Everything about Jim Leighton totally explained
James ("Jim") Leighton (born
24 July,
1958 in
Johnstone,
Renfrewshire) is a former
football goalkeeper. Among the clubs he played for are
Aberdeen (two spells),
Manchester United,
Dundee and
Hibernian. He joined Aberdeen from
Dalry Thistle in 1978. He is currently back with his old team Aberdeen as the club's goalkeeping coach.
Career
Club
It was during his initial spell at Aberdeen where Leighton achieved his greatest success, under the management of
Alex Ferguson in the early to mid 1980s. Ferguson's Aberdeen side won the
Scottish Cup four times, the
Scottish League Cup twice, as well as the
Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 and three
Scottish Premier League titles in 1980, 1984 and 1985.
Leighton's reliability and terrific will to win gained respect from players and pundits everywhere. English keeper
Peter Shilton said of him: "Scotland have solved their goalkeeeper problem." Even the outspoken
Brian Clough said: "Jim Leighton is a rare bird - a Scottish goalkeeper that can be relied on."
In 1988, Leighton followed Ferguson to Manchester United. His first season at
Old Trafford was relatively successful but his second was marked by a loss of form and confidence. This culminated in his being dropped in favour of
Les Sealey for the
FA Cup final replay against
Crystal Palace in 1990.
Sealey retained the position of first choice goalkeeper for the following season and Leighton faded from view, eventually returning to Scottish football with
Dundee after loan spells with
Arsenal,
Reading and
Sheffield United.
His move to Hibernian marked a revival in his fortunes, including a return to the national team. Leighton returned to Aberdeen, retiring from club football after the 2000 Scottish Cup final, which unfortunately saw him taken off injured after just 3 minutes. With forward
Robbie Winters taking over goalkeeping duties, Aberdeen lost 4-0 to
Rangers.
International
Leighton's international career stretched over 16 years, from 1982 to 1998. He was an uncapped squad member for the
1982 World Cup, before making his debut against
East Germany on
October 13,
1982. Within two years he was his country's No. 1, and he played in all of his country's matches at the
1986,
1990 and
1998 World Cups, despite stiff competition for the keeper's jersey from
Andy Goram during the 1990s. He retired from international football in October 1998, at the age of 40.
Leighton is a member of the
Scotland Football Hall of Fame, having won his 50th cap for Scotland in 1989. He won 91 international
caps for
Scotland and is second only to
Kenny Dalglish in the appearance records.
Further Information
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