Francis Lee (29 April 1944-2 October 2023) was an iconic English forward, who starred for Manchester City., Derby County and England.  Born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, he started his career at Bolton where he broke into the side as a 16-year-old in 1959. He went on to score 106 goals in 210 games over eight seasons before signing for Manchester City for a then club-record £60,000 fee. Joe Mercer described his new signing as “the last piece in the jigsaw”. Lee became a legend at Maine Road, where he spent eight years as a player, forming a famous partnership with Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee. During his time at City, he won the First Division title in 1968, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup, scoring 148 goals in 330 appearances. The Flaxen-haired Lee was a barrel-chested striker known for his ruthless shot, his speed over short distances  and precision from the penalty spot, once scoring 15 spot-kicks in a single season.  During this time he was dubbed ‘Lee won Pen’ for the number of penalties he personally won for the team.  After leaving City he won another league title with Derby in 1975, a spell which is also remembered for an on-pitch fight with the Leeds hard man Norman Hunter. In addition to club honours, Lee won 27 caps for England, all while a City player, scoring 10 goals in the process and represented his country at the Mexico World Cup in 1970. Following retirement Lee moved into business, owning a toilet roll manufacturer. His success allowed him to become the majority shareholder at City in 1994, replacing Peter Swales as chairman.Lee aimed to reinvigorate City and to make them a Premier League force but by the time he left in 1998, the club were on the brink of relegation to the third tier.Nevertheless he remained a Manchester City icon, and on his death in October 2023, the flags around the Etihad Stadium and City Football Academy were flown at haf-mast.