John Robertson, the Nottingham Forest winger famously described by his manager Brian Clough as “the Picasso of our game”, has died at the age of 72, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

Robertson was a central figure in Clough’s legendary Forest side, playing a decisive role in the club’s golden era. He set up Trevor Francis’ winning goal in the 1979 European Cup final against Malmö before scoring himself in the 1980 final as Forest defeated Hamburg to retain the trophy.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Nottingham Forest legend and dear friend, John Robertson,” the club said in a statement. “A true great of our club and a double European Cup winner, John’s unrivalled talent, humility and unwavering devotion to Nottingham Forest will never be forgotten.”

Robertson spent the vast majority of his career at the City Ground, making more than 500 appearances across two spells with the club. Though not immediately admired by Clough, the Forest manager later hailed his transformation, once describing Robertson as a “scruffy, unfit, uninterested waste of time” who became “one of the finest deliverers of a football I have ever seen”, most often with his cultured left foot.

He was a key figure in Forest’s remarkable rise from the second division to English champions in 1978, a success followed by back-to-back European Cup triumphs that cemented the club’s place in football history.

At international level, Robertson won 28 caps for Scotland and scored the winning goal against England in 1981. After retiring as a player, he moved into coaching and served as assistant manager to former Forest teammate Martin O’Neill at several clubs, including Aston Villa.

“Rest in peace, Robbo… Our greatest,” Forest added.