Bruce Grobbelaar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bruce Grobbelaar

Grobbelaar in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Bruce David Grobbelaar
Date of birth	(1957-10-06) 6 October 1957 (age 67)
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 on October 6, 1957, is a famous former footballer from Zimbabwe. He was a goalkeeper known for his amazing skills. Bruce played for the English club Liverpool for many years, from 1981 to 1994. He also played for the Zimbabwean national team.

People remember Bruce for his athletic moves, his confidence, and his unique, exciting style of playing. He was very good at rushing out of his goal to stop attackers. Many experts say he was one of the best goalkeepers of his time.

Bruce was born in South Africa and grew up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He joined the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1979. Liverpool noticed him when he was on loan at Crewe Alexandra. He signed with Liverpool in 1981.

Over 13 years, Bruce played 628 games for Liverpool. He helped them win the League championship six times. He also won three FA Cups, three League Cups, and the 1983–84 European Cup. After Liverpool, he played for other teams like Southampton and Plymouth Argyle.

Bruce Grobbelaar's Football Journey

Starting Out in Football

When Bruce Grobbelaar was a teenager, he was very good at cricket. He even had a chance to play baseball in the United States. But his biggest dream was to play football. He started his football career with a team called Highlanders FC in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. Later, he joined Durban City Football Club in South Africa.

Playing for Vancouver Whitecaps

In 1979, Bruce joined the Vancouver Whitecaps in the NASL. This was a professional football league in North America. He played under the coach Tony Waiters, who was also a famous goalkeeper. Bruce made his first appearance for the Whitecaps on August 4, 1979.

While visiting England, Bruce had a trial with West Bromwich Albion. But he couldn't get a work permit. So, he joined Crewe Alexandra on loan in December 1979. He played 24 games for Crewe and even scored his only professional goal from a penalty kick in his last game there. A scout from Liverpool saw him play a fantastic game, which led to his big move.

Becoming a Liverpool Legend

Grobbelaar in October 1981, stopping the ball from AZ's Jos Jonker (right).

Liverpool signed Bruce Grobbelaar for £250,000 on March 17, 1981. He was first a reserve goalkeeper. But when the main goalkeeper, Ray Clemence, left, Bruce got his chance.

Bruce's first game for Liverpool was on August 28, 1981. Liverpool lost that game 1–0. In his early days as the main goalkeeper, Bruce made some mistakes. Liverpool struggled at first, and many people blamed him. But the team, led by manager Bob Paisley, started to play much better. They won many games and climbed up the league table.

Bruce won his first championship medal with Liverpool. He also won the League Cup that season. Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 in the final.

From 1981 to 1994, Bruce played 627 games for Liverpool. He became famous for his exciting and sometimes funny style of play. In the 1984 European Cup final against Roma, the game went to a penalty shootout. Before one of Roma's players took his kick, Bruce pretended to eat spaghetti by wiggling his legs. The player missed! Bruce did something similar for the next kick, and that player also missed. Liverpool won the shootout 4–2.

Bruce was a key player for Liverpool under three great managers: Paisley, Fagan, and Dalglish. He was known for his amazing agility. He also wasn't afraid to tell his defenders off if they made mistakes. He won more medals than any other player from his time at Liverpool.

In 1989, Bruce played in the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. This game was played after the terrible Hillsborough disaster where many fans lost their lives. Bruce attended many of the funerals for the victims.

Later, David James joined Liverpool. Bruce still played, but his time as the main goalkeeper was ending. He played his last game for Liverpool on February 19, 1994.

Over 14 years at Liverpool, Bruce won many trophies. These included six league titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups, and one European Cup.

Later Career and Coaching

Bruce left Liverpool in 1994 and joined Southampton. He played there for two seasons. After Southampton, he played for several other teams for short periods. These included Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United, and Oldham Athletic.

After his playing career, Bruce moved back to South Africa. He became a coach for several football teams. He also briefly coached the Zimbabwean national team in 1997 and 1998.

Bruce has returned to England for charity matches. He played in a replay of the 1986 FA Cup final for a cancer research charity. He also appeared on TV shows. In 2006, Liverpool fans voted him as the 17th best player in the club's history.

In 2007, Bruce played a one-off game for a non-league team called Glasshoughton Welfare. He helped them win the game 2–1.

More recently, Bruce has been a goalkeeping coach. From 2014 to 2018, he coached for Ottawa Fury FC in Canada. In May 2018, he became the goalkeeping coach for the Matabeleland football team. He even played for 30 minutes in a game for Matabeleland in the ConIFA World Cup against the Chagos Islands. He later coached for the Norwegian club Øygarden FK.

International Football

Bruce Grobbelaar was born in South Africa. When he was two months old, his family moved to Rhodesia. He learned to play football there.

He made his first international appearance for Rhodesia in 1977. He also played for Zimbabwe in World Cup qualifying matches. In 1992, he returned to the national team after some years away. With Bruce in goal, Zimbabwe almost qualified for the 1994 World Cup. He played 32 games for Zimbabwe between 1980 and 1998.

Personal Life

Bruce Grobbelaar has been married three times. He has two daughters from his first marriage to Deborah. He then married Karen Phillips and they have a daughter. He is now married to Janne Hamre Karlsen.

Honours

Liverpool

• Football League First Division: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90
• FA Cup: 1985–86, 1988–89, 1991–92
• League Cup: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84
• FA Charity Shield: 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990
• European Cup: 1983–84
• Football League Super Cup: 1986

See also

In Spanish: Bruce Grobbelaar para niños