Liam Brady

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Brady arrived at Highbury on schoolboy forms in 1971, making his debut on 6 October 1973 against Birmingham City as a substitute for Jeff Blockley. After a shaky North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, manager Bertie Mee used him sparingly until the 1974–75 season, when he became a first-team regular under Terry Neill and Don Howe. His passing fueled forwards like Malcolm Macdonald and Frank Stapleton, helping Arsenal reach three consecutive FA Cup finals between 1978 and 1980. The team won the middle final against Manchester United in 1979, with Brady starting the move for Alan Sunderland's last-minute winner. In that same season, he scored a stunning looped curled shot from the edge of the box in a 5–0 win over Tottenham on 23 December 1978.

In Their Own Story

By the 1979–80 season, rumors swirled that Brady would leave for a fresh challenge. Arsenal reached the Cup Winners' Cup final, losing to Valencia on penalties after beating Juventus 2–1 over two legs in the semi-finals. Impressed by his performance against them, Juventus signed him in the 1980 close season for just over £500,000, making him the first foreign player to join since Italian borders reopened. He spent two seasons with Juve, wearing the number 10 shirt and winning Serie A titles in 1981 and 1982. Notably, he scored the only goal—a penalty—in a 1–0 win against Catanzaro that secured the 1982 title. After Michel Platini arrived in summer 1982, Brady moved to Sampdoria to keep the number 10 shirt before joining Internazionale and later Ascoli, where his Italian career ended in dispute over wages.

Reader's Guide

Brady returned to London in March 1987 at age 31 for £100,000 to play for West Ham United, scoring 10 goals in 119 games before retiring in 1990 after a 4–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 5 May. His international career began on 30 October 1974 with a debut against the Soviet Union; he earned 72 caps, starting 70 of them and scoring nine goals. His favorite goal was against Brazil in 1987, though he missed Euro 88 due to suspension. He briefly retired before Italia 90 but declared availability for the finals until manager Jack Charlton restricted selection to qualifier players only. Post-retirement, Brady managed Celtic (1991–1993) and Brighton & Hove Albion (1993–1995), then served as Arsenal's Head of Youth Development from 1996 to 2013, overseeing multiple youth league titles.

Did You Know?

• Brady was nicknamed 'Chippy' not for chipping the ball, but for his fondness for fish and chips.
• He was the first foreign player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1979.
• Brady scored a penalty to win the 1982 Serie A title for Juventus against Catanzaro.
• He alleged he was expelled from school for missing a Gaelic football match to play soccer, but the school denied this.
• His final game as a player was on 5 May 1990, where he scored in a 4–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.