England goalkeeper David Seaman, from Leeds to Highbury

David Seaman is one of the best English goalkeepers of all time. He started his career at Leeds United in 1981 but could not break into the first team, so he moved to Peterborough United, where he spent two seasons in the English Fourth Division. As a young goalkeeper he needed playing time, and his good performances for Peterborough earned him a move to a bigger club.

Birmingham City paid £100,000 for the young Seaman, and he won promotion with the Blues in his first season. His greatest successes, however, came in Arsenal's colours. After four years at Queens Park Rangers, he joined the Gunners for £1.3 million as England's new goalkeeper. At Arsenal Seaman won the Premier League three times and the FA Cup four times.

He retired from professional football in 2004 after a final Premier League season at Manchester City. He won 75 caps for England after making his debut in 1988, and played at two European Championships (1996 and 2000) and two World Cups (1998 and 2002).

Seaman made more than a thousand appearances in his career. His thousandth game is remembered for a world-class save against Sheffield United in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. Arsenal led 1-0 through Freddie Ljungberg, but in the 83rd minute Sheffield United created a very dangerous chance in front of goal. Seaman dived to keep out a header from less than two metres.

At the same time, David Seaman has made some notable errors. He was mocked for conceding Nayim's goal for Zaragoza in the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup, and his mistake inspired a song called "The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper" that found its way onto radio. He is also remembered for the error against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup quarter-final, when Ronaldinho scored from a free-kick from around 40 metres.

Still, nobody plays more than a thousand matches without making a mistake. Despite those errors, David Seaman remains one of the finest goalkeepers England has produced.

From Rotherham to Highbury

Seaman was born in Rotherham on 19 September 1963 and came through the youth ranks at Leeds United. The fees paid for him tell the story of a goalkeeper whose value rose step by step. Peterborough United signed him for £4,000 in August 1982, Birmingham City paid £100,000 in October 1984, and Queens Park Rangers took him to Loftus Road for £225,000 in August 1986. When Arsenal moved for him in 1990, the £1.3 million fee was a British record for a goalkeeper.

The investment paid off immediately. In the 1990–91 season Seaman played every one of Arsenal's 38 league matches and conceded only 18 goals, as George Graham's side won the First Division title. It was the foundation of a defence that became famous for its organisation, and Seaman was its last line.

Honours and big nights

Across his Arsenal career Seaman made 564 appearances in all competitions, 405 of them in the league. Besides the three league titles of 1991, 1998 and 2002, he won the FA Cup in 1993, 1998, 2002 and 2003, the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. He was appointed MBE in 1997.

For England, Euro 96 was his finest tournament. In the group match against Scotland at Wembley, with England leading 1-0, he saved a penalty from Gary McAllister, and England went on to win 2-0. In the quarter-final against Spain he saved Miguel Ángel Nadal's kick in the shoot-out to send England into the semi-finals. His international career had begun in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988.

The final season

Seaman's last club was Manchester City, where he made 26 appearances. His final match came in January 2004 at Portsmouth, when a long-standing shoulder problem flared up and he was substituted early in the game. He announced his retirement that month, aged 40, bringing forward a decision he had already planned to take at the end of the season.