Greaves, who turned 80 in February, suffered a severe stroke five years ago which left him wheelchair-bound, although his latest admission to hospital last week was unrelated to that or the coronavirus.

‘We are delighted to let you all know that Jimmy is now back at home recuperating with his wife Irene,’ read a statement on a Facebook page run in his name.

‘He has been very ill and we are hoping he will be fine going forward.

‘Thanks to the thousands of you that have sent goodwill messages. We love that so many of you still hold Jimmy so dear to your hearts and it’s lovely to know that there is still so much love for him in the world.’

Greaves started his career at Chelsea and played for the Blues in the FA Youth Cup as a teenager, scoring an astounding club record 114 goals in a single season for our youth team.

His breakthrough into the first team was inevitable and he went on to net 132 goals in 169 games, a goalscoring ratio so prolific that it will likely never be surpassed.

He made his England debut while at Stamford Bridge and netted 44 goals in 57 games for the Three Lions, ranking fourth on the all-time list for his country. The Londoner went on to play for AC Milan, Tottenham and West Ham, becoming the highest goalscorer in the history of English top-flight football.

All of us at Chelsea Football Club wish Jimmy well as he continues his recovery.