Photo by Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Photo by Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Alex Stepney’s Manchester United debut.
For a then-world-record fee for a goalkeeper worth £55,000, Manchester United signed Alex Stepney from Chelsea in 1966. He quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper under Sir Matt Busby after keeping a clean sheet against Man City on his debut.
Stepney would keep a further 14 clean sheets that season as United were crowned First Division champions. He would help United win the European Cup in 1968.
After giving United 12 years of service, Stepney will be forever remembered for *that* save against Eusebio, but we’re going to look at a fixture that came earlier in his Old Trafford career.
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Alex Stepney recalls Man Utd debut against Man City
Stepney will go down as one of United’s greatest ever goalkeepers. After all, he has the European Cup winners’ medal to prove it.
He made a good early impression on United fans when making his debut in the Manchester derby against City at Old Trafford on September 17, 1966. It was the perfect start as Stepney kept a clean sheet and Denis Law scored the only goal.
📊 Alex Stepney’s Manchester United stats
Appearances: 500
Goals conceded: 596
Clean sheets: 155
The United legend, who celebrates his 84th birthday on Friday, took to X to share a special message on the anniversary of his United debut.
Stepney also spoke to United’s media on the eve of the anniversary, saying: “It was quite interesting because I mean obviously I wasn’t up with everything about the situation.
”Okay, yeah, I know it’s a derby game and all that but, back then, the fans were great. Lots of families went to United one Saturday and then City the other. You had this rivalry at home between families. Some supported City, some supported United.
“I did get a bit of a gist of what it was going to be like because I was in digs with [former Red] Jimmy Ryan, around the corner. So he helped me judge what it was going to be like. But I have to be very honest, it was not only the derby but also my first game for Manchester United.
“I’d never really met the lads I was playing with, I mean blooming hell – Best, Law and Charlton? You can go on about everyone but this was in respect of how I’d got that far in the game. Only three years before, I’d been played in the old Fourth Division.
“So it was a case of just carrying on the same, do you know what I mean? Do what you want, do what you feel you should be doing and that was it because Matt didn’t say you’ve got to do this or got to do that. He always left it to you because he knew your talent obviously and allowed you to go out and run the game yourself, the same as the outfield players.”