Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton: England's most-capped male player with 125 caps, his international career spanned 20 years (1970–1990).
Peter Leslie Shilton (born 18 September 1949) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Shilton's 31-year career included spells at 11 clubs and he has the unique distinction of playing over 1,000 English league games, including in excess of 100 for five clubs. During his time at Nottingham Forest, he won many honours, including two European Cups, a European Super Cup, the First Division championship, and the Football League Cup.
Shilton represented England at the FIFA World Cup in 1982, 1986 and 1990, and the UEFA European Championship in 1980 and 1988. Despite not making his World Cup finals debut until the age of 32, Shilton played in 17 finals matches, and shares the record of 10 clean sheets in World Cup finals matches with French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. Shilton holds the record for matches played in the English Football League and the Football League Cup and held the all-time record for the most competitive appearances in world football (1,387) until 2025.
With 125 caps, he is England's most-capped male player. The IFFHS ranked Shilton among the top ten goalkeepers of the 20th century in 2000.
Quick Facts
- Full name
- Peter Leslie Shilton
- Born
- 18 September 1949
- Birthplace
- Leicester, England
- Height
- 1.83 m / 6 ft
- Position
- Goalkeeper
- Total caps
- 1,005
Lore & Background
Shilton was a 13-year-old pupil at King Richard III Boys School in Leicester, when he started training at schoolboy level with his local club Leicester City in 1963. He caught the eye of first-team goalkeeper Gordon Banks. In May 1966, a 16-year-old Shilton made his debut for Leicester against Everton. He scored a goal at The Dell against Southampton in October 1967 direct from a clearance.
The following season, 1968-69, Leicester suffered relegation from the First Division but reached the FA Cup Final; 19-year-old Shilton became one of the event's youngest-ever goalkeepers. He joined Stoke City in November 1974 for £325,000, a world record for a goalkeeper. He was sold to Nottingham Forest in September 1977. Forest won the League Cup in 1979 and the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.
Shilton left Forest for Southampton in 1982. He joined Derby County in the summer of 1987. He left Derby in February 1992 to become player-manager of Plymouth Argyle. He later joined Wimbledon, Bolton Wanderers, Coventry City, West Ham United, and Leyton Orient, where his thousandth League game came on 22 December 1996 against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Reader's Guide
Shilton's England career spanned from his debut in 1970 to his final cap in 1990, a period of 20 years. He represented England at the FIFA World Cup in 1982, 1986 (where Diego Maradona scored two infamous goals against him) and 1990, and the UEFA European Championship in 1980 and 1988. He holds the record for matches played in the English Football League and the Football League Cup.
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