Seaman's career meets unsatisfying conclusion

Former England goalkeeper who has split public opinion hangs up gloves through injury to sum up a year too far

David Seaman's career ended with a bang, not a whimper as he finally announced his retirement yesterday. But it was not the one that he should have gone out on. The 40-year-old, irritated, shunned the wise counsel of Arsène Wenger that he should step aside on a high after leading Arsenal to victory in last season's FA Cup final and accept a coaching post. Instead his pride, his self-belief urged him on for one more year - and it was the flying boots of Yakubu Aiyegbini that brought his career to a painful, unsatisfying end.

A shoulder injury picked up in a collision after 13 minutes at Fratton Park on Saturday was not the fault of the Portsmouth striker - Seaman was, again, as so often this season, too slow to come off his line and got caught out. It summed up a year too far for him.

The move to Manchester City has not worked out - from Safe Hands to Sieve Hands as one headline styled him after gaffes against his former club. And although his latest injury was diagnosed as one that will keep him out for only four weeks, Seaman decided it was time to call it a day after a career stretching back 20 years and 75 England caps. Finally he has listened to his ageing 6ft 4in, 15st frame and accepted the reality.

Seaman will leave a strange legacy having dominated the landscape of English goalkeepers for 15 years, won three League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup and a European Cup-Winners' Cup and - after his heroics for the national side in 1996 - an MBE. He also received a standing ovation when a guest at the tennis at Wimbledon - something that bolstered his own belief in his celebrity.

In helping Arsenal, the club he joined in 1990, to that FA Cup final last season he made possibly his most memorable save against Sheffield United in the semi-final, gouging the ball out from the goal-line as it seemed to have already passed him by. Extraordinarily it was his 1,000th match in professional football.

Born in Rotherham, Seaman still retains his strong Yorkshire accent. He joined Leeds United but, in one of those costly errors committed by football clubs, was let go aged 19. After Peterborough United and Birmingham City he made his way to London with Queen's Park Rangers where he first played for England. His stock rose and Arsenal intervened. When the £1.3m deal initially fell through Seaman returned to Loftus Road where he was met by chants of "Judas" - and even now he is unforgiven. Returning with Manchester City for a Carling Cup tie earlier this season he was booed relentlessly.

Despite his ability, Seaman has continually aroused such antipathy which has, in truth, been given extra piquancy by a series of gaffes which have laced his general excellence. Seaman has never been a showy goalkeeper, or one for the spectacular but technically he is well-regarded, covering his angles well - and he has a presence. But goalkeepers are, unfortunately, remembered for their mistakes.

Free-kicks and shots from distance have often been his downfall. One of his biggest fans, his former manager, George Graham, concedes Seaman should have stopped Paul Gascoigne's thunderous 35-yard free-kick in the FA Cup semi-final in 1991. Then there was Nayim's goal from the half-way line in a Cup-Winners' Cup final, Ronald Koeman's free-kick that kept England out of the 1994 World Cup finals and cost Graham Taylor his job and Dietmar Hamann's goal in the final match played at Wembley which led to Kevin Keegan's resignation. Most famously, however, was Ronaldinho's free-kick in the World Cup two years ago.

After that blunder Seaman did a rare thing. He talked - albeit briefly - to the press. Tearful and apologetic his words were reported breathlessly as much because he said anything as for what he did say. Uniquely among the England squad, he had not given interviews to newspapers throughout the campaign and many trace his pathological hatred of the written media to the reporting of his messy divorce, leaving his wife and two sons for Debbie, now his second wife, who he met at Arsenal. He now has two more children.

More than that, however, has been Seaman's perceived high opinion of himself - signing his autograph by his self-styled nickname, and the title of his autobiography, "Safe Hands", appearing in the pages of Hello! magazine and talking lovingly of his "small" cellar of wine and collection of Davidoff and Monte Cristo cigars kept in a humidor at his Hertfordshire mansion. Modesty has not been part of his make-up, according to commentators. But above all there is his pony-tail which has been perceived as the most visible, cringe-worthy sign of his vanity.

He has undoubtedly split the public. Many fans delight in goading him with chants while acknowledging his undoubted ability while, after his error against Brazil, he received 5,000 letters of sympathy. Seaman has already made plans for his future and, last year, launched what he hopes will be a television career by becoming a panelist on the sports quiz show They Think It's All Over.

The title, this morning, appears all the more apt.

DAVID SEAMAN FROM ROTHERHAM TO MANCHESTER

1963: Born in Rotherham, England, on 19 September.

1981: Apprentice at Leeds Utd.

1982: Joins Peterborough Utd for £4,000.

1984: Sold to Birmingham City for £100,000.

1986: Signed by Queen's Park Rangers for £225,000.

1988: Makes England debut against Saudi Arabia.

1990: Moves to George Graham's Arsenal for £1.3m.

1991: Wins League title in first season at Highbury.

1993: Helps Arsenal to lift FA Cup and League Cup, beating Sheffield Wednesday in both finals.

1994: Wins European Cup-Winners' Cup with 1-0 win over Parma.

1995: Makes superb penalty shoot-out saves against Sampdoria in European Cup-Winners' Cup semi-final but is then beaten from over 40 yardsby ex-Spurs player Nayim in the last minute of the final as Arsenal lose 2-1 to Real Zaragoza.

1996: Saves penalty from Scotland's Gary McAllister to help England win 2-0 in the Euro 96 group stage. More penalty shoot-out saves ensure quarter-final win over Spain, but is unable to prevent Germany knocking England out in semi-finals, again on penalties.

1998: Wins League and FA Cup Double with Arsenal.

2000: Defeat again in penalty shoot-out for Arsenal against Galatasaray in Uefa Cup final.

2001: FA Cup runner-up medal.

2002: Wins League and FA Cup Double again with Arsenal. In the World Cup quarter-final, is caught out by a free-kick by Brazil's Ronaldinho as England lose 2-1. Concedes direct from a corner against Macedonia in a Euro 2004 qualifier in October, his 75th and final cap.

2003: Helps Arsenal to a third successive FA Cup final with a memorable semi-final save against Sheffield United, in his 1,000th professional game, but is left out of the England squad.

May 17 Captains Arsenal to victory in the FA Cup final against Southampton. It is his fifth final and at 39 and 238 days he is the third-oldest Cup finalist.

June 4: Agrees a one-year contract with Manchester City.

January 13 2004: Announces retirement because of a persistent shoulder injury.