Alex Stepney Biography

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Biography, Man Utd, Alex Stepney - Alexander Cyril "Alex" Stepney, born 18 September 1942 in Mitcham, Surrey. He was an English football player who was Manchester United's goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup.

Alex Stepney had unsuccessful trials with Fulham and joined Tooting & Mitcham United in the non-league pyramid afterwards. From there, he was spotted by Millwall, who signed him as an amateur in 1963, but quickly realised his potential and made him a professional within two months of his arrival. Stepney was ever-present for almost three seasons, making 158 appearances, only missing the last game of the 1965–66 season. During this period, he achieved three England under-23 caps.

In May 1966, Stepney joined Manchester United for a record fee of £55,000, having made just one appearance for the club. He made his debut for United later the same year against Manchester City at Old Trafford which United won 1–0 with a first half goal from Denis Law.

Man United reached the Cup Final again in 1976–77 and this time were successful. Stepney got a hand to a bullet shot on the turn from Jimmy Case but couldn't stop it entering the net and levelling the match after Stuart Pearson had scored for United. Jimmy Greenhoff instantly restored United's lead and Stepney made some good saves in the closing stages as Liverpool, chasing an unprecedented 'treble' of trophies (having already won the Football League title, and just days later going on to win the European Cup), piled on the pressure.

Stepney played the last of his 546 games for Man Utd in April 1978, prior to leaving for Dallas Tornado in the North American Soccer League in the United States, where he remained until he retired from professional football in 1980. Stepney was the only player in the 1977 FA Cup winning team remaining from the European Cup winning side of nine years earlier.

Alex Stepney kept 175 clean sheets, made a club record 92 consecutive appearances (later broken by Steve Coppell) and, with those two goals, remains United's top scoring goalkeeper. Aside Peter Schmeichel (who scored in a UEFA Cup game in the 1995–96 season) no other Manchester United goalkeeper has scored in a competitive game for the club in the post Second World War years.

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