Alan Shearer has recalled being a West Brom trainee and being inspired by Cyrille Regis.
Regis has died aged 59 after a sudden heart attack on Sunday evening.
The ex-WBA striker won five caps for England between 1982 and 1987, having been one of the stars of the Baggies team between 1977 and 1984.
He scored 112 goals in 297 appearances for Albion before moving on to Coventry, winning the FA Cup with the Sky Blues in 1987.
Newcastle United legend Shearer was among those to pay tribute on Monday, writing on Twitter: "What a man. What a centre-forward! One of my earliest football memories was walking into WBA for a trial as a 13 year old kid, seeing Cyrille Regis and being in awe of him. RIP big man."
@alanshearer
What a man. What a centre-forward! One of my earliest football memories was walking into WBA for a trial as a 13 year old kid, seeing Cyrille Regis and being in awe of him. RIP big man 😢
Journalist Jason Pettigrove added: "Cyrille Regis has died. Can’t believe it. A footballing trailblazer along with Brendon Batson and Laurie Cunningham. ‘The Three Degrees’ paved the way for black footballers in this country. One of the finest centre-forwards of his day. RIP"