Former England international rival and long-time friend Peter Shilton has led the tributes for Ray Clemence, after the ex-Liverpool, Tottenham and Scunthorpe United goalkeeper died.
The stopper won over 60 caps during the 70s and 80s, despite a long-running battle with Shilton for the No. 1 jersey, with both the elite performers pushing each other on to improve and show consistency throughout their careers.
Despite the on-pitch rivalry, the pair were friends off it and Shilton, now 71, told of his enormous sadness after learning of Clemence’s passing.
“I’m absolutely devastated to be told of the sad news that [Clemence] has just passed away,” he posted to Twitter.
“We were rivals but good friends, Ray was a brilliant goalkeeper with a terrific sense of humour. I will miss him a great deal as we’ve kept friends long after retiring. RIP my friend.”
His former clubs also posted their own messages of condolence, with Liverpool naming him one of the “greatest-ever goalkeepers” and Spurs calling him “legendary”, while with England Clemence had a career which extended well past his playing days as a coach, too.
The tributes continued to pour in from former team-mates and those who were coached by him, as well as legends from both top-flight clubs he played at.
Jamie Carragher hailed Clemence as a “giant of a man” and Pepe Reina reiterated the thoughts of many who say he was a “great goalkeeper, great coach and a great man.”
From Liverpool, old team-mates Phil Thompson and Ian Rush had messages of sadness and memories, which were echoed by former Spurs duo Ossie Ardiles and Micky Hazard.
There were further messages from the goalkeepers who remembered well the standards Clemence continually set, both in his performances and on the training pitches.
As well as his caps and work with England, Clemence won five league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool, as well as two UEFA Cups with the Reds to which he later added another won with Tottenham.
