Peter Leslie Shilton OBE (born 18 September 1949) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps, and held the all-time record for the most competitive appearances in world football - 1,249 - until being surpassed by Paul Bastock in 2017. The IFFHS ranked Shilton among the top ten keepers of the 20th century in 2000. His 30-year career includes being at 11 different clubs, winning two European Cup finals, and playing more than 1,300 competitive matches.

Despite playing at a lower level, he impressed England manager Alf Ramsey sufficiently to give him his debut against East Germany in November 1970. England won 3-1. Little more than six months later, Leicester were promoted back to the First Division.  His second England cap came in a goalless draw against Wales at Wembley; and his first competitive match for his country was his third appearance as England drew 1-1 with Switzerland in a qualifying game for the 1972 European Championships. At this stage, Banks was still England's first choice keeper, but the remaining brace of back-ups from the 1970 World Cup, Peter Bonetti and Alex Stepney, had been cast aside by Ramsey so Shilton could begin to regard himself as his country's number two goalkeeper at the age of 22.  Life with Leicester City continued uneventfully as Shilton's England career progressed. His fourth and fifth England caps came towards the end of 1972 (England had failed to qualify for the European Championship competition) before a tragic incident suddenly saw Shilton propelled into the limelight as England's number one keeper.  In October 1972, Gordon Banks was involved in a car crash which resulted in the loss of the sight in one eye and thus ended his career. Liverpool goalkeeper Ray Clemence was called up to make his debut a month later for England's opening qualifier for the 1974 World Cup, (a 1-0 win over Wales). Shilton ended up with over 100 caps compared to Clemence's 61.  Shilton in the summer of 1973 kept three clean sheets as England defeated Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Against Scotland Shilton made a right handed save diving to his left from Kenny Dalglish's shot that Shilton considered among his best saves. While drawing with Czechoslovakia earned Shilton his tenth cap - as a warm-up to a crucial World Cup qualifier against Poland in Chorzow a week later. This went badly for England, with Shilton unable to stop both goals in a 2-0 defeat and therefore making victory in the final qualifier, against the same opposition at Wembley four months later, a necessity if England were to make the finals.

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