Bruce Grobbelaar

Bruce Grobbelaar

Grobbelaar in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Bruce David Grobbelaar
Date of birth	(1957-10-06) 6 October 1957 (age 59)
Place of birth	Durban, South Africa
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1973–1974	Highlanders
1975	Chibuku Shumba
1976	Highlands Park	0	(0)
1977–1978	Durban City
1979–1980	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)
National team
1977	Rhodesia	1	(0)
1980–1998	Zimbabwe	32	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Bruce David Grobbelaar (born 6 October 1957) is a former Zimbabwe international footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most prominently for the English team Liverpool between 1981 and 1994. He is remembered for his gymnastic-like athletic ability, unflappable confidence and eccentric and flamboyant style of play. He has been the goalkeeper coach for Ottawa Fury FC of the North American Soccer League since 2014.

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.

In his teenage years, Grobbelaar was a talented cricketer and was offered a baseball scholarship in the United States, but a career in football was his main ambition. His footballing career started with a Bulawayo-based team, Highlanders FC, in Rhodesia's second biggest city. In his late teens he was signed up by Durban City Football Club in South Africa, but left claiming to have been sidelined owing to his colour in this predominantly black team — the team had played in an all-white league until the previous year. Immediately after leaving Highlands Park, he signed up for National Service, spending two years on active service in the Rhodesia Regiment during the Rhodesian Bush War. In 1979 Grobbelaar was signed up by the Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL after he had attended their scouting camp in South Africa.