Scottish football hall of famer – Alex McLeish, is a world renowned football manager and former player. McLeish wore the Aberdeen shirt during the 1980s, which is widely considered to be the club’s best ever period. The Aberdeen icon made approximately 500 league appearances for one of the best clubs in Europe at that time. While winning the European Super Cup once, and Scottish Premier Division three times, McLeish also achieved 77 caps for Scotland.
After a glistening playing career, McLeish started his managerial existence with tenures at Motherwell and Hibernian, before helping Rangers win two championships and five cups in just five years. Due to his instant success as a manager, McLeish was awarded the Scotland job and spent ten months as manager, where he narrowly failed to qualify for the finals of the European Championships. One of McLeish’s best managerial stints was at English mega-club Birmingham City, where he won the football league cup final, earning him legend status at the club. However, this status was quickly lost as he bravely moved on to become manager of Birmingham’s arch rival – Aston Villa! This move caught the headlines and displayed McLeish’s tunnel vision in becoming one of the best managers in the UK. The Scot went on to enjoy jobs at other major clubs such as Nottingham Forest and Belgian powerhouse – Genk.
In recognition of his world class service to Scottish sport, McLeish was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Aberdeen in 2008, showing what he has done for the visibility of Scottish football. McLeish is etched in history as a footballing legend and his opinion on the beautiful game is still highly valued.
