Liam Brady

The elegant Irish attacking midfielder who led Arsenal to FA Cup glory.

Liam Brady is an Irish former footballer and pundit who found immense success with Arsenal, winning the FA Cup in 1979 before moving to Italy. Born on 13 February 1956 in Dublin, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1971 at age 15, turning professional on his 17th birthday in 1973. Renowned for his left foot, technical skills, passing, vision, and close control, Brady was an attacking midfielder who became the first foreign player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1979. He made 307 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 59 goals, before becoming one of Arsenal's all-time greats.

Quick Facts

Full name: William Brady
Born: 13 February 1956
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Position: Attacking midfielder
Height: 5 ft 9 in / 1.75 m
Total caps: 532
Total goals: 78

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.

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.
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.