Nigel Martyn

1.1. Childhood and Amateur Career

Martyn initially started his football career as a midfielder. However, at the age of 17, he transitioned to playing as a goalkeeper after being invited to play in that position for his brother's works team. Before turning professional, Martyn played amateur football for several Cornish clubs, including Heavy Transport FC, Bugle, and St Blazey. During this period, he also worked in a plastics factory and as a coal merchant.

1.2. Professional Debut: Bristol Rovers

Martyn's professional career officially began in 1987 when he joined Bristol Rovers. His signing with the club is notably attributed to being "spotted" by Bristol Rovers' tea lady, Vi Harris, while she was on holiday. He played for Bristol Rovers from 1987 to 1989, making 101 league appearances.

2.1. Crystal Palace

In 1989, Martyn made a groundbreaking transfer to Crystal Palace for a fee of 1.00 M GBP, making him the first goalkeeper in English football history to command a million-pound transfer fee. He spent seven seasons with Crystal Palace, accumulating 349 appearances across all competitions. During his time at Palace, he played in the 1990 FA Cup Final, where the team was narrowly defeated by Manchester United in a replay. He also contributed to Crystal Palace's victory in the 1991 Full Members' Cup Final, where they defeated Everton. His consistent performances earned him significant recognition from the club's supporters, who voted him into their Centenary XI in 2005.

2.2. Leeds United

Martyn joined Leeds United in the summer of 1996-97, signed by manager Howard Wilkinson for a transfer fee of 2.25 M GBP, which set another record for a goalkeeper at the time. His tenure at Leeds marked his prime years, where his form was consistently outstanding, both in domestic leagues and European competitions. He delivered a particularly memorable man-of-the-match performance against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico during the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup campaign, a season in which Leeds reached the semi-finals. Martyn was also instrumental in Leeds' remarkable run in the following season's UEFA Champions League campaign, contributing to the elimination of renowned clubs such as Barcelona, Lazio, and Deportivo La Coruna, as Leeds advanced to the last four. He served as Leeds' first-choice goalkeeper for six seasons, and his consistent excellence led to him being officially named the club's greatest ever goalkeeper at a supporters' dinner, surpassing legendary figures like Gary Sprake, David Harvey, and John Lukic. However, a disagreement with new manager Terry Venables, combined with the emerging strong form of younger goalkeeper Paul Robinson, resulted in Martyn not playing any games during the 2002-03 season. After a period of being an unused substitute, he was informed that he was free to seek new employment. On April 10, 2006, Martyn was voted as the only player from the post-Don Revie era to be part of Leeds United's greatest team. He continues to be highly regarded by the club's fans and participated in the "Back the Bid Leeds" campaign, supporting Leeds' bid to be a host city for England's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid.

2.3. Everton

In mid-2003, Martyn received offers from both Chelsea and Everton, both proposing a backup role. He opted to join Everton, where Richard Wright was the first-choice goalkeeper. Just six games into the season, an injury to Wright provided Martyn with his Everton debut. His impressive performances during Wright's recovery were so compelling that Martyn remained Everton's first-choice goalkeeper even after Wright returned. Martyn was one of Everton's standout performers during the 2004-05 season, a period in which the club achieved its best Premier League finish of fourth place. Many fans credited Martyn with almost single-handedly preventing the team from slipping down the table following Thomas Gravesen's departure. Despite being 38 years old, he delivered some of the best form of his career, earning the deep admiration of Everton fans, with whom he remains a favorite. In his final season at Everton, he encountered numerous injuries that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. His last appearance for the club was his 100th game, an FA Cup tie against Chelsea at Goodison Park that ended in a 1-1 draw, during which he made several excellent saves. Everton fans affectionately nicknamed him "Big Nige," a nod to Neville Southall's "Big Nev." On June 8, 2006, Martyn announced his retirement from professional football due to a stress fracture in his ankle that had kept him out of play since January and had failed to heal properly. Everton manager David Moyes expressed his regret at Martyn's retirement, describing him as his "greatest ever signing."

4.1. Coaching

After his playing career, Martyn briefly served as a goalkeeping coach at Bradford City. He began this role in March 2007 as a favor to his former Leeds United teammate, David Wetherall, who was then the caretaker manager at Bradford. Martyn has not returned to the sport in a coaching capacity since 2009.

4.2. Retirement and Personal Interests

Nigel Martyn announced his retirement from professional football on June 8, 2006, due to a persistent stress fracture in his ankle that had prevented him from playing since January and had failed to heal properly. Growing up, Martyn was a supporter of Plymouth Argyle F.C.. Alongside football, Martyn was also a talented cricketer during his time in Cornwall. He played as a wicket-keeper for Cornwall Schoolboys and also for Fowey Cricket Club. Since his retirement from professional football, he has actively returned to cricket, regularly playing for a Leeds-based team called Leeds Modernians in the Airedale & Wharfedale Senior Cricket League. In 2024, playing for Knaresborough C.C. alongside another former England goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, Martyn helped his team secure promotion to the Yorkshire Premier League North.

7.1. Club

7.2. International