Former Aberdeen and Arsenal defender Willie Young dies aged 73
Tributes are pouring in for the legend who 'changed the laws of the game'
Last updated 1st Nov 2025
Former Aberdeen and Arsenal defender Willie Young has died aged 73.
Young played over 180 games for the Dons and won the FA Cup with the Gunners in 1979.
In a statement on the club website, Arsenal said Willie’s “physicality and commitment made him a cult figure” with supporters.
They added: "Reliable, dominant in the air and fearless, his immense contribution to a successful period means he will always be remembered fondly by those who saw his colossal frame repelling attacks and causing havoc to opposition defences at set pieces."
Posting on X, Aberdeen said the club was “saddened” to learn of his passing.
The former centre-back is perhaps best known for forcing a change in the laws of the game following his scything tackle on West Ham forward Paul Allen in the 1980 FA Cup final, which created the “professional foul”.
He was shown a yellow card for cynically bringing down the 17-year-old forward on the edge of the area in the closing stages of the game.
The incident prompted a national debate, and automatic red cards were brought in two years later for “denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity”.
Born in Edinburgh, Young grew up in the Midlothian village of Heriot and stared his career at Aberdeen in 1970.
He joined Tottenham Hotspur five years later, before switching to their North London rivals Arsenal in 1977.
Young reached three successive FA Cup finals between 1978 and 1980, forming a formidable centre-back partnership with Irishman David O’Leary.
But despite a successful club career, Young never made a senior appearance for the Scotland national side after he received a lifetime ban for an altercation in a Danish nightclub.
The ‘Copenhagen five” - Young, Joe Harper, Arthur Graham, Billy Bremner and Pat McCluskey - were all banned from the national team over the incident, although Harper and Graham were later reinstated after being cleared of any wrongdoing.
In 1981, Young left Arsenal after making 237 appearances to join Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest.
Following short spells at Norwich City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Darlington, Young retired in 1984 due to injuries.