Former England Goalkeeper Clemence Dies at 72

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

During his time with Liverpool, he won three European Cups and five First Division titles after being signed by manager Bill Shankly from Scunthorpe for £18,000.

He also picked up two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup and the League Cup with the Reds. Sir Kenny Dalglish tweeted that Clemence was a "true legend" and a "fantastic teammate".

After joining Tottenham in 1981, for £300,000, Clemence won another UEFA Cup and an FA Cup.

With England, he won 61 caps, and would have claimed many more had he not been competing with Peter Shilton.

He had been living with advanced prostate cancer since 2005.

In 2018, he told Prostate Cancer UK: "There's lots of talk about men like me only lasting five or six years with it.

"Well I'm 13 going on 14 years now, and I'm doing all the things that I want.

"I'm a survivor, basically, and I want to continue enjoying life for as long as possible."

The legendary keeper is survived by his wife Veronica, son Stephen and daughters Sarah and Julie.

Peter Shilton, who shared England goalkeeping duties with Clemence, said he is "up there with the best goalkeepers of all time".

He told Sky News: "I always looked upon Ray as a real friend, and we were real rivals as well for 10 years altogether.

"Ray's been battling for quite a few years with his illness and I texted him when he was in hospital and he said 'I'm struggling a bit Shilts'.

"I said there's an awful lot of people who want you to get better Ray, and he sent a thumbs up, he was a definite fighter but it's a definite loss to the game.

"The thing about Ray, he always kept his feet on the floor, he was a good lad, and really liked by everybody.

"We always had a good laugh, and that was the thing about Ray, he had a good personality, a great character.

"I started quite a while before as a professional and Ray came in a bit older, he had natural ability, reflexes, agility."

Shilton said Liverpool and Tottenham fans would certainly think he was one of the greatest goalkeepers.

"I certainly think so, he's up there will all the best goalkeepers of all time," he added.

Tottenham posted a message from his family on Twitter, saying that "after fighting so hard, for such a long time, he's now at peace and in no more pain".

They added: "The family would like to say a huge thank you for the love and support he's received over the years. He was loved so much by us all and will never be forgotten."

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.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 15, 2020

Liverpool said: "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."

Former Liverpool forward Ian Rush tweeted: "RIP Ray Clemence. It was an honour to know you and to get the chance to play with you."

John Barnes said Clemence was "a great goalkeeper and a greater person".

The keeper was a Liverpool "giant who was also a giant of a man", Jamie Carragher said.

Ossie Ardiles, who played with Clemence at Tottenham, said he was a "great goalkeeper" and a "wonderful companion".

The Football Association said it was "extremely saddened".

England players will wear black armbands during their Nations League match in Belgium on Sunday evening.

They will also pay tribute to Clemence before Wednesday's match against Iceland at Wembley.

November 15, 2020