Peter Shilton
Encyclopedia
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE
(born 18 September 1949 in Leicester
, England
) is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England
than anyone else, earning 125 caps
.
In a 30-year career, which included eleven different clubs, three World Cups, two European Cup
finals and more than 1,000 competitive matches, Shilton emerged as one of the English game's genuine legends. He has the rare distinction of having played over 100 league games for five different clubs. Shilton did not make his World Cup finals debut until the age of 32 but he played in 17 finals matches and shares the record 10 clean sheets in World Cup finals with French keeper Fabien Barthez
.
During his time at Nottingham Forest
he won two European Cup
s, a UEFA Super Cup, the First Division
championship, the Football League Cup
and many other honours.
Shilton also holds the all-time record for the most competitive appearances in world football.
in 1963. He caught the eye of first-team goalkeeper Gordon Banks
, who commented to the coach about how promising he was. Within four years, Shilton had forced Banks' own departure from Leicester after the teenager gave the club an ultimatum over which goalkeeper should be first choice.
In May 1966, a 16 year old Shilton made his debut for Leicester against Everton
and his potential was quickly spotted to the extent that the Leicester City management sided with their teenage prodigy and soon sold World Cup winner Banks, to Stoke City
. Shilton settled into first team life thereafter, even managing to score a goal at The Dell against Southampton
in October 1967 direct from a clearance at the opposite end of the pitch. The Southampton goalkeeper, Campbell Forsyth
, misjudged Shilton's long punt upfield, which, instead of splashing harmlessly in the mud, spun off The Dell pitch and flew over Forsyth's head into the goal. "The Saints" lost the game 5–1.
The following season Leicester had a mixed season; suffering relegation from the First Division
, but reaching the FA Cup
final at Wembley and a 19 year old Shilton became one of the event's youngest-ever goalkeepers. It did not go his way, however, as a single goal from Manchester City
's Neil Young early in the match was enough to win the game. Despite the many honours and accolades which were to come Shilton's way, he would not appear in an FA Cup Final
again.
manager Alf Ramsey
sufficiently to give him his debut against East Germany
in November 1970. England won 3–1. Little more than six months later, Shilton's outstanding performances helped Leicester to promotion back to the First Division.
His second England cap came in a goalless draw against Wales
at Wembley; and his first competitive match for his country was his third appearance as England drew 1–1 with Switzerland
in a qualifying game for the 1972 European Championships. At this stage, Banks was still England's first choice keeper, but the remaining brace of back-ups from the 1970 World Cup, Peter Bonetti
and Alex Stepney
, had been cast aside by Ramsey so Shilton could begin to regard himself as his country's number two goalkeeper at the age of 22.
Life with Leicester City continued uneventfully as Shilton's England career progressed. His fourth and fifth England caps came towards the end of 1972 (England had failed to qualify for the European Championship competition) before a tragic incident suddenly saw Shilton propelled into the limelight as England's number one keeper.
In October 1972, Gordon Banks was involved in a car crash which resulted in the loss of the sight in one eye and thus ended his career. Liverpool
goalkeeper Ray Clemence
was called up to make his debut a month later in England's opening qualifier for the 1974 World Cup, (a 1–0 win over Wales). Ultimately, this caused the FA continual selection headaches as the choice between Shilton and Clemence was not an easy one. In the end, Shilton ended up with over 100 caps compared to Clemence's 61 and is generally acknowledged to be better of the two by a small margin.
Shilton performed with aplomb through the summer of 1973, keeping three clean sheets as England defeated Northern Ireland
, Wales and Scotland
, while drawing with Czechoslovakia
– a match which earned Shilton his tenth cap – as a warm-up to a crucial World Cup qualifier against Poland
in Chorzów
a week later. This went badly for England, with Shilton powerless to stop both goals in a 2–0 defeat and therefore making victory in the final qualifier, against the same opposition at Wembley four months later, a necessity if England were to make the finals.
to earn his 15th cap. Aside from one infamous incident, he spent pretty much all of the game watching the heroics of his opposite number Jan Tomaszewski
as he kept chance after chance out of his net.
When the ball finally did get into the net it was at Shilton's end, in the first moment which formed part of the whole definition of Shilton's career. Midway through the second half, Norman Hunter inexplicably trod on the ball near the touchline and Poland broke, with Grzegorz Lato
feeding the ball across to the onrushing Jan Domarski
.
As Domarski shaped to hit the ball first time, Shilton got himself into position to be able to block a shot coming at him from any angle. Domarski's drive, struck beyond Emlyn Hughes
' challenge, was low and not well hit but it was on target for inside the near post and very close to Shilton. Shilton needed to deal with it, yet dived awkwardly and fractionally late to a shot too close to his body, and Poland scored. Though the restricted view of the ball caused by Hughes' late attempt at a tackle mitigated Shilton's case, it was accepted by everyone that he should have saved it. Shilton later said he was trying to make "the perfect save" and momentarily forgot that his first priority was to keep the ball out of the net, rather than make sure he held on to it. He also claimed in his autobiography that this is the only mistake he made in his 125 caps for England.
England equalised swiftly through a penalty from Allan Clarke
, with Shilton famously turning his back on the ball at the opposite end because he could not bear to look, but Tomaszewski's continued heroics kept England out to the final whistle, and England failed to qualify for the World Cup. Poland would go on to finish third in the competition.
. By this stage, Shilton was wearing an all-white goalkeeper's kit instead of the traditional green after lending his name to the Admiral Sportswear. This distinctive kit brought a lot of Press attention and pundit Jimmy Hill
even claimed on television that Keegan was able to score the goal he did because the kit made it easier for him to see Shilton's position from the corner of his eye.
Shilton left Leicester that summer, deciding he needed a change. He joined Stoke City
for £325,000. By now he and Ray Clemence were battling to be regarded as England's top goalkeeper, and each were given their share of caps. In 1975, however, Clemence seemed to be getting the edge, winning eight of the nine caps available under new coach Don Revie
, though England failed to reach the 1976 European Championships during this period. Shilton played just once for England in 1975, not at all in 1976 and just twice in 1977; he became so frustrated at his lack of chances that in the summer of 1976, he pulled out of the squad which was heading for the United States for a bi-centennial
celebration tournament and asked not to be considered again, only to reverse his decision three months later. Clemence was in control, overtaking Shilton's caps total in the process as England fought in vain to reach the 1978 World Cup
. The summer of 1976 also saw Manchester United
lodge a bid for Shilton. Stoke agreed a fee of £275,000 for the goalkeeper, but the United board baulked at Shilton's wage demands, which would have made him the highest paid player at the club. Shilton remained at Stoke, but the Staffordshire club were struggling, and upon relegation in 1977 Shilton asked for a transfer in the hope of reviving his England career.
made an offer of £250,000 and Shilton signed a month into the new season. Forest had just been promoted to the First Division and were riding high under the management of Brian Clough
. They won the League Cup
in a replay after initially drawing with Liverpool at Wembley, though Shilton missed that as he was cup-tied, and then incredibly clinched the League title in their first season back in the first division. Shilton made a save in the clinching 0–0 draw against Coventry City
which critics regarded as his greatest ever – a vicious close range header from Mick Ferguson seemed destined for the net with Shilton slightly out of position, but he got across to palm it over the bar. During the season as a whole, Shilton conceded just 18 goals in 37 league appearances.
Shilton subsequently won the PFA Player of the Year
award, voted for by his fellow professionals.
As if to emphasise his return to the top of his game, new England coach Ron Greenwood started to select Shilton as regularly as Clemence, eventually reaching the stage where he made a point of alternating them, seemingly unable to choose. This indecision attracted some adverse comment, with some commentators questioning Greenwood's ability to manage at the highest level. Brian Clough famously summed up the situation when he said 'Shilton was head and shoulders above Clemence in every aspect of goalkeeping, it was the biggest insult to Shilton to alternate between the two.'
Forest won the League Cup again in 1979 – this time Shilton played as they defeated Southampton 3–2 at Wembley – before reaching the European Cup
final where a Trevor Francis
goal was enough to beat Swedish
side Malmö
in Munich
.
Shilton then featured heavily as England qualified for the 1980 European Championships in Italy – their first tournament for a decade.
Prior to competing in Italy, Shilton had another eventful season with Forest, reaching a third consecutive League Cup final, with Wolverhampton Wanderers
the opponents at Wembley. There was no third successive victory, however, a lack of communication between Shilton and defender David Needham resulted in a collision on the edge of the Forest penalty area, leaving Andy Gray free to tap the ball into the net for the game's only goal.
Forest then reached the European Cup final again in 1980 – as holders they were entitled to defend the trophy and faced SV Hamburg
in Madrid
. Like the 1979 final, the game was tight and one goal settled it from Forest winger John Robertson. Among the disappointed Hamburg players was Keegan, now Shilton's captain at international level.
Shilton's tenure at Nottingham Forest was the most successful of his professional career.
in March 1980; his 31st wouldn't come until the European Championships themselves. Unfortunately, it was a 1–0 defeat to Italy
, which proved crucial as England failed to get through to the knockout phase.
Life began to decline for Shilton afterwards. Forest failed to continue their trophy-winning form and sank into mid-table mediocrity, while Shilton began what would be a long-standing gambling
addiction which would cause considerable strain to his family. There were also stories of an extramarital affair and a conviction for drink-driving,with the player fined £350 for the offence. All of this contributed to Shilton's decision to leave Nottingham Forest in 1982 and start afresh. In the midst of all this, he had the matter of the 1982 World Cup to consider.
Shilton had played in half of the qualifying games – wins over Norway
, and Switzerland
, a goalless draw against Romania
, and a vital 1–0 win over Hungary
. The latter was the last game of the campaign, and England had to win to qualify for the finals in Spain, leading to a potential repeat of the events against Poland in 1973. Thankfully for Shilton and England, the result went England's way this time and they qualified for their first World Cup for a dozen years, with Shilton appearing in the finals for the first time at the comparatively mature age of 32.
At last Greenwood made a decision on his goalkeeping situation. Clemence played in the friendlies building up to the competition, but it was Shilton who was selected for the opening group game against France
in Bilbao
. England won 3–1 and Shilton stayed in goal for the two remaining group games. That was sufficient to advance to the second phase, but England were eliminated after two draws despite Shilton not conceding any goals.
Shilton duly left Forest and, despite interest from Arsenal
, opted to join Southampton, where his former international team-mates Keegan and Alan Ball were both playing. With Bobby Robson
now running the England team, Shilton's international career flourished, playing in Robson's first ten matches and even captaining the side in seven of them in the absence of Bryan Robson
and Ray Wilkins
. One game, a 2–0 win over Scotland, earned Shilton his 50th cap.
Clemence returned for a qualifier for the 1984 European Championships against Luxembourg
, but this game, Clemence's 61st for his country, also proved to be his last.
England failed to qualify for the European Championships, while at Southampton, Shilton suffered FA Cup semi final heartbreak again when he was beaten by a last minute Adrian Heath
header which gave Everton
a place in the final. However, he was now indisputably the first choice goalkeeper for his country, and would remain so through the end of his international career. Remarkably, almost half his international caps (61 out of 125) were earned after his 35th birthday. It was 1985 before another goalkeeper was selected for an England game, when Robson could gave a debut to the Manchester United
goalkeeper Gary Bailey
in a relatively unimportant friendly match. Shilton was still the keeper for the qualifying campaign for the 1986 World Cup, which thus far had seen three wins from three matches and no goals conceded.
A 70th cap came Shilton's way in a shock 1–0 defeat against Scotland at Hampden Park
; he later saved a penalty from Andy Breheme as England satisfyingly beat West Germany
3–0 in a tour match in Mexico, a year before England were hoping to return there for the World Cup.
England accomplished this with ease, going through the whole qualifying campaign undefeated. By the time they played Mexico
in an acclimatisation match prior to the competition, Shilton was 80 games into his England career, having beaten Banks' record for a goalkeeper of 73 caps the previous year against Turkey.
and then drawing against outsiders Morocco
, during which time Robson was led off injured and Wilkins was sent off. In their absences, Shilton was handed the captaincy as England found their form to destroy Poland 3–0 in their final group game – Gary Lineker
scored them all – and progress to the second round.
There they met Paraguay
and though Shilton did have to make one fingertip save during the first half, England were rarely troubled. Lineker scored twice and Peter Beardsley
once as England coasted through 3–0 and into a quarter final meeting with Argentina
, a match which again would ultimately form part of the legend of Shilton's whole career.
Argentina captain Diego Maradona
had been the man of the tournament thus far, but in a tight first half England managed to keep his creativity reasonably at bay. But early in the second half, Maradona changed the game, much to Shilton's anger.
Maradona began an attack which seemingly broke down on the edge of the England box as Steve Hodge
got a foot to the ball. The ball was skewed back towards the penalty area and Maradona, continuing the run from his initial pass, went after it as Shilton came out to punch the ball clear. Maradona managed to get higher than Shilton and knock the ball into the net. Shilton and his teammates signalled that Maradona had used his hand — a foul
for any player
except a goalkeeper — but the Tunisia
n referee Ali Bin Nasser
allowed the goal. A famous photograph subsequently showed Maradona outjumping Shilton and his fist making contact with the ball as Shilton was still midway through his own stretch, arm extended (but, curiously, jumping only an inch or two). Maradona later said the goal was scored by the Hand of God. Nasser never refereed at such a high level again. Shilton largely escaped criticism for the goal because the English media focused on Maradona's cheating.
Shortly afterwards, Maradona scored a legitimate individual goal, taking on almost the whole England defence and Shilton before shooting into an empty net, and to England's anger, Maradona celebrated his goal by waving the "Hand Of God". Lineker pulled one back and nearly equalised in the closing seconds, but England were out in an extremely dubious fashion. Shilton, at 36, seemed to have featured in his last World Cup match.
In 1987, Grandslam Entertainment
released a computer game with the unsubtle title of 'Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!'
, which were to be held in West Germany
.
Shilton had won his 90th cap for England in a 2–0 win over Northern Ireland in a European Championship qualifier — as it turned out, his 100th cap was due during the finals themselves, assuming he was selected, though this looked a certainty.
It was so, but England's performance in Germany was disappointing. Shilton's 99th cap came in a 1–0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland
; his 100th, against the Netherlands
, therefore carried real importance as well as sentiment and achievement. Marco van Basten ruined Shilton's day and England's hopes of progress with a ruthless second half hat-trick as England lost 3–1. Robson left Shilton out of the third and final group game as it was now meaningless, but England still managed to lose it, also 3–1. Chris Woods
, longtime understudy to Shilton (and his teenage understudy a decade earlier at Forest — he had played in the League Cup final when Shilton was cup-tied) was given a rare game.
Shilton played in all bar one of the England games over the next 18 months — the one he missed saw a debut for a future England goalkeeping great, David Seaman
of Queens Park Rangers
.
's record
of 108 appearances for his country when he won his 109th cap in a friendly against Denmark
in Copenhagen
. Prior to the match he was handed a framed England goalkeeper's jersey with '109' on the front. He had, by this time, kept three clean sheets in three qualifying matches for the 1990 World Cup and would ultimately concede no goals at all as England qualified for the tournament, to be held in Italy.
1989 was also a good year at club level for Shilton. He helped Derby finish fifth in the league, and they only missed out on competing in the UEFA Cup
due to the ban on English clubs in European competition (which ran from 1985 to 1990) arising from the Heysel disaster.
It was his 119th appearance for his country as England drew 1–1 with the Republic of Ireland in the opening group game; Shilton would later perform heroics as England got through the group, beat Belgium 1–0 in a tight and dramatic second round match, and then edged past Cameroon
3–2 in the quarter finals, thanks to two Lineker penalties after England went 2–1 down. Then came the West Germans in the semi finals, Shilton's 124th England game.
It was goalless at half time, but shortly after the restart Shilton was left powerless by Andreas Brehme
's free kick which looped horribly off Paul Parker's shin and dropped into the net over Shilton's head, despite his furious backpedalling attempts to tip the ball over. Lineker's late equaliser salvaged a draw for England but Shilton could not get close enough to any of the highly efficient and confident penalties taken by the Germans in the deciding shoot out, while England missed two of theirs and went out of the tournament. In his biography Bobby Robson later admitted that he had toyed with the idea of substituting
Shilton with second understudy Dave Beasant
for the shoot out, as Beasant, who played for Chelsea
, had a particularly impressive record at saving penalties. Although in his autobiography, Shilton is said to have defended the decision to leave him on as he stated he guessed the correct way the penalties were going for all the four kicks, he was beaten by brilliant accurate penalties.
Shilton was the keeper for the third place play-off game, which ended in a 2–1 win for hosts Italy, Shilton suffering an embarrassing moment when he dithered over a back pass and was tackled by Roberto Baggio who scored as a result. It was his 125th appearance for his country and, after the tournament ended, he announced it would be his last. Of his 125 international appearances (then a world record), 15 of them had been as captain.His final appearance came just four months before the 20th anniversary of his international debut, making his full international career one of the longest on record. He was never booked or sent off at full international level.
This allowed Shilton to concentrate on his playing career at Derby County, where he had been since signing from Southampton in 1987.
as Hull City
manager for geographical reasons.
He finally left Derby in February 1992 on accepting an offer to become player-manager of Plymouth Argyle
– a turbulent era that is documented in the 2009 book, Peter Shilton's Nearly Men. Plymouth were battling against relegation in the Football League Second Division
but Shilton's efforts were unable to save Plymouth from the drop. His £300,000 record signing Peter Swan
proved to be a disaster as the player had a awful relationship with both his teammates and the fans.
In 1994, he started to concentrate solely on management and Plymouth reached the Division Two
play-offs, but lost in the semi finals to Burnley
. In January 1994, he had been linked with Southampton for a possible return as manager following the departure of Ian Branfoot
, but the job went to Alan Ball, Jr instead.
The following February, with Plymouth heading for relegation, he left the club and announced his intention to start playing again. He was now 46 years old.
He joined Wimbledon
in the Premier League, as cover for the first choice keeper Hans Segers
, but did not play a first team game for them. He subsequently signed for Bolton Wanderers
, making one appearance in the Division One play off semi final vs Wolves at Molineux. Bolton lost 2–1, but eventually overcame Wolves in the second leg, Shilton however did not play in this game. He then signed for Coventry City
, where he failed to make a first-team appearance, before joining West Ham United
, where again he never played a first-team game, although he was selected as a substitute on several occasions.
in December 1996, in an exchange deal for 39-year-old Les Sealey
. His thousandth League game came on 22 December 1996, against Brighton & Hove Albion
, which was screened live on Sky Sports
and was preceded by the presentation from the Football League of a special edition of the Guinness Book of Records to Shilton. He played five more matches before retiring on 1005 league games at the age of 47. By the time of his retirement, he was the fifth oldest player ever to have played in the Football League
or Premier League.
His son Sam
is a professional footballer, though a midfielder rather than a goalkeeper. He has played for several senior clubs, including Plymouth Argyle and Coventry City.
Shilton received the MBE, and later the OBE, during his playing career for services to football. In 1990, following his retirement from international football, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Merit by the PFA and a year later he received the Football Writers' Tribute Award. Shilton was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame
in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as one of the greatest English goalkeepers.
He also features in football games FIFA 10
, FIFA 11
and FIFA 12
in the Classic XI squad.
He took part in the 2010 series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing
. Shilton was voted out at the end of week 4.
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 18 September 1949 in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
than anyone else, earning 125 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
.
In a 30-year career, which included eleven different clubs, three World Cups, two European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
finals and more than 1,000 competitive matches, Shilton emerged as one of the English game's genuine legends. He has the rare distinction of having played over 100 league games for five different clubs. Shilton did not make his World Cup finals debut until the age of 32 but he played in 17 finals matches and shares the record 10 clean sheets in World Cup finals with French keeper Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez
Fabien Alain Barthez is a former French footballer goalkeeper who won honours with Manchester United and the French national team, with whom he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 World Cup. He shares the record for the most World Cup finals clean sheets...
.
During his time at Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
he won two European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
s, a UEFA Super Cup, the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
championship, the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
and many other honours.
Shilton also holds the all-time record for the most competitive appearances in world football.
Early career
Shilton was a 13 year old pupil at King Richard III Boys School, Leicester, when he started training at schoolboy level with his local club Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in 1963. He caught the eye of first-team goalkeeper Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
, who commented to the coach about how promising he was. Within four years, Shilton had forced Banks' own departure from Leicester after the teenager gave the club an ultimatum over which goalkeeper should be first choice.
In May 1966, a 16 year old Shilton made his debut for Leicester against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and his potential was quickly spotted to the extent that the Leicester City management sided with their teenage prodigy and soon sold World Cup winner Banks, to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. Shilton settled into first team life thereafter, even managing to score a goal at The Dell against Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in October 1967 direct from a clearance at the opposite end of the pitch. The Southampton goalkeeper, Campbell Forsyth
Campbell Forsyth
Robert Campbell Forsyth is a retired Scottish footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for St. Mirren, Kilmarnock and Southampton. He also made four appearances for Scotland in 1964.-Early career:...
, misjudged Shilton's long punt upfield, which, instead of splashing harmlessly in the mud, spun off The Dell pitch and flew over Forsyth's head into the goal. "The Saints" lost the game 5–1.
The following season Leicester had a mixed season; suffering relegation from the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, but reaching the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final at Wembley and a 19 year old Shilton became one of the event's youngest-ever goalkeepers. It did not go his way, however, as a single goal from Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
's Neil Young early in the match was enough to win the game. Despite the many honours and accolades which were to come Shilton's way, he would not appear in an FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
again.
England calls
An ambitious Shilton considered moving from Leicester after relegation, but decided to stick with his boyhood team. This decision was vindicated when, despite playing at a lower level, he impressed EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
manager Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
sufficiently to give him his debut against East Germany
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany....
in November 1970. England won 3–1. Little more than six months later, Shilton's outstanding performances helped Leicester to promotion back to the First Division.
His second England cap came in a goalless draw against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
at Wembley; and his first competitive match for his country was his third appearance as England drew 1–1 with Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
in a qualifying game for the 1972 European Championships. At this stage, Banks was still England's first choice keeper, but the remaining brace of back-ups from the 1970 World Cup, Peter Bonetti
Peter Bonetti
Peter Phillip Bonetti is a former football goalkeeper for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. Bonetti was known for his safe handling, lightning reflexes and his graceful style, for which he was given the nickname, "The Cat"...
and Alex Stepney
Alex Stepney
Alexander Cyril "Alex" Stepney is a former English football player who was Manchester United's goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup.-London beginnings:...
, had been cast aside by Ramsey so Shilton could begin to regard himself as his country's number two goalkeeper at the age of 22.
Life with Leicester City continued uneventfully as Shilton's England career progressed. His fourth and fifth England caps came towards the end of 1972 (England had failed to qualify for the European Championship competition) before a tragic incident suddenly saw Shilton propelled into the limelight as England's number one keeper.
In October 1972, Gordon Banks was involved in a car crash which resulted in the loss of the sight in one eye and thus ended his career. Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
goalkeeper Ray Clemence
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...
was called up to make his debut a month later in England's opening qualifier for the 1974 World Cup, (a 1–0 win over Wales). Ultimately, this caused the FA continual selection headaches as the choice between Shilton and Clemence was not an easy one. In the end, Shilton ended up with over 100 caps compared to Clemence's 61 and is generally acknowledged to be better of the two by a small margin.
Shilton performed with aplomb through the summer of 1973, keeping three clean sheets as England defeated Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, Wales and Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, while drawing with Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
– a match which earned Shilton his tenth cap – as a warm-up to a crucial World Cup qualifier against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
in Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
a week later. This went badly for England, with Shilton powerless to stop both goals in a 2–0 defeat and therefore making victory in the final qualifier, against the same opposition at Wembley four months later, a necessity if England were to make the finals.
Poland and "the perfect save"
Shilton was selected by Ramsey for the match, walking out behind captain Martin PetersMartin Peters
Martin Stanford Peters, MBE is a former football player and member of the victorious England team which won the 1966 World Cup as well as playing in the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
to earn his 15th cap. Aside from one infamous incident, he spent pretty much all of the game watching the heroics of his opposite number Jan Tomaszewski
Jan Tomaszewski
Jan Tomaszewski is a retired Polish footballer , who was nicknamed "Tomek" and "The Man That Stopped England", named Best Goalkeeper in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany....
as he kept chance after chance out of his net.
When the ball finally did get into the net it was at Shilton's end, in the first moment which formed part of the whole definition of Shilton's career. Midway through the second half, Norman Hunter inexplicably trod on the ball near the touchline and Poland broke, with Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in...
feeding the ball across to the onrushing Jan Domarski
Jan Domarski
Jan Andrzej Domarski was a Polish football player and bronze-medal winner in the 1974 World Cup tournament in Germany. He played in seventeen matches for the Polish national football team and was a double-champion with the club Stal Mielec...
.
As Domarski shaped to hit the ball first time, Shilton got himself into position to be able to block a shot coming at him from any angle. Domarski's drive, struck beyond Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...
' challenge, was low and not well hit but it was on target for inside the near post and very close to Shilton. Shilton needed to deal with it, yet dived awkwardly and fractionally late to a shot too close to his body, and Poland scored. Though the restricted view of the ball caused by Hughes' late attempt at a tackle mitigated Shilton's case, it was accepted by everyone that he should have saved it. Shilton later said he was trying to make "the perfect save" and momentarily forgot that his first priority was to keep the ball out of the net, rather than make sure he held on to it. He also claimed in his autobiography that this is the only mistake he made in his 125 caps for England.
England equalised swiftly through a penalty from Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
, with Shilton famously turning his back on the ball at the opposite end because he could not bear to look, but Tomaszewski's continued heroics kept England out to the final whistle, and England failed to qualify for the World Cup. Poland would go on to finish third in the competition.
Stoke City
As the season came to an end, Leicester got to the FA Cup semi finals where Shilton was beaten – in a replay after the initial game ended goalless – by a stunning lobbed volley from Liverpool's Kevin KeeganKevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
. By this stage, Shilton was wearing an all-white goalkeeper's kit instead of the traditional green after lending his name to the Admiral Sportswear. This distinctive kit brought a lot of Press attention and pundit Jimmy Hill
Jimmy Hill
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
even claimed on television that Keegan was able to score the goal he did because the kit made it easier for him to see Shilton's position from the corner of his eye.
Shilton left Leicester that summer, deciding he needed a change. He joined Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
for £325,000. By now he and Ray Clemence were battling to be regarded as England's top goalkeeper, and each were given their share of caps. In 1975, however, Clemence seemed to be getting the edge, winning eight of the nine caps available under new coach Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
, though England failed to reach the 1976 European Championships during this period. Shilton played just once for England in 1975, not at all in 1976 and just twice in 1977; he became so frustrated at his lack of chances that in the summer of 1976, he pulled out of the squad which was heading for the United States for a bi-centennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
celebration tournament and asked not to be considered again, only to reverse his decision three months later. Clemence was in control, overtaking Shilton's caps total in the process as England fought in vain to reach the 1978 World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
. The summer of 1976 also saw Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
lodge a bid for Shilton. Stoke agreed a fee of £275,000 for the goalkeeper, but the United board baulked at Shilton's wage demands, which would have made him the highest paid player at the club. Shilton remained at Stoke, but the Staffordshire club were struggling, and upon relegation in 1977 Shilton asked for a transfer in the hope of reviving his England career.
Nottingham Forest and cups with Clough
Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
made an offer of £250,000 and Shilton signed a month into the new season. Forest had just been promoted to the First Division and were riding high under the management of Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
. They won the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in a replay after initially drawing with Liverpool at Wembley, though Shilton missed that as he was cup-tied, and then incredibly clinched the League title in their first season back in the first division. Shilton made a save in the clinching 0–0 draw against Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
which critics regarded as his greatest ever – a vicious close range header from Mick Ferguson seemed destined for the net with Shilton slightly out of position, but he got across to palm it over the bar. During the season as a whole, Shilton conceded just 18 goals in 37 league appearances.
Shilton subsequently won the PFA Player of the Year
PFA Players' Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football...
award, voted for by his fellow professionals.
As if to emphasise his return to the top of his game, new England coach Ron Greenwood started to select Shilton as regularly as Clemence, eventually reaching the stage where he made a point of alternating them, seemingly unable to choose. This indecision attracted some adverse comment, with some commentators questioning Greenwood's ability to manage at the highest level. Brian Clough famously summed up the situation when he said 'Shilton was head and shoulders above Clemence in every aspect of goalkeeping, it was the biggest insult to Shilton to alternate between the two.'
Forest won the League Cup again in 1979 – this time Shilton played as they defeated Southampton 3–2 at Wembley – before reaching the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final where a Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
goal was enough to beat Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
side Malmö
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Shilton then featured heavily as England qualified for the 1980 European Championships in Italy – their first tournament for a decade.
Prior to competing in Italy, Shilton had another eventful season with Forest, reaching a third consecutive League Cup final, with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
the opponents at Wembley. There was no third successive victory, however, a lack of communication between Shilton and defender David Needham resulted in a collision on the edge of the Forest penalty area, leaving Andy Gray free to tap the ball into the net for the game's only goal.
Forest then reached the European Cup final again in 1980 – as holders they were entitled to defend the trophy and faced SV Hamburg
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. Like the 1979 final, the game was tight and one goal settled it from Forest winger John Robertson. Among the disappointed Hamburg players was Keegan, now Shilton's captain at international level.
Shilton's tenure at Nottingham Forest was the most successful of his professional career.
Spain and Southampton
Shilton had won his 30th England cap in a 2–0 win over SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in March 1980; his 31st wouldn't come until the European Championships themselves. Unfortunately, it was a 1–0 defeat to Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, which proved crucial as England failed to get through to the knockout phase.
Life began to decline for Shilton afterwards. Forest failed to continue their trophy-winning form and sank into mid-table mediocrity, while Shilton began what would be a long-standing gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
addiction which would cause considerable strain to his family. There were also stories of an extramarital affair and a conviction for drink-driving,with the player fined £350 for the offence. All of this contributed to Shilton's decision to leave Nottingham Forest in 1982 and start afresh. In the midst of all this, he had the matter of the 1982 World Cup to consider.
Shilton had played in half of the qualifying games – wins over Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, a goalless draw against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, and a vital 1–0 win over Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
. The latter was the last game of the campaign, and England had to win to qualify for the finals in Spain, leading to a potential repeat of the events against Poland in 1973. Thankfully for Shilton and England, the result went England's way this time and they qualified for their first World Cup for a dozen years, with Shilton appearing in the finals for the first time at the comparatively mature age of 32.
At last Greenwood made a decision on his goalkeeping situation. Clemence played in the friendlies building up to the competition, but it was Shilton who was selected for the opening group game against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
. England won 3–1 and Shilton stayed in goal for the two remaining group games. That was sufficient to advance to the second phase, but England were eliminated after two draws despite Shilton not conceding any goals.
Shilton duly left Forest and, despite interest from Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, opted to join Southampton, where his former international team-mates Keegan and Alan Ball were both playing. With Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
now running the England team, Shilton's international career flourished, playing in Robson's first ten matches and even captaining the side in seven of them in the absence of Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
and Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
. One game, a 2–0 win over Scotland, earned Shilton his 50th cap.
Clemence returned for a qualifier for the 1984 European Championships against Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
, but this game, Clemence's 61st for his country, also proved to be his last.
England failed to qualify for the European Championships, while at Southampton, Shilton suffered FA Cup semi final heartbreak again when he was beaten by a last minute Adrian Heath
Adrian Heath
Adrian Paul Heath is an English football manager and former player. He manages American USL Pro Orlando franchise. As a player he is remembered as part of the Everton side of the 1980s, where he won several trophies...
header which gave Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
a place in the final. However, he was now indisputably the first choice goalkeeper for his country, and would remain so through the end of his international career. Remarkably, almost half his international caps (61 out of 125) were earned after his 35th birthday. It was 1985 before another goalkeeper was selected for an England game, when Robson could gave a debut to the Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
goalkeeper Gary Bailey
Gary Bailey
Gary Richard Bailey is a former footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a goalkeeper for Manchester United. He was capped twice for England....
in a relatively unimportant friendly match. Shilton was still the keeper for the qualifying campaign for the 1986 World Cup, which thus far had seen three wins from three matches and no goals conceded.
A 70th cap came Shilton's way in a shock 1–0 defeat against Scotland at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
; he later saved a penalty from Andy Breheme as England satisfyingly beat West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
3–0 in a tour match in Mexico, a year before England were hoping to return there for the World Cup.
England accomplished this with ease, going through the whole qualifying campaign undefeated. By the time they played Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in an acclimatisation match prior to the competition, Shilton was 80 games into his England career, having beaten Banks' record for a goalkeeper of 73 caps the previous year against Turkey.
The "Hand of God"
At the World Cup itself, England started slowly, losing the opening group match to PortugalPortugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and then drawing against outsiders Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
, during which time Robson was led off injured and Wilkins was sent off. In their absences, Shilton was handed the captaincy as England found their form to destroy Poland 3–0 in their final group game – Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
scored them all – and progress to the second round.
There they met Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
and though Shilton did have to make one fingertip save during the first half, England were rarely troubled. Lineker scored twice and Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
once as England coasted through 3–0 and into a quarter final meeting with Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, a match which again would ultimately form part of the legend of Shilton's whole career.
Argentina captain Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
had been the man of the tournament thus far, but in a tight first half England managed to keep his creativity reasonably at bay. But early in the second half, Maradona changed the game, much to Shilton's anger.
Maradona began an attack which seemingly broke down on the edge of the England box as Steve Hodge
Steve Hodge
Stephen Brian Hodge is a retired English footballer who enjoyed a high-profile club and international career in the 1980s and 1990s.- Playing career :...
got a foot to the ball. The ball was skewed back towards the penalty area and Maradona, continuing the run from his initial pass, went after it as Shilton came out to punch the ball clear. Maradona managed to get higher than Shilton and knock the ball into the net. Shilton and his teammates signalled that Maradona had used his hand — a foul
Foul (sports)
In sports, a foul is an inappropriate or unfair act by a player as deemed by a referee. A foul may be intentional or accidental, and often results in a penalty....
for any player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
except a goalkeeper — but the Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n referee Ali Bin Nasser
Ali Bin Nasser
Ali Bin Nasser is a former Tunisian football referee. His name is spelled as Ali Bennaceur in the official FIFA match reports....
allowed the goal. A famous photograph subsequently showed Maradona outjumping Shilton and his fist making contact with the ball as Shilton was still midway through his own stretch, arm extended (but, curiously, jumping only an inch or two). Maradona later said the goal was scored by the Hand of God. Nasser never refereed at such a high level again. Shilton largely escaped criticism for the goal because the English media focused on Maradona's cheating.
Shortly afterwards, Maradona scored a legitimate individual goal, taking on almost the whole England defence and Shilton before shooting into an empty net, and to England's anger, Maradona celebrated his goal by waving the "Hand Of God". Lineker pulled one back and nearly equalised in the closing seconds, but England were out in an extremely dubious fashion. Shilton, at 36, seemed to have featured in his last World Cup match.
In 1987, Grandslam Entertainment
Grandslam Entertainment
Grandslam Entertainment was a computer and video games software house based in Britain. It was formed in late 1987 from the ashes of Argus Press Software by former Argus Managing Director, Stephen Hall. Grandslam developed and published many games for home computers during the 1980s and 1990s...
released a computer game with the unsubtle title of 'Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!'
Disaster at Euro 88
However, he continued to play for England, featuring in a straightforward and successful qualification campaign for the 1988 European Championships1988 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany. West Germany won the right to host the tournament with five votes ahead of a joint bid from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who gained 1 vote, and a bid from England. It was the eighth European Football...
, which were to be held in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
Shilton had won his 90th cap for England in a 2–0 win over Northern Ireland in a European Championship qualifier — as it turned out, his 100th cap was due during the finals themselves, assuming he was selected, though this looked a certainty.
It was so, but England's performance in Germany was disappointing. Shilton's 99th cap came in a 1–0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
; his 100th, against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, therefore carried real importance as well as sentiment and achievement. Marco van Basten ruined Shilton's day and England's hopes of progress with a ruthless second half hat-trick as England lost 3–1. Robson left Shilton out of the third and final group game as it was now meaningless, but England still managed to lose it, also 3–1. Chris Woods
Chris Woods
Christopher 'Chris' Charles Eric Woods is a former England international football goalkeeper, who played in the Football League and Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Southampton and Burnley, in the Scottish Football League for Rangers, and in Major...
, longtime understudy to Shilton (and his teenage understudy a decade earlier at Forest — he had played in the League Cup final when Shilton was cup-tied) was given a rare game.
Shilton played in all bar one of the England games over the next 18 months — the one he missed saw a debut for a future England goalkeeping great, David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
of Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
.
Derby County & Italia 90
In June 1989, Shilton broke his old England skipper Bobby MooreBobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
's record
Progression of England association football caps record
This is a progressive list of association footballers who have held or co-held the record for international caps for the England national football team, beginning with Charles Chenery and Ernest Greenhalgh, the only England players to appear in both of the first two international games...
of 108 appearances for his country when he won his 109th cap in a friendly against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. Prior to the match he was handed a framed England goalkeeper's jersey with '109' on the front. He had, by this time, kept three clean sheets in three qualifying matches for the 1990 World Cup and would ultimately concede no goals at all as England qualified for the tournament, to be held in Italy.
1989 was also a good year at club level for Shilton. He helped Derby finish fifth in the league, and they only missed out on competing in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
due to the ban on English clubs in European competition (which ran from 1985 to 1990) arising from the Heysel disaster.
It was his 119th appearance for his country as England drew 1–1 with the Republic of Ireland in the opening group game; Shilton would later perform heroics as England got through the group, beat Belgium 1–0 in a tight and dramatic second round match, and then edged past Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
3–2 in the quarter finals, thanks to two Lineker penalties after England went 2–1 down. Then came the West Germans in the semi finals, Shilton's 124th England game.
It was goalless at half time, but shortly after the restart Shilton was left powerless by Andreas Brehme
Andreas Brehme
Andreas "Andy" Brehme is a German football coach and former football defender. He is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina on a 85th minute penalty kick....
's free kick which looped horribly off Paul Parker's shin and dropped into the net over Shilton's head, despite his furious backpedalling attempts to tip the ball over. Lineker's late equaliser salvaged a draw for England but Shilton could not get close enough to any of the highly efficient and confident penalties taken by the Germans in the deciding shoot out, while England missed two of theirs and went out of the tournament. In his biography Bobby Robson later admitted that he had toyed with the idea of substituting
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
Shilton with second understudy Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...
for the shoot out, as Beasant, who played for Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, had a particularly impressive record at saving penalties. Although in his autobiography, Shilton is said to have defended the decision to leave him on as he stated he guessed the correct way the penalties were going for all the four kicks, he was beaten by brilliant accurate penalties.
Shilton was the keeper for the third place play-off game, which ended in a 2–1 win for hosts Italy, Shilton suffering an embarrassing moment when he dithered over a back pass and was tackled by Roberto Baggio who scored as a result. It was his 125th appearance for his country and, after the tournament ended, he announced it would be his last. Of his 125 international appearances (then a world record), 15 of them had been as captain.His final appearance came just four months before the 20th anniversary of his international debut, making his full international career one of the longest on record. He was never booked or sent off at full international level.
This allowed Shilton to concentrate on his playing career at Derby County, where he had been since signing from Southampton in 1987.
Management
In 1991, Derby were relegated and Shilton started to consider his playing future. He was in his 42nd year and was ready to become a coach or manager. In early 1991, he had rejected an offer to replace Stan TernentStan Ternent
Francis Stanley "Stan" Ternent is an English former footballer and manager. He managed Blackpool, Hull City, Bury, Burnley, Gillingham and Huddersfield Town. He is currently a scout for Sunderland.-Career:...
as Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
manager for geographical reasons.
He finally left Derby in February 1992 on accepting an offer to become player-manager of Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
– a turbulent era that is documented in the 2009 book, Peter Shilton's Nearly Men. Plymouth were battling against relegation in the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
but Shilton's efforts were unable to save Plymouth from the drop. His £300,000 record signing Peter Swan
Peter Swan (footballer born 1966)
Peter Harold Swan is an English former footballer who played as a defender and centre forward. In a sixteen year professional career in the Football League he scored 62 goals in 445 games....
proved to be a disaster as the player had a awful relationship with both his teammates and the fans.
In 1994, he started to concentrate solely on management and Plymouth reached the Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-offs, but lost in the semi finals to Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. In January 1994, he had been linked with Southampton for a possible return as manager following the departure of Ian Branfoot
Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot is an English former footballer and manager.He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior appearances for the club he left in 1969-70 for Doncaster Rovers...
, but the job went to Alan Ball, Jr instead.
The following February, with Plymouth heading for relegation, he left the club and announced his intention to start playing again. He was now 46 years old.
He joined Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
in the Premier League, as cover for the first choice keeper Hans Segers
Hans Segers
Johannes Segers is a Dutch goalkeeper, who spent most of his playing career in England.-Career:Segers was born in Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant. His early career was with home-town club PSV Eindhoven, before being signed for Nottingham Forest by Brian Clough during the 1983-84 season...
, but did not play a first team game for them. He subsequently signed for Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, making one appearance in the Division One play off semi final vs Wolves at Molineux. Bolton lost 2–1, but eventually overcame Wolves in the second leg, Shilton however did not play in this game. He then signed for Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, where he failed to make a first-team appearance, before joining West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, where again he never played a first-team game, although he was selected as a substitute on several occasions.
One thousand matches and beyond
With 996 Football League matches to his name, Shilton was anxious to reach the 1,000 mark and this he did when he joined Leyton OrientLeyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
in December 1996, in an exchange deal for 39-year-old Les Sealey
Les Sealey
Leslie Jesse "Les" Sealey was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for, among others, Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United...
. His thousandth League game came on 22 December 1996, against Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, which was screened live on Sky Sports
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
and was preceded by the presentation from the Football League of a special edition of the Guinness Book of Records to Shilton. He played five more matches before retiring on 1005 league games at the age of 47. By the time of his retirement, he was the fifth oldest player ever to have played in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
or Premier League.
Personal life
Shilton recovered from financial troubles caused by business decisions and gambling, and became a prolific after-dinner speaker. He and wife Sue were married in 1970 and they have two sons, Michael and Sam.His son Sam
Sam Shilton
Sam Shilton is a professional footballer playing as a defender, currently playing for Bedworth United, having been released by Conference North team Solihull Moors.He is the son of former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton....
is a professional footballer, though a midfielder rather than a goalkeeper. He has played for several senior clubs, including Plymouth Argyle and Coventry City.
Shilton received the MBE, and later the OBE, during his playing career for services to football. In 1990, following his retirement from international football, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Merit by the PFA and a year later he received the Football Writers' Tribute Award. Shilton was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as one of the greatest English goalkeepers.
He also features in football games FIFA 10
FIFA 10
carlos leivaFIFA 10 is the 17th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on 2 October 2009 in Europe, 30 September in Australia and 20 October 2009 in North America...
, FIFA 11
FIFA 11
FIFA 11 is the 18th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label...
and FIFA 12
FIFA 12
FIFA 12 is the nineteenth game in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of association football video games. It was developed by EA Canada, and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. David Rutter, the line producer for FIFA 12, promised "a revolutionary year for FIFA .....
in the Classic XI squad.
He took part in the 2010 series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing (series 8)
The eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing began with a red carpet launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. The series concluded on 18 December when Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev won the competition...
. Shilton was voted out at the end of week 4.
Club
Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finalists: 1969 - Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
champions: 1970–71 - FA Charity Shield winners: 1971
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
- First Division League ChampionshipFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
winners:1977–78 - First Division League ChampionshipFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
runners-up: 1978–79 - FA Charity Shield winners: 1978
- League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
winners:19791979 Football League Cup FinalThe 1979 Football League Cup Final took place on 17 March 1979 at Wembley Stadium. It was the nineteenth Football League Cup final and the thirteenth to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Nottingham Forest and Southampton. Forest were the hot favourites to win being the holders of the... - League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
finalists: 19801980 Football League Cup FinalThe 1980 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 1979–80 Football League Cup, the 20th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in The Football League... - European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
winners:19791979 European Cup FinalThe 1979 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Olympiastadion, Munich, on 30 May 1979, that saw Nottingham Forest of England defeat Malmö FF of Sweden 1–0.-Background:...
, 19801980 European Cup FinalThe 1980 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, on 28 May 1980, that saw Nottingham Forest of England defeat Hamburg of Germany 1–0. In the 21st minute, John Robertson squeezed a shot past Hamburg keeper Rudolf Kargus for the only goal of the game, to... - European Super Cup winners: 19791979 UEFA Super CupThe 1979 UEFA Super Cup was played between Nottingham Forest and Barcelona CF, with Nottingham Forest winning 2–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:Nottingham Forest won 2–1 on aggregate.-External links:* from UEFA* from RSSSF...
- European Super Cup finalists: 1980
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
finalists: 19801980 Intercontinental CupThe 1980 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 11 February 1981 between Nacional of Uruguay, winners of the 1980 Copa Libertadores, and Nottingham Forest of England, winners of the 1979–80 European Cup. The match was played for the first time at the neutral venue of the National...
Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
- First Division League ChampionshipFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
runners-up: 1983–84 - Trofeo Ciudad de VigoTrofeo Ciudad de VigoThe Trofeo Ciudad de Vigo is an annual pre-season football tournament held at Celta Vigo's Balaídos stadium in Vigo, Spain. It is hosted by Vigo city council.-Winners:*1971 Panathinaikos*1972 RC Celta de Vigo*1973 RC Celta de Vigo...
winners: 1983
International
EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
4th place: 19901990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated... - Rous CupRous CupThe Rous Cup was a short-lived football competition in the second half of the 1980s, contested between England, Scotland and, in later years, a guest team from South America.-Overview:...
winners: 1986, 1988, 1989 - Rous CupRous CupThe Rous Cup was a short-lived football competition in the second half of the 1980s, contested between England, Scotland and, in later years, a guest team from South America.-Overview:...
runners-up: 1985, 1987 - 1985 Azteca 2000 Tournament1985 Azteca 2000 TournamentThe Azteca 2000 Tournament was a minor international football competition, which took place in the summer of 1985 in Mexico.Host nation Mexico, England and West Germany participated in the tournament, and matches took place at the Estadio Azteca...
runners-up
Individual Honours
- PFA Players' Player of the YearPFA Players' Player of the YearThe Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football...
: 1978 - English Football Hall of FameEnglish Football Hall of FameThe English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
: Inducted 2002
Career statistics
| Season | Club | League | FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1965–66 The Football League 1965-66 -Overview:The 1965–1966 season was the 66th completed season of The Football League.This season is notable for Liverpool winning the title with only 14 squad players.-Final league tables :... |
Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 1966–67 The Football League 1966-67 -Overview:The 1966–1967 season was the 67th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics... |
4 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1967–68 The Football League 1967-68 -Overview:The 1967–1968 season was the 68th completed season of The Football League.- First Division :For the first time since 1937 Manchester City won the league title, finishing two points clear of their local rivals Manchester United. Fulham finished bottom of the league and were relegated along... |
35 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 1968–69 The Football League 1968-69 -Overview:The 1968–1969 season was the 69th completed season of The Football League.- First Division :Leeds United won the League for the first time in their history, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool... |
42 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1969–70 The Football League 1969-70 The 1969–1970 season was the 70th completed season of The Football League.Everton won their seventh title, finishing nine points clear of Leeds United with Chelsea in third and newly promoted Derby County in fourth. Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland were both relegated.Huddersfield Town claimed... |
Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
39 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1970–71 The Football League 1970-71 -Overview:The 1970–1971 season was the 71st completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the home of their bitter rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, with Ray Kennedy scoring the winner. This would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool... |
40 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1971–72 The Football League 1971-72 -Overview:The 1971–1972 season was the 72nd completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Brian Clough, 37, won the first major trophy of his managerial career by guiding Derby County to their first ever league championship. They overcame Leeds United to win a four-horse race also... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
37 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1972–73 The Football League 1972-73 -Overview:The 1972–1973 season was the 73rd completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Liverpool cruised to another championship triumph in Bill Shankly's penultimate season as manager despite competition from Arsenal, Leeds United, Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers.Manchester... |
41 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1973–74 The Football League 1973-74 -Overview:The 1973–1974 season was the 74th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Don Revie marked his last season as Leeds United's manager by guiding them to league championship glory, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national football team manager, with... |
42 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1974–75 The Football League 1974-75 -Overview:The 1974–1975 season was the 75th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:David Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough in... |
5 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1966–74 | 1974–75 The Football League 1974-75 -Overview:The 1974–1975 season was the 75th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:David Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough in... | Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
25 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1975–76 The Football League 1975-76 -Overview:The 1975–1976 season was the 76th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Liverpool won their first major trophy under Bob Paisley by narrowly winning the league title after heated competition from Queens Park Rangers. They also lifted the UEFA Cup for the second time in... |
42 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1976–77 The Football League 1976-77 -Overview:The 1976–1977 season was the 77th completed season of The Football League.As of this season, goal difference was used to separate the clubs finishing level on points. The earlier system, used from the season 1894–95 until the 1975–76 had been the so-called goal average , or more properly... |
40 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1977–78 The Football League 1977-78 -Overview:The 1977–1978 season was the 78th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month... |
Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
3 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1974–77 | 1977–78 The Football League 1977-78 -Overview:The 1977–1978 season was the 78th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month... | Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
37 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1978–79 The Football League 1978-79 -Overview:The 1978–1979 season was the 79th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Bob Paisley won his third league title at Liverpool as his conquering side fought off competition from the likes of Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion to achieve their triumph... |
42 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1979–80 The Football League 1979-80 -Overview:The 1979–1980 season was the 80th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Bob Paisley's Liverpool retained their league championship trophy after fighting off a determined challenge by Dave Sexton's Manchester United... |
42 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1980–81 The Football League 1980-81 The 1980–1981 season was the 81st completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Ron Saunders completed Aston Villa's revival, as they ended their 71-year wait for the league championship trophy. They competed in a two-horse race with Ipswich Town during the final stages of the season... |
40 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1981–82 The Football League 1981-82 The 1981–1982 season was the 82nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division:3 points for a win was introduced for the first time in England... |
41 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1977–82 | 1982–83 The Football League 1982-83 -Overview:The 1982–1983 season was the 83rd completed season of The Football League.- First Division:Bob Paisley’s last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine... | Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
39 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1983–84 The Football League 1983-84 -Overview:The 1983–1984 season was the 84th completed season of The Football League.- First Division:Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history. They overcame strong competition from... |
42 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1984–85 The Football League 1984-85 -Overview:The 1984–1985 season was the 85th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Howard Kendall’s Everton side beat neighbours Liverpool to the league championship, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United followed closely behind... |
41 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1985–86 The Football League 1985-86 -Overview:The 1985–1986 season was the 86th completed season of the The Football League.-Final league tables and results :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at the website, with home and away statistics separated.Re-election: During the first five seasons... |
37 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1986–87 The Football League 1986-87 -Overview:The 1986–1987 season was the 87th completed season of the The Football League.-Innovations for this season:Playoffs to determine promotion places were introduced in 1987 so that more clubs remained eligible for promotion closer to the end of the season, and at the same time to aid in the... |
29 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1982–87 | 1987–88 The Football League 1987-88 The 1987–1988 season was the 88th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season... | Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
40 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1988–89 The Football League 1988-89 The 1988–1989 season was the 89th completed season of the Football League.No European qualification took place due to the Heysel Stadium disaster suspension in place.... |
38 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1989–90 The Football League 1989-90 The 1989–1990 season was the 90th completed season of The Football League.- First Division :Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish’s management. To date, this remains... |
35 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1990–91 The Football League 1990-91 The 1990–1991 season was the 91st completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Arsenal took their second league title in three seasons despite a season during which it often looked as though the good points would be outnumbered by the bad points... |
31 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1991–92 The Football League 1991-92 The 1991–1992 season was the 92nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of players like Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David... |
Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
31 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1987–92 | 1991–92 The Football League 1991-92 The 1991–1992 season was the 92nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of players like Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David... | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
7 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1992–93 The Football League 1992-93 The 1992–1993 season was the 93rd completed season of the The Football League.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions.... |
23 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1993–94 The Football League 1993-94 The 1993–1994 season was the 94th completed season of the The Football League. From 1993 to 1996 the league was sponsores by Endsleigh.-Football League Division One:... |
4 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1992–94 | 1994–95 FA Premier League 1994-95 -Promoted teams:Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were promoted from the Football League First Division as winners and runners-up respectively. Leicester City won the 1993-94 playoff.-Controversial incidents:... | Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994–95 The Football League 1994-95 The 1994–1995 season was the 95th completed season of the The Football League. It was the third season of The Football League since the formation of the Premier League... |
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001.... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 FA Premier League 1995-96 -Promoted teams:Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted this season: Middlesbrough as Football League First Division champions, and Bolton Wanderers who won the 1994-95 playoff.-Transfers:... |
Coventry City Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... |
Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 FA Premier League 1995-96 -Promoted teams:Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted this season: Middlesbrough as Football League First Division champions, and Bolton Wanderers who won the 1994-95 playoff.-Transfers:... |
West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1996–97 The Football League 1996-97 The 1996–1997 season was the 97th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Bolton Wanderers returned to the Premiership in superb fashion, hitting 100 goals and taking 98 points... |
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient F.C. Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63... |
Third Division Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 1005 | 1 | 84 | 0 | 102 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 1237 | 1 | |||