When you talk about the greatest Leeds United players of all time, most names come from the 60s and 70s during Don Revie’s glory years. But there is one notable exception. Without doubt, the greatest goalkeeper ever to stand between the sticks for Leeds United is Nigel Martyn. Down to earth is how you’d describe him, yet on his day he was one of the best goalkeepers in the country. So good, in fact, that he became the first £1 million goalkeeper. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Martyn to discuss that price tag and the dramatic story of how his move to Leeds unfolded.
There was no mistaking the twinkle in his eye as Nigel Martyn recounted the day his career took a dramatic turn up the M6. “I was driving up the motorway to sign for Everton actually,” he told us, “because Everton had made an offer to Crystal Palace and they’d accepted.” The plan seemed simple enough until his agent, driving ahead in another car, made a game-changing phone call. “He rang me to say that Leeds had matched the bid and he felt that it was in our interest to speak to both teams.”
What happened next is the stuff of football folklore. “When we got to Everton, they didn’t know this,” Martyn laughed. “They were expecting me just to come there and sign.” But circumstances meant Joe Royle was unavailable (his wife was unwell) and the chairman was away. A director tried to finalise things, but “it turned into a very complicated thing.” Complicated enough that Martyn and his entourage drove across to Leeds, where the message from Bill Fotherby was blunt: there would be no chance to go back to Everton. “It was arranged very quickly and I ended up signing for Leeds and that’s what happened.”
For Martyn, the lure of Leeds was instant. Howard Wilkinson was rebuilding his Leeds United team, and while Wilkinson wouldn’t see the plan come to fruition, the move would cement Martyn as one of the Premier League’s standout goalkeepers. But his journey to Elland Road had already been marked by a milestone, he had been Britain’s first £1 million goalkeeper when he joined Crystal Palace from Bristol Rovers in 1989. Did that tag bring pressure? “Weirdly, no,” he said. “I just put it down to other people’s valuations… I don’t think any footballer is worth a million pounds at that time. It’s a silly amount of money for somebody who’s going to go and kick a bag of wind around with 21 other blokes.”
If there was any pressure, it was self-imposed. “The only pressure I ever put on myself was to go out and try my best for the team I was playing for,” he told us. “You back that up with hours on the training pitch, working on things that you’re not so good at and trying to get better all the time.”
Leeds fans will remember that commitment. Martyn’s calm presence and extraordinary shot-stopping helped the club to European semi-finals in both the UEFA Cup and Champions League. But looking back, it’s striking how close he came to never pulling on a Leeds shirt at all. If his agent hadn’t made that call, if Howard Wilkinson and Bill Fotherby hadn’t been so forthright, the history of both Martyn and the club might have looked very different.
Listening to him talk, it’s clear the move to Leeds wasn’t just about football, it was about feeling wanted. “I’ve always been somebody that I felt pretty loyal to the clubs I’ve played for,” he said. “I wanted to stay there and play for them.” Leeds gave him that chance, and in return, Martyn gave Leeds United some of the finest goalkeeping performances the club has ever seen.
Nigel Martyn was speaking to Parimatch, new official sleeve sponsors of the LUFC Men's first team. Find out more about their exciting fan initiatives and win tickets to Leeds United home games this season by visiting https://www.parimatch.co.uk/