Ugo Ehiogu

The reason why the shocking news about Ugo Ehiogu is hitting so hard.



Apart from the obvious facts his passing was sudden, he was a seemingly healthy 44 year old family man, Ehiogu was a stand out footballer and a stand up gentleman.

Most of us remember him as a solid centre back for Aston Villa through the '90s. He, along with Gareth Southgate became an almost unstoppable force, a legendary defensive partnership.

After Villa, Ehiogu had stints with Middlesborough, Glasgow Rangers and Sheffield United before retiring, founding a record label, Dirty Hit and landing his role on the Tottenham Hotspur Under-23 coaching team.

However, the widespread grief is not simply down to his age, the man commands respect for the way he carried himself on and off the pitch. Members of the football community have always and continue to paint him as a kind-hearted, gentle giant, even "the kindest man in football."

Playing for the England under-21's he became the first black player to captain an English team in an international game.

Although he only had four caps for the main England squad, the one goal he scored was a scorcher, and we'll leave you with that.

Ugo, you will be remembered.