Ray Clemence, who has died at the age of 72, was quite simply one of the greatest goalkeepers of the post-war generation, with a glittering record of success at Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur that stands as a monument to his talent.
Skegness-born Clemence was a key component of great Liverpool sides under Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley in the 1970s and early '80s that swept all before them at home and abroad, before he left Anfield to enjoy more success at White Hart Lane.
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And even though Clemence won an impressive 61 England caps in an 11-year international career, that tally could have been much higher but for the presence of Peter Shilton as a rival, with one manager Ron Greenwood often unable to decide between the pair, preferring a policy of alternation that actually disguised indecision.
Clemence pursued a managerial career at Barnet and was also part of the coaching team at Spurs before becoming a vital member of England's backroom staff - but it was as a magnificently agile, reliable and highly decorated goalkeeper that he will secure his place in history, and for which he will be forever remembered.
The young Clemence was spotted by Liverpool manager Shankly playing for Scunthorpe United - as was his future Liverpool and England team-mate Kevin Keegan - and was signed in an £18,000 deal in June 1967.
Clemence was initially understudy to the veteran Tommy Lawrence but became first choice after Shankly decided on a changing of the great old guard of Anfield after a calamitous FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Watford, who were then struggling near the foot of the old Second Division, in February 1970.
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It was the start of a career that ensured Clemence is currently regarded as Liverpool's finest ever goalkeeper, his greatness emphasised by both honours and longevity.
The seeds of the second great Liverpool side built by Shankly were sown immediately after the Scot's decision to dismantle the hugely successful '60s team, and the first signs of what was to come were seen as they reached the 1971 FA Cup final, only to lose to Double winners Arsenal.
Liverpool put matters right in years to come with Clemence as the peerless last line of defence, possessing the priceless quality of overcoming long periods of inactivity by retaining his concentration to make the vital match-winning save on numerous occasions.
Shankly's side won the title and Uefa Cup in 1972-73, a feat they repeated in 1975-76, victories in Europe coming over Borussia Monchengladbach and Club Bruges - two teams who would play an even more significant and glorious part in Clemence and Liverpool's story later in the decade.
The FA Cup was sealed with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Newcastle United in 1974 before the great prize, Liverpool's Holy Grail, was finally claimed in 1977 with the 3-1 European Cup final victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome.
In that historic season, Liverpool had won the title once more but then lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United the Saturday before the European Cup final. Clemence's lifting of the spirits by leading a boisterously defiant sing-song immediately after that Wembley loss played a massive part in demonstrating his qualities of leadership and optimism.
Clemence was often more enthusiastic about playing out of goal than in his accustomed position in training at Melwood, revelling in his role as a makeshift physical striker shaking up his team-mates in those sessions, but he was a perfectionist when it came to the serious business and Shankly, with typical bluntness, insisted he was the best in the world and would brook no argument contradicting that view.
He won two more European Cups, against Club Bruges in 1978 at Wembley and Real Madrid in Paris in 1981, before shocking Liverpool and their supporters by deciding to leave to join Spurs weeks after that triumph.
The personal trophy tally when he left Liverpool was five titles, three European Cups, two Uefa Cups, the FA Cup and the League Cup over 665 first-team appearances.
In the first season after cutting those long-established Anfield ties, Clemence was on the receiving end of the successes he had previously enjoyed at Liverpool, beaten by his former club in the League Cup final. He did, though, receive a famously rapturous reception from his adoring Kop, captured by the Match of the Day cameras, when he returned for the first time in May 1982.
(Lupni.com/BBC)
