Labone won 26 caps for England and appeared in the 1968 European Championships and 1970 World Cup.

He spent his entire professional career with Everton making more than 500 appearances for the club. He was booked only twice in his career.

Labone lifted The FA Cup as Everton captain at Wembley in 1966 and was part of the League Championship winning teams of 1963 and 1970.

FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick led the tributes.

"Brian was one of football's true gentlemen - a one club man and a legend in the history of Everton Football Club.

"Growing up on Merseyside, the keen rivalry between Liverpool and Everton was always fair-minded and fans appreciated the qualities of players on both sides.

"Brian's strengths were of the highest calibre - a cool, classy, committed defender and a great leader of his team.

"He also made 26 appearances for England including playing his part in the 1970 World Cup alongside the late Bobby Moore.

"Brian's life-long love affair with Everton continued after he finished playing. I recently saw him at a function on Merseyside and he was still enthusing about football and Everton in particular.

"He was a great man and it's a sad loss."

Labone made his England debut against Northern Ireland in October 1962. He became a fixture in the England side in the lead-up to the 1968 European Championships in Italy and also appeared against Romania, Brazil and West Germany in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

A year later his career was ended prematurely by an Achilles injury.

Alan Mullery, who played alongside him in Mexico, said: "He was a huge man, an old fashioned centre-half. When he tackled you, you knew you’d been tackled.

"He played in three games in 1970 and in a way took over from Jack Charlton.

"He was a special sort of player. If you played centre half in those days you had to be big, powerful and strong and you had to be able to tackle and head a ball. And that’s what he could do.

"He was a lovely Scouser lad. And he had this great love affair with Everton Football Club. He loved them dearly."