Filling that gap between the sticks is a thankless task at any level. Managing to do it at the top of the game for 28 years for both club and country is a massive achievement.
When Ray Clemence first played for Scunthorpe United in 1966 he could scarcely have imagined what lay ahead of him.
Clemence’s club career was nothing short of spectacular. With Liverpool he won three European Cups, five League Championships, The FA Cup, the League Cup and two UEFA Cups, while at Tottenham he added The FA Cup and the UEFA Cup.
The keeper’s England career encompassed several World Cup qualification campaigns as well as trips to the European Championship in 1980 and the World Cup Finals in 1982.
He was in direct competition for the number one shirt with another England legend, Peter Shilton, but it’s testament to the brilliance of both men that the England management was constantly torn between who to pick first.
If anything, Clemence suffered from being a top keeper during one of the longest lulls in England’s international history. His talent never got the amount of chances it should have had on the world stage.