David Seaman

Early career

Seaman was born in Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire. He attended Kimberworth Comprehensive School. He began his career at Leeds United, the club he supported as a boy. Much to his disappointment, he was not wanted by then-manager Eddie Gray, who had been his favourite player. Seaman went to Fourth Division club Peterborough United for a £4,000 fee in August 1982, where he began to make a name for himself. Just over two years later, in October 1984, Second Division Birmingham City paid £100,000 for Seaman's services. They ended up being promoted at the end of that season, but were relegated again at the end of the following season. Seaman was not to follow them back to the Second Division, as in August 1986, he moved to Queens Park Rangers for £225,000. Playing for a higher profile club on a plastic pitch, he would be called up by the England national football team for the first time in November 1988. Whilst at QPR, Seaman was coached by Bob Wilson (Arsenal's double-winner in 1971), who was to work with him for more than a decade.

Arsenal

In 1990, long before the current transfer window system had come to English football, there was still a transfer deadline a few weeks before the end of the season. Arsenal, who had won the league in 1989, wanted to sign Seaman, but the deal involved Arsenal's keeper John Lukic heading the opposite way on loan. Lukic did not want to do this, and the deal broke down and remained unresolved when the deadline…

Seaman made his England debut in 1988 and appeared for the side in fifteen consecutive years, a national record, since equalled by Rio Ferdinand. Seaman earned his first England cap under Bobby Robson in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988. Robson selected him as England's third-choice goalkeeper behind Peter Shilton and Chris Woods at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, but after arriving in Italy, he had to pull out of the squad due to injury and was replaced by Dave Beasant. Seaman remained a member of the England squad under new manager Graham Taylor, although he was not selected for Euro 1992 in Sweden. During qualification for the 1994 World Cup, Seaman played in the crucial game against the Netherlands, which England lost 2–0; he also played in the final match against San Marino, in which Davide Gualtieri scored after 8.3 seconds before England recovered to win 7–1. England ultimately failed to qualify for the tournament in the United States. Seaman cemented his place as the undisputed number-one keeper with the arrival of Terry Venables as manager, and played every minute of every match during UEFA Euro 1996 on home soil. Seaman saved two spot-kicks in the tournament; the first a penalty in normal play from Scotland's Gary McAllister in a group match, while England were 1–0 up (Paul Gascoigne scored soon after to make it 2–0). Then, after England's quarter-final against Spain ended scoreless, Seaman saved Miguel Ángel Nadal's kick in the shootout to knock Spain out…

At his peak during the 1990s, Seaman was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, earning praise from other leading goalkeepers such as Sepp Maier and Francesco Toldo. A tall and well–rounded keeper, with a large frame, he was known for his bravery, quick reflexes, agility, and excellent positional sense, as well as his reliable handling and ability to judge the ball, which allowed him to come out and collect crosses and command his area effectively, earning him the nickname "safe hands" in the media; although he was not particularly flashy in his style of goalkeeping, he was regarded as an efficient and generally reliable goalkeeper, who was known for his cool demeanour, authoritative presence, and calm composure in goal, as well as his leadership and ability to organise his back–line, which inspired a sense of confidence in his teammates. He was also adept at stopping penalties. Seaman is left-handed, but threw the ball with his right arm, and also kicked with his right foot. Despite his ability in his prime, and his overall longevity, he was also known for being inconsistent and prone to errors on occasion, in particular in his later career, following a series of injuries, and also due to his own advancing age, which ultimately led to his physical decline and a series of less convincing performances; he also frequently struggled to deal with long–range shots throughout his career. In 2014, when recounting his famous lobbed goal against Seaman in the 1995 Cup…

Seaman began working on his coaching badge with a view to coaching goalkeepers but decided to pause after learning that he would first need a badge in outfield coaching in which he had no interest. His on-screen presence made him a popular choice for chat shows and televised appearances during his sporting career, and he can occasionally be spotted on British television. Whilst still a player, he appeared in a cameo role in a BBC film based around the events of England's successful Euro 1996 tournament, starring Rachel Weisz and Neil Morrissey, entitled My Summer with Des. He also became the spokesman for Yorkshire Tea during the early 1990s. He briefly replaced Gary Lineker as team captain on the television quiz They Think It's All Over, before producers decided to drop him in favour of former Arsenal teammate Ian Wright. In December 2004, following his retirement from professional football, he became one of the celebrities to take part in Strictly Ice Dancing, an ice dance version of Strictly Come Dancing, in which celebrities are paired with professional dancers. He joined the show at late notice, replacing Paul Gascoigne. With just eight days to prepare for the show, broadcast on BBC One on 26 December, Seaman and his professional partner Zoia Birmingham managed to win the competition. The other competitors spent a month in training for the show. In late 2005, he had his trademark ponytail cut off on live television for charity, which ended negotiatory talks with such…