Steve Archibald is a former Scottish striker who was mostly prominent during the 80's. In a football career that spanned over 22 years, Archibald had played in Scotland, England, Spain and Ireland. His most notable stints were at Tottenham and Barcelona, with whom he won his biggest trophies in football.
The Scotsman appeared in over 483 games throughout his career, and scored 156 goals in the process. Let us now look back at his career, and how he became one of Scotland's biggest success stories in Europe.
Early years in Scotland
Born in Glasgow, Steve Archibald began his early years in life by playing for local teams such as Croftfoot United and Fernhill Athletic. It was while completing his training as a car mechanic that he was spotted by Scottish First Division club Clyde in 1974. As destiny would have it, Clyde became Archibald's first major professional football career. He played as a midfielder during his 3 years at the club.
His next footballing chapter took him to Aberdeen in January 1978, where was converted into a striker. Archibald formed a great partnership with Joe Harper at the club, and the former scored 29 goals in his 3 seasons at Aberdeen. He also won the Scottish Premier Division title with Aberdeen in 1980.
The Scotsman moves to Spurs
Archibald was signed by Tottenham Hotspur in 1980 for £800,000. His first season at the club was nothing short of spectacular, as the Scotsman finished the campaign as First Division top scorer and also won the FA Cup.
More silverware success came in the years that followed, including another FA Cup in 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1984. Archibald also scored for Spurs in the 1982 Football League Cup Final, but they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Liverpool.
In his 4 years with the London club, Archibald scored 77 goals in 189 appearances. He formed a tremendous partnership with the likes of Garth Crooks and Mark Falco as well.
Scottish excellence in Barcelona
The year of 1984 saw Archibald join Barcelona for £1,150,000. He led Barcelona to the La Liga title in his debut season, which was also their first league title in 11 years. The Scotsman and Barca were on the brink of further glory in 1986, as they reached that year's European Cup finals. However, they ended up losing on penalties against Steaua Bucharest.
Archibald was a fan favourite during his time at the Nou Camp, but restrictions on fielding foreign players led to him being excluded from the squad in favour of Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes. This resulted in a lack of opportunities for the player, which even saw him move to Blackburn Rovers on loan in 1987.
Return to Scotland and retirement
Archibald returned to Scotland in 1988, 8 years after leaving for the European elite. He scored 16 goals in his first season at Hibernian. However, a fallout with manager Alex Miller led to his departure in 1990.
He then returned to Spain once again with Espanyol, who were in the Second Division back then. Archibald had a very short stint with the club, during which he scored 5 goals in just 15 appearances.
He yet again returned to Scotland with St Mirren, and was instrumental in bringing former Barcelona teammate Víctor Muñoz to the club. Archibald's last career phase saw him make numerous appearances at a number of clubs in Scotland, England and Ireland. This included a memorable return to Clyde, where it all started.
His final club is believed to be Irish side Home Farm Everton, where he played a single appearance before retiring in 1996.
