Leicester City In 100 Players: Paul Ramsey

He was also Club captain in the late 1980s, earning a well-deserved testimonial match in 1989. Ramsey played 322 games for City between 1981 and 1991. He was a Northern Ireland international who was in the squad for the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico. 

Spotted playing for Derry Athletic Youth Club by Leicester scout Ray Shaw, Paul was given a professional contract at Filbert Street in 1980 by Jock Wallace.

He made his first team debut as a substitute against Arsenal in March 1981. His full debut was against Norwich City on the last day of the season. Leicester won 3-2 but were still relegated from the top flight.

Two seasons later, Paul was almost an ever-present in Gordon Milne’s City side which was promoted back into the top division. Crucially, he scored a vital goal in the penultimate game of the season at Oldham.

In September 1983, with Leicester back in the top flight, Paul won the first of his 14 Northern Ireland caps making his international debut against Austria a 3-1 victory at Windsor Park.

Back in the old First Division, playing in midfield, Paul was a regular in Milne’s side. He also played for Northern Ireland in their successful World Cup qualifying campaign until a bad knee injury in October 1985 sidelined him for several months. He recovered in time to be selected for the Northern Ireland squad for the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico, although he didn’t play.

A few months later, in March 1987, Paul scored Leicester’s goal of the season against QPR, but the team was relegated at the end of the campaign. 

Recognising Paul’s qualities, David Pleat, who became manager at Filbert Street in December 1987, made him captain and, for the next three seasons, he played some of his best football.

In November 1989, Paul was granted a testimonial in recognition of his 10 years of impressive service at Leicester City. The match was against Tottenham Hotspur. His ex-City team-mate Gary Lineker returned to Filbert Street for the occasion.  

In 1991, Paul left Leicester for Cardiff City. New manager Brian Little didn’t want Paul to leave Filbert Street, but Cardiff City manager Eddie May, who had been a major influence on Paul’s career as his youth team manager at Leicester, signed him for the Welsh club.

During his time as a Leicester City player, Paul had played against some of the world’s best players at both club and international level. The fans were sorry to see him go.