Today, we go way back in time. I’m going to be talking about a player who retired before I was even born. I may have not witnessed his greatness but I’ve sure heard a whole lot about him and watched many of his highlights to know he’s one of the best players to ever wear the famous red and white shirt.
Who’s the famous “Chippy”? In this week’s Best Ever, we learn more about the man who’s earned himself this nickname, the great Liam Brady.
Brady moved from Ireland to join Arsenal on schoolboy forms in 1971, when he was just a 15-year-old kid. He debuted for the team when he was just a 17-year-old, two years later, coming on as a substitute against Birmingham City. A poor display in the north London derby made Arsenal manager at the time Bertie Mee rethink the usage of the young Irishman, who only featured 13 times in his debut season.
An Arsenal side that floated above relegation in the mid-1970s saw the emergence of Brady, who took his shot at the right time. Brady found his best form under Terry Neill as manager and Don Howe who returned as coach. With clinical frontmen like Malcolm Macdonald and Frank Stapleton feeding on the chances Brady provided, Arsenal went from barely surviving relegation to reaching three successive FA Cup Finals between 1978 and 1980. Arsenal won only the middle of the three, against Manchester United in the 1979 final, in which Brady played a very important role when he set up first-half goals for both Talbot and Stapleton and started the move that resulted in Alan Sunderland’s famous last-minute winner, snatching the cup away from United in a thrilling 3-2 final.
Brady was at his best that season, as shown by arguably his best Arsenal goal when he sent in a looped curled shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner, in a delightful 5-0 win against archrivals Tottenham (See for yourselves below).
With Brady winning The PFA Player of the Year award in 1979, Arsenal were finally looking like a side that could constantly challenge for the league title. Until Brady dropped a bomb on Arsenal fans when they were given the hurtful news of him wanting to seek a new challenge: He would leave to Juventus at the end of the 1979/80 campaign.
Ironically, the highlight of Brady’s final season was a famous aggregate victory over the team he would then leave for in the European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final. The club legend concluded his Arsenal career when he missed his penalty in the final shootout against Valencia, leaving the fans lost in pitch darkness mourning both the European Cup Winners’ Cup final loss and the departure of their talisman. Brady has carved his name on Arsenal’s wall of honour, playing 307 matches for the Gunners, scoring 59 goals and setting up many more.
However, his move to Italy did not conclude his role at Arsenal. As the legendary Thierry Henry once said: “You always go back where you belong.” Nowadays, Brady is back at Arsenal as the Club’s Head of Youth Development, charged with spotting and nurturing a new generation of talent.
