Nigel Martyn
Nigel Martyn is a Cornish goalkeeper who kept 137 Premier League clean sheets for Crystal Palace, Leeds and Everton, the sixth most in the competition's history. In 1989 he became the first goalkeeper to cost £1 million in British football.
- Clubs
- Bristol Rovers (1987 to 1989), Crystal Palace (1989 to 1996), Leeds United (1996 to 2003), Everton (2003 to 2006)
- Premier League
- 372 appearances, 137 clean sheets
- Honours
- Full Members' Cup 1991, PFA Team of the Year 1998, 1999 and 2000
- International
- England, 23 caps
- Fantasy price
- £6.0m in 2001/02
Who did he play for?
He was playing for St Blazey in Cornwall when Bristol Rovers signed him in 1987. Two years later Crystal Palace paid £1 million for him, and he lost an FA Cup final replay to Manchester United in his first season there.
Leeds paid £2.25 million in July 1996, then a record for a goalkeeper. He kept 19 clean sheets in his first season, the most in the league, and was the club's player of the year. He was in the PFA Team of the Year three seasons running from 1998 to 2000.
In March 2000 he kept Roma out in a 0-0 draw at the Stadio Olimpico in the UEFA Cup, with saves from Totti, Delvecchio and Cafu. A groin injury limited him to 23 league games in 2000/01, the Champions League semi-final season. In 2001/02 he played all 38 and kept 18 clean sheets, again the most in the league.
The next season Paul Robinson took his place and he didn't play a league game. Everton signed him for a nominal fee on 1 September 2003. He was their player of the season in 2003/04 and played 32 games as they finished fourth in 2004/05.
He retired in June 2006 with a stress fracture in his ankle. He won 23 England caps between 1992 and 2002 and went to the 1998 and 2002 World Cups as David Seaman's understudy.
The moment: Leeds, 13 April 2004
Elland Road, Tuesday 13 April 2004. His first game back at Leeds since leaving the previous summer, with Leeds heading for relegation and Everton not far above them.
Wayne Rooney scored after 12 minutes and James Milner equalised early in the second half. In between, Martyn clawed away a Milner shot, made two quick saves from Alan Smith and kept out Mark Viduka. Leeds 1-1 Everton, and the home crowd applauded him around the ground.
He said afterwards that he would never forget the reception.
Why the streets won't forget
In 2006 Leeds fans voted him into the club's greatest ever team, the only player from after the Don Revie era to make it, and he was voted the club's greatest goalkeeper.
Everton fans called him Big Nige, after Neville Southall's Big Nev. When he retired, David Moyes called him his greatest ever signing.
He saved a penalty from Javi Moreno against Spain in February 2001, Sven-Göran Eriksson's first game as England manager.
He now plays cricket for Knaresborough alongside Paul Robinson, the man who took his place at Leeds.
Which seasons can you draft him in?
Nine. His Palace seasons come before the game starts, 1995/96 was in Division One, and 2002/03, when he didn't play a league game, isn't in the game's squads.
| Season | Club | Price | His real league season | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996/97 | Leeds United | £5.5m | 37 games, 19 clean sheets | Pick him |
| 1997/98 | Leeds United | £6.0m | 37 games | Pick him |
| 1998/99 | Leeds United | £6.0m | 34 games | Worth a look |
| 1999/00 | Leeds United | £6.0m | 38 games | Pick him |
| 2000/01 | Leeds United | £5.5m | 23 games | Leave him out |
| 2001/02 | Leeds United | £6.0m | 38 games, 18 clean sheets | Pick him |
| 2003/04 | Everton | £4.5m | 34 games, 10 clean sheets | Worth a look |
| 2004/05 | Everton | £5.5m | 32 games, 13 clean sheets | Pick him |
| 2005/06 | Everton | £5.0m | 20 games | Leave him out |
Before 2016/17 the game scores goalkeepers on appearances, clean sheets and saves, so the two seasons where he played all 38 are the ones: 1999/00, when Leeds finished third, and 2001/02.
Want him in your retro fantasy football team for 2001/02? He'll cost you £6.0m.
Draft a squad from 2001/02