Tributes pour in as football mourns loss of 'a great man'

London: Football has been united in grief by the death of the Wales manager, Gary Speed, with former team-mates revealing their sense of profound shock at his passing at the age of 42.

Tributes poured in, praising Speed as a "model professional", a sentiment shared by his former clubs Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United, together with those within the Wales set-up.

Robbie Savage, who played alongside Speed in the national team for nine years, broke down in tears when interviewed on television as he reflected on the loss of a friend he had spoken to who, only 24 hours previously, had been "laughing and joking" as normal.

"He was a great teammate, a great friend. The world has lost a great man. He is my mate and he's gone… I'm devastated."

Craig Bellamy was withdrawn from Liverpool's match day squad to play Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday as he struggled to cope with his grief, while Ryan Giggs, who played alongside Speed with Wales for 13 years, called his compatriot "one of the nicest men in football".

"He was someone I am honoured to call a team-mate and a friend," said the Manchester Utd midfielder. "Words cannot begin to describe how sad I feel at hearing this awful news."

Leeds released a statement saying the club had been left "stunned and saddened". "Speedo was a true friend and a very, very popular man," said the team's manager, Simon Grayson.

Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the Premier League, described him as "one of our iconic players, a stand out professional of the modern game". There was admiration and sadness expressed, too, by a Downing Street spokesman on behalf of the prime minister, David Cameron.

Alan Shearer said: "Gary was a magnificent person bright, fun and a wonderful family man who lit up every room he walked into. I am proud to have been his friend and will miss him dreadfully."

The disbelief was felt deeply within the Football Association of Wales, which had appointed Speed as manager a little under a year ago. "I am completely shocked by this terrible news and my thoughts are with his family," said the FAW president, Phil Pritchard.