Ray Clemence: Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper dies aged 72

Former Liverpool, Tottenham and England goalkeeper Ray Clemence has died at the age of 72, the Football Association has announced.

Clemence, who won three European Cups and five First Division titles during a trophy-laden spell at Anfield, was arguably one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation.

He won 61 England caps, which would undoubtedly have been many more had he not been competing with Peter Shilton, who accumulated 125, for the No 1 shirt.

“With great sadness, we write to let you know that Ray Clemence passed away peacefully today, surrounded by his loving family,” said a statement from the Clemence family.

“After fighting so hard, for such a long time, he’s now at peace and in no more pain.

“The family would like to say a huge thank you, for all the love and support that he’s received over the years.

“He was loved so much by us all and he will never be forgotten.”

Clemence began his career at Scunthorpe United in 1966 where he made 46 appearances for the third division club before Liverpool manager Bill Shankly bought the 18-year-old for £18,000 in June 1967.

The young goalkeeper had to bide his time in the reserves before replacing Tommy Lawrence on a permanent basis during the 1969-70 campaign.

Clemence made an incredible 665 appearances for the Reds winning five league titles, three European Cups, two UEFA Cups, the European Super Cup, FA Cup and League Cup.

He played 336 games without missing a single match from September 1972 until March 1978 while only two players have made more first-team appearances for the club, Ian Callaghan and Jamie Carragher

Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the 1981 European Cup final at the Parc des Princes turned out to be Clemence’s last game for the Reds before he joined Tottenham for £300,000.

He made his league debut for Spurs against Middlesbrough in August 1981 and went on to play 240 times for the London club.

Injury forced Clemence to forfeit his place in the side for the 1984 UEFA Cup final win over Anderlecht, but he was on the bench in a match famously won when Tony Parks saved twice during the penalty shootout.

He reached a fifth FA Cup final in 1987 when Spurs lost to Coventry City and became one of a select group of players to appear in five or more FA Cup finals.

During his career at Liverpool and Tottenham Clemence made 61 appearances for England between 1972 and 1983, a figure which would undoubtedly have been significantly higher but for the presence of Peter Shilton.

An Achilles injury sustained against Norwich in October 1987 forced Clemence to retire from playing in 1988. He later joined the coaching staff at Tottenham and England as well as managing Barnet between 1994 and 1996.

Tributes paid to goalkeeping great

England’s players will wear black armbands during their UEFA Nations League game in Belgium on Sunday evening and will pay tribute to Clemence before Wednesday’s match against Iceland match at Wembley.

Clemence served as England goalkeeping coach under four managers including Sven Goran Eriksson, who said: “I’m really sorry for him and his family. As a player, he was one of the best ever. To work with him was fantastic.

“I was very keen to keep him as long as I was manager of England. He was positive, he was happy, he had good humour. He was very skilful too as a goalkeeping coach.

“When I started the [England managerial] job, I asked him who was the best goalkeeper, and he chose sometimes. I trusted him 110 per cent.

“He was a great man to me, not only on a professional level, but also a great man personally and we became close friends.”

Liverpool paid tribute to their former player, saying on Twitter: “We’re deeply saddened by the passing of one of the greatest ever goalkeepers, Ray Clemence.

“The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool Football Club are with Ray’s family and many friends.

“Rest in peace, Ray Clemence 1948-2020.”

Sir Kenny Dalglish described Clemence as a “true legend”.

“Clem was a fantastic team-mate and great to be around,” he said. “I will never forget how he helped me to settle in at Anfield. Our thoughts are with the Clemence family. RIP Clem.”

Tottenham tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to report the passing of legendary former goalkeeper Ray Clemence.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to Ray’s family and many friends throughout the game at this sad time.”

Ossie Ardiles, who played with Clemence at Tottenham, tweeted: “So so sad to heard the news of Raymondo passing away. He was a great goalkeeper, wonderful companion, friend. He battled this illness right until the very end. We will miss you. Rest in peace my friend. My family and my thoughts and prayers go out to Vee, her family and friends.”

Clemence’s long-time rival for the England No 1 spot Shilton tweeted: “I’m absolutely devastated to be told of the sad news that @RayClem1 has just passed away.

“We were rivals but good friends. Ray was a brilliant goalkeeper with a terrific sense of humour. I will miss him a great deal as we’ve kept friends long after retiring. RIP my friend.”

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Ray Clemence: Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper dies aged 72