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Gary Bailey
Personal information
Full name	Gary Richard Bailey
Date of birth	9 August 1958 (1958-08-09) (age 51)
Place of birth	Ipswich, England
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1975–1978 1978–1987 1988–1990	Wits University Manchester United Kaizer Chiefs	294 (0)
National team
1985	England	002 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Gary Richard Bailey (born 9 August 1958 in Ipswich, England) is a former English football player, and the son of former Ipswich Town goalkeeper Roy Bailey. Gary Bailey was also a goalkeeper.

He grew up in South Africa and started his career with Wits University Football Club in Johannesburg. In the late 1970s Bailey paid his own fare to Manchester for a trial with Manchester United. He was a goalkeeper who could make amazing saves, but whose weakness on crosses earned him the nickname "Dracula".

He established himself as United goalkeeper in the late 1970s following the retirement of Alex Stepney, but in one of his first crucial games he missed a cross in the 1979 FA Cup final, allowing Alan Sunderland to score the winning goal for Arsenal with just seconds remaining. Despite this, he was considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in England in the early to mid 1980s.

He represented the national team twice at senior level, but was unable to establish himself in the first eleven due to the form of the more experienced Peter Shilton.

United were one of the top sides in England while Bailey played for them, and won FA Cup medals with them in 1983 and 1985.

However, he developed a serious knee injury during training at the 1986 World Cup and missed most of the 1986-87 season, after which he retired and returned to South Africa where he subsequently resumed his career with Kaizer Chiefs, before giving up playing completely in 1990.^[1] He was a well known radio presenter on Talk Radio 702. Gary is now a football presenter for Supersport Premier League coverage in South Africa. He was an ambassador in South Africa's (successful) bid to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup and does motivational speaking centered around increasing the benefits of that event.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website

v • d • e England squad – 1986 FIFA World Cup 1 Shilton • 2 Gary Stevens • 3 Sansom • 4 Hoddle • 5 Martin • 6 Butcher • 7 Bryan Robson • 8 Wilkins • 9 Hateley • 10 Lineker • 11 Waddle • 12 Anderson • 13 Woods • 14 Fenwick • 15 Gary A. Stevens • 16 Reid • 17 Steven • 18 Hodge • 19 Barnes • 20 Beardsley • 21 Dixon • 22 Bailey • Coach: Bobby Robson