Liam Brady

The left foot

Brady came through the Arsenal youth system as a Dublin-born teenager and broke into the side in the mid-1970s, quickly becoming its most influential player. Blessed with vision, balance and a wand of a left foot, he dictated games from midfield with passes others could not see. By the end of the decade he was widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders in Europe and the undisputed star of the team.

1979 and Italy

Brady's signature moment came in the 1979 FA Cup final against Manchester United, when his run and pass set up Alan Sunderland's late winner in a 3-2 victory remembered as the Five-Minute Final. He was voted PFA Players' Player of the Year for that 1978/79 season, recognition of his brilliance. In 1980 he left Arsenal for Juventus in Italy, where he won the Serie A title, his departure leaving a creative void the club took years to fill.

How he played

A pure playmaker, Brady glided across the pitch and stroked passes with an ease that bordered on the contemptuous. He carried the team's attacking burden almost single-handed in his pomp, a footballer of grace and intelligence whose left foot is still spoken of with reverence.

Timeline

• 1973Joins the Arsenal youth system
• 1979Sets up the winner in the FA Cup final and is voted Players' Player of the Year
• 1980Leaves for Juventus

Connected pages

• David O'Leary