Alex McLeish

1959 —

Football Player; Although Alex started out as a midfielder he is best known as a dominating centre back with Aberdeen and Scotland. Tall, strong and resolute McLeish brought a commanding presence to Aberdeen’s back line along with Willie Miller during the 1980s. Aberdeen would emerge as a leading club in Scottish football during McLeish’s time there and he was an automatic choice along with Miller for the Scotland team.

With Aberdeen McLeish won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983, the European Super Cup in 1984, the Scottish League in 1980, 1984 and 1985, the Scottish Cup in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1990 and the Scottish League Cup in 1985 and 1989. One of Scotland’s most capped players McLeish played 77 times for Scotland and featured in the World Cups of 1982, 1986 and 1990. He has also enjoyed a successful career in football management with Motherwell, Hibernian and Rangers. McLeish would also go on to manage the Scotland National Team in 2007, narrowly missing out on qualification to Euro 2008.

Alex would take the reigns at Birmingham City, winning the League Cup against Arsenal at Wembley, in 2011. Other managerial spells at Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Genk and Zamalek followed. In 2018, McLeish returned to the Scotland National Team to take charge for a second time.