David Seaman MBE was born in Rotherham in 1963 and has been a lifelong Leeds United Fan. At school, he excelled in sport and was scouted for several clubs, including Rotherham, Leeds Utd, Barnsley, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday as well as being offered a place at Yorkshire Cricket Club as a fast bowler.

He chose to join his boyhood dream club of Leeds United in 1979 as an apprentice, eventually playing for the first team in a couple of friendlies by the age of 19, before receiving the news that he wasn’t good enough and was being released, by then club manager and Leeds legend Eddie Gray.

After being released from Leeds United, David joined what was then the 4th division for Peterborough United for £4000 and played as their number one goalkeeper for the next two seasons, before being sold to Birmingham City in 1984 for £100,000.

In his first year at Birmingham City, he helped his team win promotion to division 1 (the equivalent of the Premier League at the time), showing he was capable of top flight football.

QPR bought David Seaman for £225,000 in 1986 where he played as their number one goalkeeper. In the 1987-88 season the team conceded only 27 goals, they missed out on European competition due to a ban on English clubs and Seaman left after 4 seasons and 175 matches.

During the 1989-90 transfer window Arsenal’s manager George Graham tried to buy David Seaman but the deal involved Arsenal keeper John Lukic joining either QPR or Birmingham City. However, Lukic refused to go and the deal fell through. Determined to make David Seaman a Gunner, George Graham went on to sign him for a then record fee of £1.3million.

David Seaman MBE | An Arsenal Legend

David’s time at Arsenal coincided with one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
In the 1990-91 season, Seaman played in every match of the 38-game season and conceded only 18 goals, helping Arsenal regain the league title.

The team’s success continued, with Arsenal winning both the FA Cup and the League Cup in 1993 and adding the European Cup Winners’ Cup a year later.
David played a key role in Arsenal’s victorious League Cup campaign against Millwall, saving three out of four penalties in a dramatic shootout.

He became known as a penalty-saving specialist after his heroic performance in Arsenal’s Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final against UC Sampdoria, where he saved three penalties while playing with two cracked ribs.

Two years later, David helped Arsenal to a Premier League and FA Cup double.
In the 1998-99 season, he played every league match, conceding only 17 goals as Arsenal came within one point of retaining the Premier League title and lost in the FA Cup semi-finals to Manchester United.

The following season, David helped Arsenal reach the 2000 UEFA Cup Final, where they drew 0-0 with Galatasaray but eventually lost on penalties. Despite this, David’s time at Arsenal had firmly established him as one of the club’s greatest-ever keepers.

Then in 2002, David helped Arsenal win both the Premier League and the FA Cup, marking his second career double. The following year David would leave Arsenal, ending what was a formidable time at the club.

Following his release, by Arsenal, in the summer of 2003, David signed for Manchester City, who were then managed by his former England manager Kevin Keegan.

His time at the City of Manchester (now Etihad) Stadium ended in January 2004 when, at the age of 40, he announced his retirement with a shoulder injury.

David Seaman MBE | In the Media

Known for his easy going, down-to-earth likeability David Seaman has been a regular face in the media for years starring in documentaries, reality shows and as a trusted football commentator, he  has also fronted a number of successful commercial campaigns on TV, in print, the mainstream media and online.

In December 2004, David took part in Strictly Ice Dancing, an ice dance version of Strictly Come Dancing. He joined the show at late notice, replacing Paul Gascoigne. With just eight days to prepare for the show, David and his professional partner Zoia Birmingham managed to win the competition.

In 2020 he published his biography Safe Hands, telling the story of his illustrious career from the early days at Leeds to the highs at Arsenal.

In 2021, he began presenting his own podcast series Seaman Says. With co-host Lynsey Hopper, David is joined by friends from the worlds of sport and entertainment for the weekly podcast.

In October 2022, David and his wife Frankie Poultney appeared in the second series of The Masked Dancer as “Pillar and Post”. They were unmasked in the fifth episode.

David Seaman MBE | Achievements

Team

Football League First Division: 1990–91
Premier League: 1997/98, 2001/02
FA Cup: 1992/93, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03
Football League Cup: 1992/93
FA Charity/Community Shield: 1991, 1998, 2002
European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1993/94

Individual

Premier League Player of the Month: April 1995
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1996
PFA Team of the Year: 1990/91 First Division, 1996/97 Premier League
Premier League 10 Seasons Awards: 1992–2002
Domestic Team of the Decade
Goalkeeper with most clean sheets (130)
Most clean sheets in the Premier League: 1993/94, 1998/99

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