A walk in the past for the memories in the heart

From the starting point in his career, to the last match played, Matt le Tissier has been wearing the jersey of the team created by the St. Mary’s church, the popular Saints, presenting what football is really all about, and acknowledging that one man can make a difference on the field and in history.

It all goes back to 1968 when on 14th of October, in Guernsey, England, where Matthey Le Tissier was born. He had only eight years when Southampton won their only trophy and the biggest achievement in their club’s history, the FA Cup.

It was that same year when the Saints won the FA Cup that he first started shooting the ball towards the goal, in the Vale Recreation football club in his home island. His talent was first noticed by the Oxford United football club, but they failed to arrange a deal. After that, in 1985, the Saints were the next club who wanted to bring him in their rooster, and so they did, signing so called YTS forms, with professional forms in October 1986. Matt le Tissier became a Southampton player. His debut, in the Football League First Division, was an away game played against Norwich that Southampton lost 4-3. His first two goals were against Manchester United on 4th November 1986 in a League Cup replay and his first hat-trick against Leicester city the league. He finished the season with 24 league appearances and six goals. The next two seasons he was searching for his game, as he made 19 appearances with 0 goals in the 1987-1988 season and with 28 games and nine goals in the 1988-1989 season.

The breakthrough in his career came in the season 1989-1990 when he scored 20 goals and was one of the league’s top scorers, while receiving the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Southampton finished 7th in the league, which was the best result in the last five years.

His next big event was the 1993-1994 season when he scored 25 league goals, and was the top scorer of the league. The same season he won the Match of the Day Goal of the Season award, for a lob against the current at that time Blackburn Rovers, and former Southampton keeper, Tim Flowers.

His career in the 1990s was all about scoring goals and it helped the team put a fight and finish just above the middle line on the table. He certainly made a difference in the game of Southampton, and helped them stay in the top league of England throughout the millennium. His football abilities were well known to all the clubs in England, as Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United were the clubs that were battling to get his signature on their paper, but something like this never happened, and Matt le Tisser would remain to be a Southampton player until the day he retired from professional football.