Liverpool hero Bruce Grobbelaar has defended his actions from the penalty shootout of the 1984 European Cup, in which he performed his famous 'spaghetti legs'.
With the 1984 final 1-1 after extra-time between Liverpool and Roma, Grobbelaar knew that he needed to step up for his team if they were to complete a treble that season, having already won the league title and League Cup.
The Zimbabwean goalkeeper's task became all the more difficult when his team-mate, Steve Nicol, stepped up first in the shootout and missed. With the Reds at a disadvantage, Grobbelaar recalls what manager Joe Fagan said to him before the penalties started.
Liverpool helped out by Bruce Grobbelaar and his 'spaghetti legs'
“[Assistant] Ronnie Moran’s words to me were, ‘Do not change yourself as a person, never emulate anybody else as a goalkeeper. Be yourself’. We really should have won that European Cup final in extra time, but couldn’t take our chances," Grobbelaar tells FourFourTwo.
"Just before the penalties, [boss] Joe Fagan said, ‘Listen, we shouldn’t be in this position, nobody will blame you’. As I walked away, he told me to try to put them off. I picked out two players – Italy stars Bruno Conti and Francesco Graziani.
"People said it was unsporting, but my logic was if an international player can’t hit the target from 12 yards, it’s not my fault.”
Both Conti and Graziani missed in the shootout, with Grobbelaar's 'spaghetti legs' putting the Italian duo off. After Nicol had missed first, the Reds now had the advantage, with fith taker Alan Kennedy knowing that a goal would hand Liverpool their fourth European Cup.
The left-back duly dispatched his spot kick, helping Liverpool beat Roma in their own stadium.
But while Grobbelar faced some accusations of unsporting behaviour after his antics in the shootout, FourFourTwo believes that he had every right to do what he did and put off his opponents.
