Bruce Grobbelaar spent nearly fourteen years at Liverppol, and will probably be remembered for his eccentricities on the pitch as well as his great goalkeeping skills, the fact remains that he won six League titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups and famously one European Cup in 1984.
Born in 1957 in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Grobberlaar was signed from North America side Vancouver Whitecaps for 250,000 in March 1981 by then manager Bob Paisley. Within months of signing he secured a regular first team place after Liverpool goalkeeping legend Ray Clemence signed for Tottenham Hotspur.
An amazing 310 consecutive appearances for Liverpool over five seasons then followed, although it wasn’t all plain sailing. Some erratic performances and errors, for which Grobberlaar took the blame, saw Liverpool languishing in the mid-table of the first division and seemingly out of the title race, however a dramatic resurgence at the turn of the year saw Liverpool win the league title during his first season at the club, as well as beating Tottenham in the League Cup final.
The Liverpool fans soon warmed to Grobbelaar, he showed superb reflexes as a goalkeeper and had great natural ability, always vocal, he displayed a great command of his penalty area and would often be seen berating his defenders, often described as flamboyant he was also renowned for his eccentric moments, punching the ball when it could easily have been caught, or catching the ball with just one hand rather than two. He was renowned for his long throws and dribbling the ball up the pitch or even running up the pitch to contest a header in the centre circle. Heart stopping one minute, and making breath taking saves the next, he would always keep the crowd on their toes, and even entertained the fans by doing handstands on the pitch while the ball was in play.
One of Bruce Grobbelaar’s most famous moments was during the 1984 European Cup final penalty shoot-out he wobbled his legs in ‘mock terror’ before the penalty kicks were taken, many believe this made two of the Milan players totally miss their penalty kicks, as Liverpool went on to win the trophy.
When Liverpool signed David James, there was greater competition for the goalkeepers jersey, and after two very competitive seasons, in 1994 Bruce Grobbelaar finally left Liverpool after making 628 appearances for the club, for whatever reason, he will never be forgotten.
Camisetas Suiza Accede a todas las noticias del fútbol Internacional. ¡Todo el fútbol internacional, aquí!