The late Leeds United legend Gary Speed is set to be inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame for his “dedication to the game”, the official Leeds United Twitter account announced earlier today.
He will be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame alongside Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, former West Ham player and manager Billy Bonds and Arsenal legend Bob Wilson at a ceremony on the 21st of September.
A true legend of the English game, Speed began his career at Leeds United, where he made his first team début in 1988. The Welshman went on to make 248 appearances for The Whites, and scored 39 goals, endearing him into the hearts of the Elland Road faithful.
In a two years stint at Everton, he made 58 appearances and bagged 16 goals before moving on to Newcastle United in 1998, where he would go on to become a fan favourite once more, playing over 200 times on Tyneside.
The latter years of his playing career were spent with Bolton Wanderers between 2004 and 2008 and then at Sheffield United until 2010, when he decided his playing days were over. He retired with 535 Premier League appearances under his belt as well as 85 caps for the Welsh national side.
After a short managerial stint with The Blades, he was offered a role as Wales manager, which he held for 11 months before he tragically passed away.
In all competitions, Speed made an incredible 840 domestic appearances and secured his status as a true legend of the beautiful game for football fans across both Wales and England. A spot in the National Football Museum Hall of Fame goes further to honour one of Welsh football’s all-time greats.
