Born 16th
October 1957 in Durban,
South Africa, infamous Zimbabwean
association football goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar is one of the true characters of the game. After starting his career at the obscure Vancouver Whitecaps, Grobbelaar got his
big break when signed by
Liverpool for £250k in March 1981 by manager Bob Paisley.
Famous for being a showman, Bruce's exhibitionist style gave him iconic status to Liverpool fans and neutrals alike. Despite his occasional pratfalls on pitch he was without doubt a classy keeper and helped the team win 6 league titles, the FA Cup 3 times, the League Cup twice and the European Cup, making over 600 appearances over a thirteen year period.
The moment that he will be remembered for is the 1984 European Cup final where his gyrations on the line prompted Roma's Graziani to miss his penalty in the shootout - a true moment of wild genius.
After leaving Liverpool for a succession of increasingly minor clubs Grobbelaar seemed to be heading for obscurity. However, in November 1994 The Sun alleged that he took £40000 to 'throw' a game against Newcastle United. This resulted in a string of complicated court cases for libel (also involving footballers John Fashanu and Hans Segers) which dragged on for over five years. Eventually Grobbelaar was cleared of match-fixing and awarded £85000 plus costs in the High Court.
Has just applied for the job as manager of Brighton and Hove Albion, according to the press.