Bruce Grobbelaar
|
Grobbelaar in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bruce David Grobbelaar | ||
| Date of birth | 6 October 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Durban, South Africa | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1974 | Highlanders | 2 | (0) |
| 1975 | Chibuku Shumba | 13 | (0) |
| 1976 | Highlands Park | 0 | (0) |
| 1977–1978 | Durban City | 23 | (0) |
| 1979–1981 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 24 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | → Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 24 | (1) |
| 1981–1994 | Liverpool | 440 | (0) |
| 1993 | → Stoke City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1994–1996 | Southampton | 32 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Plymouth Argyle | 36 | (0) |
| 1997 | Oxford United | 0 | (0) |
| 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | 0 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Oldham Athletic | 4 | (0) |
| 1998 | Chesham United | 4 | (0) |
| 1998 | Bury | 1 | (0) |
| 1998 | Lincoln City | 2 | (0) |
| 1999 | Northwich Victoria | 1 | (0) |
| 2002 | Hellenic | 1 | (0) |
| 2007 | Glasshoughton Welfare | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 574 | (1) | |
| International career | |||
| 1977–1998 | Zimbabwe | 33 | (0) |
| 2018 | Matabeleland | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1997 | Zimbabwe | ||
| 1998 | Zimbabwe | ||
| 1999–2001 | SuperSport United | ||
| 2001–2002 | Hellenic | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bruce David Grobbelaar (born 6 October 1957) is a Zimbabwean former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most prominently for English club Liverpool between 1981 and 1994, and for the Zimbabwean national team. Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his era, he is remembered for his gymnastic-like athletic ability, unflappable confidence, eccentric and flamboyant style of play, as well as his rushing ability, which has led pundits to compare him retrospectively to the sweeper-keepers of the modern era.
Born in South Africa, Grobbelaar grew up in neighbouring Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe), and served in the Rhodesian Army before he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League in 1979. He gained Liverpool's attention during a loan spell at Crewe Alexandra during the 1979–80 season, and signed for the Merseyside club in 1981. Making 628 appearances for Liverpool over the next 13 years, including 440 in the League, he won the League championship with the club six times, as well as three FA Cups, three League Cups and the 1983–84 European Cup.
Grobbelaar left Liverpool for Southampton in 1994, transferred to Plymouth Argyle two years later, and thereafter played for an assortment of English lower-league teams, never for more than a few games. He was appointed as goalkeeper coach for Ottawa Fury FC of the North American Soccer League in 2014. In March 2018 he was announced as goalkeeper coach for the Matabeleland football team.