Steve Bruce started out at Gillingham where he amassed over 200 first team outings before he was transferred to Norwich City for a fee of £125,000 at the beginning of the 1984-85 campaign. While at Carrow Road, he appeared in 141 League games for The Canaries before he signed with Manchester United for a fee of around £850,000 in December 1987. Bruce, who was one of the greatest footballers never to have played for England, received his United debut in a 2–1 First Division victory against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on the 19th of December 1987, and registered his first Division One goal for the team in a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the 13th of February 1988. The defender was sent off twice during his Manchester United career, first in a 1-0 win against Luton Town at Kenilworh Road on the 4th of September 1990, and then in a 3-0 victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford on the 12th of January 1991. But under the sound leadership of manager Alex Ferguson, he emerged as one of the greatest captains in the long and successful history of Manchester United, and the ceaseless worker played a major role in the club s success in the 1990s.
A dedicated and dependable all round footballer, Steve Bruce etched his name into Manchester United folklore with his no nonsense approach to the game. Spending almost a decade with The Reds, the loyal servant accumulated a highly impressive 414 first class appearances for the club, netting 51 times during the process. At the age of 35, he was granted a free transfer by Ferguson and he decided to team up with Birmingham City at the beginning of the 1996-97 season. After having racked up 72 Football League First Division appearances for The Blues under manager Trevor Francis during his two seasons at St Andrew’s, the experienced campaigner was appointed player-manager of Sheffield United in the summer of 1998 and guided The Blades to a respectable eighth position in the First Division table during his one-year spell at Bramall Lane. In the years that followed, he went on to manage several clubs, including Wigan Athletic, Birmingham City, Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, and Newcastle United. Steve Bruce Playing Career: Gillingham, Norwich City, Manchester United, Birmingham City, Sheffield United. Playing Honours: English Premier League 1993, 1994, 1996, English FA Cup 1990, 1994, 1996, English Football League Cup 1992, English FA Charity Shield 1990, 1993, 1994, UEFA European Cup Winners’ Cup 1991, UEFA European Super Cup 1991.