Roy Bentley, who captained Chelsea to their first league title and was the last remaining member of the England squad famously humbled by the United States at the 1950 World Cup, has died aged 93, the club announced on Friday.
Bentley, an effective centre-forward who scored nine goals in his 12 appearances for England, skippered Chelsea to the 1955 league crown, scoring 21 goals in the campaign.
"Chelsea Football Club is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Roy Bentley, our first trophy-winning captain and star of our 1955 League Championship team," read the club's tribute. "All at Chelsea send our condolences to his family and friends." One of eight children he spent eight years at Stamford Bridge after signing in January 1948, finishing top scorer in seven consecutive seasons and amassing 150 goals from 367 appearances, the joint-fifth highest goals total in Chelsea history.
Having served in the Royal Navy during World War II, Bentley's first club in peace-time was Newcastle United where he played alongside legends such as Jackie
Milburn and Len Shackleton.