|
|
Date of Birth: 06/10/57
International caps: Zimbabwe international
Other clubs: Vancouver Whitecaps, Crewe Alexandra, Stoke City (loan), Southampton, Plymouth Argyle, Lincoln City, Northwich Victoria, Oldham, Bury
Birth Place: Durban
 |
Signed from Canadian club Vancouver Whitecaps for £250,000 by Bob Paisley in March 1981, Grobbelaar was prematurely plunged into the daunting role of succeeding Ray Clemence when the England goalkeeper left for Tottenham a few months later.
But the eccentric South African-born Zimbabwe international rose to the challenge and was Liverpool's last line of defence in a stream of triumphs at home and abroad. Occasionally his self-confidence on the pitch backfired but his showmanship and exhibitionism could not detract from Grobbelaar's undoubted talent and remarkable agility.
He made more than 600 appearances in 13 years at Anfield, which brought him 13 major medals comprising six League titles, a European Cup, three FA Cup and three League Cup, ironically a total matched by Clemence over his two-club career.
Grobbelaar's goal-line "wobble" against Roma in the dramatic 1984 European Cup Final penalty shoot-out, which prompted Graziani to miss, is an enduring memory. He joined Southampton in 1994, later playing for Plymouth, Bury, Lincoln, Motherwell, Chesham United and Northwich Victoria, coaching Zimbabwe and managing in South Africa.
HONOURS : League Champions 81/2, 82/3, 83/4, 85/6, 87/8, 89/90; FA Cup 85/6, 88/9, 91/2; European Cup 83/4; League Cup 81/2, 82/3, 83/4;