Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has explained how he goaded the Manchester City chairman after he was blackballed by the club's executives in 1996.

Grobbelaar enjoyed a career in South Africa, Zimbabwe and America before moving to England in the late 1970s. After one season with Crewe, Grobbelaar joined Liverpool in March 1981 and enjoyed great success with the Reds during a 13-year career at Anfield as he won six First-Division titles, four League Cups, three FA Cups and one European Cup.

In 1994, Grobbelaar was one of several players accused of match-fixing and although he was eventually acquitted of all charges, it was an allegation that weighed heavy on him later in his career.

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The Zimbabwe international later signed for Southampton but only lasted two seasons on the South Coast before his contract with the club wasn't renewed by the manager at the time, former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness.

Explaining the situation to The Telegraph, Grobbelaar said: "I was at Southampton after Liverpool. Because of the allegations, there was a lot of pressure on them not to sign me.

"But Alan Ball, the manager, and Lawrie McMenemy asked me straight up three times if I had done it. I said no, they believed me and I signed and was really happy there.” But Ball and then his successor Dave Merrington left the club. And the new manager was less accommodating.

“I went into his office with my contract and said: ‘I want to sign up for another year.’ He said: ‘No sorry, there’s too much going on with you,’” he recalls. “It was Graeme Souness. Yeah, my old Liverpool team-mate.”

After leaving Southampton, Grobbelaar returned to Zimbabwe. However, he was quickly on as he way back to England as Alan Ball, now the Manchester City manager, had a proposal for him.

“He said: ‘I want to sign you. Can you get to Manchester tomorrow at 10am?’ It was about 10pm and I’m in Africa, but I say: ‘Yes, I can.’ I jump on a plane and get to Manchester on time. I walk out into the terminal and see Alan Ball standing there, shaking his head," said Grobbelaar. "He says: ‘I’m sorry, the chairman has blackballed you.’”

From there, the goalkeeper got in touch with Neil Warnock to see if there was room for him at - Liverpool's FA Cup fourth-round opponents this weekend - Plymouth Argyle.

Explaining the move, Grobbelaar said: “I said to him: ‘Do you need a keeper?’ He said: ‘Give me two minutes.’ He rang me back and said: ‘Can you get to Bristol by two o’clock?’ It had to be done by then.

"So I got there, met the chairman, shook hands and signed for Plymouth. And it was one of the best things I did.

“We won my first match 1-0. I went into the directors’ box afterwards and said to the opposition chairman: ‘That was for you.’ It was Manchester City.”

After his one season at Plymouth, Grobbelaar later enjoyed spells in England with Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham Athletic and Bury, among others.