Rimmer was part of the Manchester United group that won the 1968 European Cup, the night Sir Matt Busby’s side became the first English club to lift the trophy. He was not the man in goal for the final at Wembley, with Stepney established as number one, but that medal still placed him inside one of the sport’s landmark triumphs.
What makes Rimmer’s career unusual is what came next. Many players spend a lifetime chasing one brush with European glory. He returned to the summit again, this time far more centrally.
At Aston Villa, Rimmer became much more than a squad member. Signed in 1977, he grew into the club’s first-choice goalkeeper and made 287 appearances between 1977 and 1983. He was a key figure in the side that won the First Division in 1980-81, then helped drive Villa’s greatest continental run.
Rimmer played in every European match on the way to the 1982 European Cup final against Bayern Munich. Even though injury cut short his night in Rotterdam, Villa still completed the job. That second medal, earned 14 years after the first, is the detail that makes his career so memorable.
Rimmer also had spells with Arsenal, Swansea City, Luton Town and Hamrun Spartans, and won one England cap. But his place in football memory will rest on calm reliability, longevity and a role in two giant club achievements.
Villa said they were “deeply saddened” by the news. In the days ahead, attention will turn to how Villa Park and Old Trafford mark a goalkeeper whose career deserves to be remembered as far more than a footnote.