Around 10 caravans moved onto the Johnson Fold side of the popular park on Sunday (July 19).

Bolton Council officers visited the site the following day, carried out welfare checks and served directions to leave the land under Section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

The authority previously said it would return after 24 hours to check whether the directions had been complied with and, if not, begin legal proceedings to obtain a court order requiring the group to leave.

Also at Moss Bank Park, the funfair confirmed it was closed today (July 25) following what the business described as incidents of antisocial behaviour involving children.

The family-run attraction said staff and customer safety had to take priority and apologised for the inconvenience caused.

Moss Bank Park funfair was closed today (Image: NQ)

Run by Moss Bank Park Amusements, the funfair had planned to launch a summer promotion offering unlimited rides for two hours for £5 this weekend.

No date has yet been confirmed for when the attraction will reopen.

The latest Traveller encampment comes just days after another unauthorised camp at Moss Bank Park, which was removed quickly earlier this month.

Traveller encampment today, July 25 (Image: NQ)

Earlier this year, Bolton Council installed barriers at entrances to Longsight Park in Harwood following repeated unauthorised encampments and concerns about antisocial behaviour.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by The Bolton News also revealed the council has spent more than £19,000 removing unauthorised Traveller encampments from council-owned land over the past two years.

The figures show the authority spent £16,926.90 during 2024-25 and a further £2,430 during 2025-26. No costs were recorded during 2023-24.

Traveller encampment (Image: NQ)

Unauthorised encampments on private land are generally the responsibility of the landowner, while Gypsies and Travellers are protected from discrimination under equality legislation.

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to treat someone less favourably because of a range of protected characteristics, including colour, race, nationality, and ethnic or national origins.

Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers have protected status under equality legislation.

Any criminal activity or anti-social behaviour should be reported to police via the non-emergency 101 number.

For further information, residents can email housingservices@bolton.gov.uk or call 01204 338721.

“Although the fire is now under control, firefighters will remain at the scene this evening tackling hot spots and carrying out damping-down operations to ensure the fire is fully extinguished. We continue to ask local residents to keep their doors and windows closed while crews remain on scene, as some smoke may still be present. Please also continue to avoid the area.

Officers received the first report at 6.15am from a woman who had been assaulted at Broadfield Park by a man she didn’t know.

The second report was made at 8.38am. This woman said she was assaulted at Milnrow Memorial Park, also by a man she did not know.

Police believe the two incidents could be linked as the two women both provided similar descriptions.

The force are looking for a black man, who was believed to be wearing a three-piece suit or smart black clothes and a dark coat.

He is also believed to have been carrying a suitcase.

A man matching this description has been on CCTV footage at Coco Lounge in the town centre.

He was seen leaving the venue at around 5am.

Police are now appealing for anyone who may have seen a man matching this description, as well as anyone who has CCTV, doorbell, dashcam, or mobile phone footage from the Rochdale town centre, Broadfield Park or Milnrow Memorial Park areas to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Willis said: “We have a robust investigation underway and are working at pace to identify and locate the man responsible. Detectives are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry and we are committed to identifying whoever is responsible and bringing them to justice.

“You will see an increased police presence in Broadfield Park, Milnrow Memorial Park and Rochdale town centre over the coming days and throughout this evening. Additional officers have been deployed to provide community reassurance and support our ongoing investigation.

“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen a man matching the descriptions provided.

“If you were in the area, or have any mobile phone footage, dashcam, CCTV or doorbell, that could assist our enquiries, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please get in touch.”

Information can be submitted to the police on 101 or via the Live Chat function on the GMP website, quoting incident number 679 and 880 of  25/07/2026.

Alternatively, information can be submitted anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Good evening and welcome to our live blog on what is a massive night for Belfast’s own Caoimhín Agyarko.

The 29-year-old has dreamed about an opportunity like this for so long and now he finally has the chance to become a world champion on a massive stage.

The fight takes place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the temperature is currently 34 degrees.

It is a huge night of boxing action as Anthony Joshua returns to the ring, but we will be focussing on Agyarko’s fight here, which is scheduled to start in around two hours’ time so here’s hoping everything goes to plan over there.

We will keep you up to date with all the action right here over the next few hours and hopefully at the end of it all Belfast has a new world champion!

The family of Madeleine McCann cheered on her younger brother Sean as he finished eighth in the final of the Commonwealth Games 400m men’s freestyle.

After a seven-hour wait in the East End of Glasgow, they returned for the biggest race of Sean’s young career after he qualified through the morning heats. 

His parents Kate and Gerry and twin sister Amelie watched proudly as they cheered on the 21-year-old and waved Saltire flags in the stands. 

Sean finished in a time of three minutes 53.47 seconds – 12 seconds slower than his morning swim. 

Kate donned a shirt emblazoned with the song title ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ – the song adopted by Scottish football fans.

Australia claimed gold, silver and bronze in the final, which Sean himself admitted he did not expect to qualify for.

But British eyes were on Sean, almost two decades on from the infamous Portugal family holiday which saw Madeleine abducted. The McCann family’s unimaginable tragedy still haunts him and Amelie, wherever they go. 

The 21-year-old had done exceptionally well to reach the final at his first major tournament 

Parents Kate and Gerry and sister Amelie in the stands cheering on Sean at today’s Commonwealth Games 400m freestyle final

The family sat with other Scottish fans in the stands and waved Saltire flags

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He is the younger brother of missing Madeleine McCann and was in the room when she was abducted from her family’s holiday villa in Portugal in 2007

But today, the family finally saw themselves talked about for a different reason as their son’s remarkable story took centre-stage.

Sean’s mother Kate has previously told how he ‘hated’ the water when he was first taken swimming – and yet he soon found his drive, attending up to nine two-hour training sessions every week, many requiring 4am starts.

Inspired by his sporting family – Kate and Gerry even went on a run on their first date – Sean’s dedication has paid off as he sets his sights on success in his first major international meet.

Sean came fourth in his heat and was cheered on today by both parents, as well as Amelie, who herself competes regularly in triathlons.

The elite distance swimmer is eligible to represent Scotland through his father, who was born in Glasgow.

This week a former member of Sean’s coaching team told the Daily Mail that the combination of a young man who was ‘really driven and never one to take the easiest route’, and parents who willed him on, had made him a powerhouse and his story an inspiration.

In his teenage years Sean’s parents would ferry him to training sessions at Braunstone Leisure Centre, a 20-minute drive from the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, where he would clock up an impressive amount of swim sessions a week, plus two or three punishing gym workouts.

For almost two decades Kate and Gerry McCann have been known as the parents of Madeleine (bottom right), the toddler who disappeared on a family holiday to Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007 – now the family will be known for something else

Amelie, Kate and Gerry McCann applaud as they watch the programme at Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games on Saturday morning

Sean seen at the start of the final, which was dominated by his Australian competitors

Kate and Gerry ‘encouraged their children, but didn’t push them’ said the insider, who coached Sean as a youngster.

He remembered the young man being focused on the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad in 2023 and then deciding he wanted to race for Scotland and for GB in open-water events – so for swimming competitively he changed his nationality to Scottish.

‘For the Commonwealth Games, I was lucky enough to be at the trials in London when he was racing. It was great to watch him and talk to him between prep, to be a part of it and see his journey unfold,’ he said.

What a journey, too, for Sean, who is studying chemical engineering at Loughborough University – chosen for its unrivalled sports facilities.

Distance swimming is an unforgiving sport. Yet those who know Sean’s career describe a steady, determined progression, even during the Covid-19 lockdown when he would train out of the pool at home with Amelie, who is also a keen swimmer.

In the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, he reached the finals of the 400m and 1,500m freestyle, and has since qualified for the European Open Water Championships representing Great Britain.

Sean himself said this week that he was ‘very excited’ about the challenges ahead. ‘It’s the pinnacle really – of representing Scotland in the Commonwealth Games, and especially at a home games.

‘I’ve got lots of family up in Glasgow so that makes it even more special. I was there in 2014 watching as a kid, so to make it now, 12 years later, is really a full circle moment.

Amelie, Kate and Gerry McCann in the stands at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow ahead of Sean’s heat on Saturday morning 

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‘It’s my first senior games, so I’m just looking forward to be representing Scotland and doing my absolute best. I always tend to go out quite slow and build my way into a race. That’s just how I like to pace it.’

It’s quite the change from what Sean has been known for by many until now, solely for his close proximity to Madeleine’s disappearance.

He was, after all, in the same room when she was abducted from the family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007 when he was just two.

Although he might not remember the international fallout, both siblings have grown up in the shadow of the mystery surrounding their older sister, who would now be 23.

The McCann parents have repeatedly spoken of their determination to ensure that Sean and Amelie could grow up with the most normal childhood possible.

‘Our worry is for our children,’ Kate said in 2017. ‘I think we’ve tried to educate them a little bit as well because obviously it’s not just us that has fallen victim to the downside of social media.

‘At some point you’ve got to realise that time is not frozen and I think both of us realise that we owed it to the twins to make sure that their life is as fulfilling as they deserve, and we have certainly tried our best to achieve that.’

Gerry also spoke about developing their independence. ‘I am certainly more protective than I was, but you can’t mollycoddle them,’ he said. ‘They have to be independent. There is increased anxiety but we can’t let that impact on them having a normal upbringing. Sean and Amelie are doing really really well; obviously they are not immune to the media, they hear things, they go to school, they hear the radio.’

For Sean, and by extension his whole family, this is his opportunity to step into the light of something new. The young swimmer is only just getting started – he has the 800m and 1,500m freestyle to follow. 

Now the onus is firmly on Joshua to match that performance with an emphatic statement of his own as he fights for the first time since suffering minor injuries as a passenger in a serious car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two close friends and team members in Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele. That tragic accident came just 10 days after Joshua had knocked out Jake Paul in Miami, while it is almost two years now since his last proper competitive bout – a brutal loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley.

After a ticket frenzy that saw both nights snapped up, the GRAMMY-nominated star brought his Yorkshire coast double-header to a rousing close on Thursday, with another packed-out crowd singing along under the summer sky.

Teddy Swims at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Thursday, July 23, 2026 – his second of two sell-out shows. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

For those who went to the coastal venue, you can relive the magic again through our photo gallery ‘Teddy Swims’ Scarborough sell-out in 16 photos’.

Fans at Scarborough Open Air Theatre for Teddy Swims, on July 23, 2026. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

And if you didn’t make it, hopefully these pictures from the second night give a taste in case you’re tempted next time.

Fans at Scarborough Open Air Theatre for Teddy Swims, on July 23, 2026. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

Backed by his band Freak Freely, Teddy delivered a powerhouse set brimming with fan favourites, from The Door and Bad Dreams to the emotional punch of Funeral.

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From the very first note, his trademark soulful vocals and easy charm had Scarborough firmly in the palm of his hand.

Fans at Scarborough Open Air Theatre for Teddy Swims, on July 23, 2026. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

Clearly loving every minute of his return, he told the crowd: “I love you so much, Scarborough. I’m having the time of my life up here!”

There was also a huge reaction for his brand-new single Breakup In Reverse, before the night built to a goosebump-inducing finale. Multi-platinum hit Lose Control sparked a mass singalong, bringing an unforgettable two-night stay to a close.

Jordan Rakei supports Teddy Swims at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

Opening the show was acclaimed New Zealand-Australian artist Jordan Rakei, setting the tone for an evening packed with atmosphere and energy.

Teddy’s back-to-back sell-outs are just the latest highlight in a big summer for TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre. The 2026 season continues with a sold-out show from James Taylor – and has already seen a string of major names draw huge crowds to the coast.

We hope you enjoy looking through our photo gallery capturing all the standout moments from Teddy Swims’ spectacular Scarborough shows – you might even spot yourself in the crowd!

Were you in the crowd? What was your highlight? Share in the comments below.

In 1976, a Playboy model turned feminist sex-researcher called Shere Hite did hundreds of television and radio appearances promoting her book, The Hite Report: A Nationwide Study of Female Sexuality. She went on Good Night America dressed in a high-necked Victorian white silk blouse, huge faux-pearl earrings and matching necklace, her face framed by a cloud of apricot curls.

The host, Geraldo Rivera, grinning under his 1970s handlebar moustache, asked her to summarise her book’s findings. “Don’t get hung up, turned off or turned on by the explicit language,” he warned the audience. Hite outlined the great provocation of the work: “Intercourse doesn’t lead to orgasm for most women.”

Using a survey methodology, Hite found women required clitoral stimulation to orgasm. And while they knew about the clitoris because they masturbated, they rarely asked for it in straight sex. Instead, they gritted their teeth or faked it, the loudest way to be silent about sexual dissatisfaction.

To understand why, Hite held sex up to feminism, and found it was shot through with power and inequality. Society insisted that women – like men – should find their greatest pleasure in penetrative sex: the man penetrating, the woman penetrated. Hite declared: “Sex is sexist … Women’s sex lives clearly reflect their second-class position in society.”

The book exploded across the US. It was translated widely, became a bestseller in Japan, was banned in Brazil and smuggled into East Germany. To date 50 million copies have been sold, making it the 30th bestselling book of all time.

For a time Hite was everywhere, and everyone loved the book. Erica Jong, author of the sex-forward 1973 novel Fear of Flying wrote in the New York Review of Books: “Read The Hite Report if you want to know how sex really is right now.” The National Observer described it as a “bombshell”. Even Playboy praised her redefinition of orgasm from something that men “give” to women, to “something she works toward herself”.

As I found in my archival research for my recent book, The Book That Taught the World to Orgasm and then Disappeared: Shere Hite and the Hite Report, she received thousands of letters from readers.

Women wrote to her from the suburbs, praising her for the way the book made them feel normal. Men working in factories, on oil rigs, and in prison wrote to her too. This was often the first book about feminism they had ever read.

Anti-feminist backlash

Partly inspired by the plentiful fan mail, she began The Hite Report on Male Sexuality, which was published in 1981, but by this time, anti-feminist storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. Critic Philip Nobile argued in New York Magazine that she “whipped herself up into an antipatriarchal frenzy” and “totally neglects biology”. Men, Nobile claimed, were “naturally promiscuous”.

This biological explanation for social inequality was one from the New Right, a grassroots coalition of right-wing figures including televangelist Jerry Falwell and mega-church minister and bestselling apocalyptic sci-fi writer, Tim LaHaye who entangled biblical and scientific explanations to fight the forces of feminism.

Right-wing women too pushed biological explanations. Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly and founder of conservative anti-feminist group Eagle Forum argued that “the man is orgasm oriented” while the “woman is engulfed in romanticism”.

The New Right also engaged in the politics of grievance, arguing that ordinary Americans had been left behind by civil rights and feminism. Any gains for feminists such as women working, especially in traditionally male professions, or improved laws and services around rape and domestic violence, were necessarily a loss for them.

This zero-sum explanation was particularly appealing at a time of economic downturn and unemployment which was caused by global oil crises, though as journalist Susan Faludi wrote in her now classic text Backlash, feminism got the blame.

Ronald Reagan upheld this view, remarking in a 1982 address on the state of the economy: “Part of the unemployment is not as much recession as it is the great increase in the people going into the job market and, ladies, I’m not picking on anyone, but because of the increase in women who are working today…”

Right wing forces of the 1980s resemble the right today; the loops and echoes are striking. The misogynists of the manosphere today misuse evolutionary psychology to argue that domination is men’s nature and deception and promiscuity are women’s. They also suggest that men’s natural instincts are curbed by a world beholden to feminist interests.

Trad wives – communities of right-wing,
“traditional wife” women who advocate through social media for hierarchical gender roles – also suggest that women are not biologically built for casual sex or paid work, but monogamy, baby-making and submission. Both right-wing women of the 1980s and trad wives now tend towards the conspiratorial. These right-wing women painted feminists as elites who had taken over the government by devious means.

They, contrarily, were “a little flock pitted against … the president, the federal bureaucracy, the mushrooming feminist organisations”, as Rosemary Thompson, director of Schlafley’s Eagle Forum put it.

Today trad wives sometimes incorporate an anticapitalist edge into their conspiracy theories. As one influencer claimed, feminism is a “lie corporations created to get more workers and more money”. In the 1980s as now, we see how ideas that began on the fringes of the political right became mainstream.

By 1987, when Hite published the third book in her trilogy, Women and Love, media vilification intensified. From the London Review of Books and the Washington Post to the New York Post and Penthouse, all reviewed her negatively. The tempest against feminism was in full swing.

Republican strategists had learned a lot from right-wing women and began to centre anti-feminism, gender and sexuality in their electoral platform alongside economic conservatism and national defence. Ronald Reagan’s victories owed a lot to these women and by 1987 he’d been in office for seven years, pushing anti-feminist politics widely.

Politics leaked into culture too. One of the bestselling books of the year was Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal and one of the most popular films was Fatal Attraction, where the feminist career woman “psycho” is literally killed off by the stay-at-home mom.

With Fox TV camped outside her house and the media becoming increasingly harassing, Hite fled from the US, settling in Europe until her death in 2020. Her work largely disappeared from public memory.

The story of Hite and The Hite Report helps us understand how one woman lived the backlash and how she came undone. This shows us that backlashes are not inevitable, but political, that there is often period of real progress, followed by a clampdown by those who want to maintain their power. Shere Hite’s story helps us all to see what they are up against.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org; if you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

By BOBBY MANZI, FOOTBALL REPORTER

Published: 19:03 BST, 25 July 2026 | Updated: 19:23 BST, 25 July 2026

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has shamelessly praised Argentina’s ‘professionalism’ in a tone-deaf letter to the nation’s FA – despite launching an investigation into their behaviour after losing the World Cup final against Spain.

While congratulatory letters are customary after the World Cup, with all three medal-winning nations receiving one from Infantino, his choice of words is questionable.

In the letter – first leaked by the Argentine media and since verified by Daily Mail Sport – sent to the President of the Argentine FA, Claudio Tapia, Infantino thanked Argentina for their impact on a successful World Cup and applauded their professionalism.

‘Dear Mr. President, Yesterday, Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the magnificent New York New Jersey Stadium, Argentina won the silver medal of the FIFA World Cup 2026, after an exciting final against Spain,’ Infantino said.

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‘I would like to reiterate my most sincere congratulations for this important new result for Argentine soccer.

‘The FIFA World Cup 2026 will remain in memory as an unforgettable celebration of football, marked by spectacular matches, the irruption of new promises, the presence of the great figures of the sport and the extraordinary atmosphere lived in stadiums full of fans.

Gianni Infantino handed Lionel Messi his silver medal alongside President Trump

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Infantino watched the World Cup semi-final alongside Argentine FA Claudio Tapia

The Argentina squad turned their back as Spain lifted the World Cup trophy

 ‘The magnificent performance of the Albiceleste also contributed decisively to making this edition an exceptional event that captivated millions of football enthusiasts around the world.

‘Please send my sincere congratulations to all who have contributed to this magnificent result: to the players, to coach Lionel Scaloni, as well as to the coaching and medical staff and, of course, to the many fans who have accompanied and encouraged the team throughout the competition.

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‘These victories are always the fruit of constant work, professionalism and attention to detail, but also of passion, commitment and love for this wonderful sport. All this augurs a very promising future and, without a doubt, will pave the way for new and great successes for Argentine football.

‘I wish you, dear Mr. President, all the best for the next competitions and I hope to see you again very soon. With all my friendship, Gianni Infantino.’

Argentina, who lost in extra-time in the final, frustrated opponents throughout the tournament with their anti-football style of play.

The 2022 winners failed to register a single shot on target in the final and following the defeat, they turned their backs as Luis de la Fuente’s side lifted the trophy.

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Leonardo Paredes attacked Eric Garcia in a post-match fracas that also appeared to involve Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada and assistant coach Roberto Ayala – an incident FIFA are investigating.

The final itself was packed with controversy. Lionel Messi attempted to con referee Slavko Vincic into sending Marc Cucurella off after the Spain defender covered his mouth while speaking to the official. Argentina had attempted a similar tactic on Jude Bellingham during their semi-final against England.

In that semi-final victory, Argentina were also guilty of frequent simulation and gamesmanship in a provocative display.

They also drew complaints from British dignitaries after celebrating with a banner reading ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’, which translates as ‘The Falklands are Argentine’.

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Newcastle fans have paid tribute to Kevin Keegan with an extraordinary sea of flowers outside St James’ Park. 

The grounds outside the stadium are awash with floral bouquets, Newcastle shirts and a huge banner celebrating ‘The Messiah’. 

The legendary football player and manager died this week aged 75 following a stage four cancer battle. 

His diagnosis was first revealed in January but his family announced with ‘immense sadness’ that he passed away on Monday. 

Newcastle fans paid hundreds of tributes to the club’s former manager at St James’ Park on Saturday as the Magpies drew 1-1 away against Gateshead this afternoon in their first fixture since his death.

Before the match, the team held a minute’s silence to honour the man nicknamed ‘Mighty Mouse’.

Dozens of fans were pictured laying flowers alongside Newcastle shirts and scarves around the outside of the ground.

Newcastle bosses are reportedly in discussions with Liverpool, their first opponents of the new season, to ensure Keegan’s ‘memory is marked fittingly before the game’. 

The football icon died on Monday following a short battle with stage four stomach cancer, for which he had begun treatment in Janaury 

One fan left a heartfelt message along with a vintage Magpies shirt and a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale 

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Kevin Keegan attends a team warm up before the Premier League match at St James’ Park against Middlesbrough in 2008

Keegan made 230 appearances and scored 68 goals for Liverpool during his six-year stint at the club between 1971 and 1977. 

On Wednesday, as the Magpies head down south to play away against Bristol City, Keegan’s image will be shown on screens around the stadium during the seventh minute in a nod to the number he wore during his playing career. 

Fans have been encouraged to give him applause during this time. 

And next month, on August 15 and 16, when Newcastle men’s team will face Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg and the women’s side will play Inter Milan, Keegan’s image will again be shown during the seventh minute. 

It comes amid growing calls for a statue honouring Keegan to be erected outside Newcastle’s stadium.

Meanwhile others have said the East Stand at St James’ Park should be renamed after him.  

The former forward and two-time Ballon d’Or winner made 63 appearances for England during his playing career, while spending his club career Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle United. 

One of the most famous moments of his managerial career came in 1996 when he infamously stated he would ‘love it if we beat’ Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. 

Keegan at the first day at the Boodles May Festival City Day at Chester Racecourse, in Cheshire

‘There’s only one Kevin Keegan,’ read one fan’s tribute on an England shirt left outside St James’ Park 

Flowers, shirts, scarfs and a huge banner honouring The Messiah were left outside the grounds on Saturday

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One supporter also left a copy of Keegan’s autobiography My Life In Football on the steps to the stadium

Alan Shearer led the tributes to Keegan after he passed away following a short battle with stage four stomach cancer in January, having been admitted to hospital with abdominal problems.

In a statement, his family said: ‘It is with immense sadness that we announce that Kevin Keegan has passed away at the age of 75. 

‘The former England player and manager had been battling cancer and was surrounded by his wife and daughters in his final moments.

‘Kevin, a double Ballon d’Or winner, was a much loved husband, father and grandfather. 

‘The family would like to thank Kevin’s incredible medical team for all their support. This is a hugely difficult time and they are requesting space and privacy.’

And following the tragic news, figures from across the footballing world were quick to pay their respects to Keegan, who represented Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle and later managed the Magpies (twice), Fulham, England and Manchester City.

Newcastle legend Shearer said: ‘My Hero. My manager. My friend. Sleep easy Boss.’

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher added: ‘RIP Kevin Keegan. One of the greatest players this country has ever produced, trophies & goals galore, double Ballon d’Or winner shows he was an absolute giant of the English game.

Keegan is pictured here with former England and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer in 1999

One fan left a number seven ballon in reference to Keegan’s kit number during his playing career

Another supporter left framed artwork picturing the Mighty Mouse during his playing days 

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‘One of the most important men in making @LFC what it is today.’

Prince William, the official patron of The FA, said: ‘Incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Kevin Keegan.

‘A truly remarkable footballer and manager who inspired generations with his talent, passion and love of the game.

‘Above all, he will be remembered as a kind and generous man. Our thoughts are with his family and all who knew him. W.’ 

Trevor Brooking said: ‘I am so very sad to hear the devastating news today about my friend and former team-mate Kevin Keegan.

‘My friendship with Kevin goes back many decades, to our playing days for England. We were lucky enough to develop a real understanding on the field of play and know what each other was thinking.

‘Kevin liked to run and find space on the pitch and I’d try to time my passes to give him the best chance to use his world-class skills to score

‘We roomed together on England duty and Kevin, with his bubbly character, was never shy of making jokes, often at my expense!

‘I recently met up for lunch with Kevin and Jean when they were visiting London. Although it had been a while since we’d last seen each other, we picked up our conversation as if it had been yesterday.

‘That afternoon, reminiscing about our footballing days, is one I will always treasure.’ 

Former England captain David Beckham posted: ‘Such a sad day to hear the passing of Kevin Keegan.

‘A man that was very kind to me and my family xx. Sending lots of love and thoughts to his family and friends.’

Several of Keegan’s former clubs also shared their own tribute, including Newcastle.

Taking to social media, they said: ‘We are devastated to learn of the passing of Kevin Keegan, one of the most iconic, influential and deeply loved figures in our club’s history.

‘Kevin was more than a legendary footballer and manager. He was the beating heart of Newcastle United for generations of supporters.’

Liverpool shared their own heartfelt post which read: ‘We are deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary Kevin Keegan and mourn his loss.

‘His indomitable spirit and remarkable contribution will be forever etched in our history and his legacy will live on. Rest in peace, Kevin. 1951-2026.’