and the team that won the UEFA Cup in 1981.
He also won 35 caps for England, scoring 13 times, and featured at the 1980 European Championship in Italy and 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Mariner, who began his career with non-League Chorley, also enjoyed spells at Plymouth, Arsenal and Portsmouth and would later move into coaching after retirement, taking charge of his former club Plymouth and MLS side Toronto FC.
He passed away on Friday, his family confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
“We would like to thanks all the people who came to see him through his illness for their support and for the messages that were sent to him, they meant a great deal to him and us,” read the statement
“A special thank you must go to the NHS and the unbelievable care he received when he most needed it and for that we, as a family, will forever be in your debt.
“Paul lived a full life and was fortunate enough to represent a group of fantastic football clubs as well as his country, all of which meant the world to him.
“Anyone who knew Paul will attest to his fantastic sense of humour, his passion for life and for his work. He will be sorely missed by everyone who was ever around him and by those most close to him.”
