He’s already considered the club’s greatest ever player, but fans of Southampton will love Matt Le Tissier even more if his recent comments are anything to go by.
After scoring over 200 goals during a 16-year career on the south coast, many of them Premier League collectors’ items, Le Tissier was offered numerous opportunities to move on. However, it was his love of the Saints’ supporters that kept him at The Dell, and latterly St Mary’s.
Speaking exclusively to UCFB, ‘Le Tis’ said: “For me the special thing about Southampton was the relationship I had with the fans. From the age of 17, when I broke into the first team, they were always incredibly supportive of me.
“Whenever I was a substitute I can remember them singing my name and putting pressure on the manager to get me on the pitch! It was just lovely to hear and to have that level of support.”
After making his debut in 1986, Le Tissier was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990 after scoring 24 goals in the league and cup. Fittingly, Le Tis scored the last ever goal at The Dell before the Saints moved to St. Mary’s Stadium against Arsenal, which also turned out to be his last goal for the club, in May 2001.
Looking back on his career with the Saints, Le Tissier said he didn’t have one regret about seeing out his entire playing career playing in red and white.
He said: “I was just a kid from Guernsey, I didn’t even know I was going to be a footballer - I just had these dreams. The minute I got onto the pitch at The Dell the fans were just so incredibly supportive, and that was one of the reasons why [I stayed].”
