Tributes have been paid to a professional footballer from Llan Ffestiniog who won a cap for Wales, who has died aged just 52.

Paul Crooks, who was born in Durham in 1966 but spent much of his young life in the village and family home of Llan Ffestiniog, passed away on Friday, 5 July at Ysbyty Alltwen in Tremadog, after a long battle with illness.

Paul attended Ysgol y Moelwyn from 1979 to 1983 and it was there that he began to show great potential and enthusiasm for football.

After playing in a school team, Paul was signed to the Bolton Wanderers as an apprentice and from then on progressed in his career as a football player, playing for Stoke City, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Caernarfon Town and Rhyl.

In 1987 Paul was chosen to play for Wales and travelled around Europe with the squad. This resulted in him being awarded a cap for Wales in recognition of his selection to play for the national team.

He then turned professional, signing for a club in Finland and continuing to travel around Europe, before returning home in the early 1990s to play for Porthmadog in the League of Wales.

Unfortunately two incidents occurred which cut Paul’s footballing career short. Firstly he experienced a violent attack in which he was kicked in the head and could not defend himself, and sometime later was also involved in an accident whilst working in a quarry.

Paul’s funeral was held on Thursday, 18 July at Bowydd Chapel in Blaenau Ffestiniog, led by Rev Anita Parry-Ephraim and attended by friends and family.

He has been remembered by his family as a talented footballer and a “handsome and proud young man who was popular, funny and always joked around”.

“He was generous and strong willed. Very kind to others, he deeply cared about his mother and brother Malcolm and even took on the role as a carer for both of them when his late mother became ill,” a statement on behalf of the family said.

“His mother Edith was very proud of Paul and what he had achieved with his football career and beyond.”