Southampton are famous for producing incredible players with jaw-dropping ability and also famous for selling too many top players. Here’s a look at some of the best players to grace the pitch for this amazing club.
Given Southampton’s rich history and past roots, we have witnessed some of the finest talents from across the globe represent the Saints in the years gone by who have given moments that shall forever be etched in the hearts of their supporters. But who are Southampton’s 10 Greatest Players of All Time?
Without further ado, here’s a countdown to the Top 10 greatest Southampton players of all time.
10. Ivan Golac (1978-1983, 1984-1986)
One of Southampton’s very first foreign imports, Ivan Golac joined Southampton in 1978. He was an instant hit and became a fan favourite. He established himself at right-back and played over 150 games for the Saints in an 8-season spell over two halves.
Golac’s play was skillful yet aggressive and attacking, taking the role of overlapping full back to a new level. Golac scored 4 times for the Saints, all in the year 1982 but is famously known for an unstoppable 25-yard half-volley hit against West Bromwich Albion. Manager McMenemy claimed it as “the sweetest strike he would ever seen, like Concorde taking off”. Golac won Southampton Player of the Year in 1981 for his heroics.
9. Rickie Lambert (2009-2014)
“Southampton’s Goal Machine” was an impact player at every level of Southampton’s ascent to the Premier League. Rickie Lambert scored at least 20 goals each season in the three seasons it took the Saints to rise from League One to the Premier League.
Once reaching the top flight, Lambert didn’t slow down much, scoring 15 goals and finishing as the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League, tied with Frank Lampard. Lambert has impressively scored all of his penalties for Southampton and his goal-scoring record overall is pretty good too, scoring 117 goals in 235 games for the Saints. Southampton’s Player of the Year in 2012 and 2014, Rickie Lambert is among the elites to have scored over a hundred career goals for Southampton!
8. Alan Ball (1976-1980, 1981-1983)
The youngest member of the World Cup winning team in 1966 Alan Ball loved the club much more than anyone else did. Having had two spells as a player, he then returned as manager to continue his love affair with The Saints.
He first joined in 1976 from Arsenal, despite offers from several top-flight clubs and helped to get Saints promoted in 1978. Ball left the club only to return a few years later and the second spell were the magic years when Saints topped the old First Division for the first time. Fast forward to 1994 and he had become Southampton manager, bringing Le Tissier back into the team and saved Saints from relegation. Apart from Ted Bates, no other player/manager had such an impact on Saints.
7. David Armstrong (1981-1987)
Armstrong played with Middlesbrough from 1972 to 1981, before moving to Southampton in 1981 where he played for a further six seasons. He was a part of the Saints’ great team in the 1980’s. He scored 15 league goals in his first season alongside Kevin Keegan, as the Saints led the table for most of the first three months of 1982 before finishing seventh.
Armstrong came close to a league title medal again in 1984, as the Saints finished runners-up to Liverpool in the league and were also semi-finalists in the FA Cup.
Aged 27, he was in his prime and Saints got six great seasons from the free-scoring bald midfield dynamo. He was Southampton’s Player of the Season in 1983-1984, and he also won three England caps, including the last home international, against Wales in 1984, when he lined up with Saints’ colleagues Shilton and Mark Wright.
6. Mark Wright (1982-1987)
Wright was only 18 when he arrived at the Dell and the Saints were flying high at the top of the table under manager Lawrie McMenemy. He made his debut for the club in a 3–1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road on 17 April 1982, a game which saw two Saints legends, Kevin Keegan and David Armstrong, score the goals.
A winner through and through. Wright played for England 45 times, and only lost six. After leaving Saints for Derby County, for a then-club record fee of £760,000, the Future England Captain went on to Liverpool, captaining them to FA Cup success in 1992, and scored for England in the 1990 World Cup. And he learned it all at The Dell, becoming the best centre half Saints ever had.
5. Ron Davies (1966-1973)
“The finest centre forward in Europe” as described by Sir Matt Busby, Ron Davies signed for Southampton for a then club-record fee of £55,000 and the Welsh international certainly didn’t disappoint.
Davies went on to score 153 goals in 281 career appearances with the Saints and was the top scorer in Division One in both 1966-67 and 1967-68, scoring 37 and 28 goals, respectively until he left in 1973 for Portsmouth. Davies always found a way to find the back of the net for Terry Paine and John Sydenham crosses – forming a lethal attacking trio during the period. He goes down as one of the best strikers to have played at St. Mary’s.
4. Terry Paine (1957-1974)
A member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team, Terry Paine is the longest servant to Southampton, playing in 809 total matches for the Saints over 18 years. In his time as a wide forward, Paine scored 187 goals, the fourth most in club history.
Amongst his 187 goals, the header he scored against Leyton Orient holds the most significance as that elevated Southampton to the old First Division for the first time in 1966. A superb winger, who could land a ball on a sixpence during his playing time, Paine was named Honorary President of Southampton in 2013.
3. Peter Shilton (1982-1987)
Peter Shilton is considered one of the greatest keepers ever. England’s all-time cap record-holder with 125 took England to 4th place in the 1990 World Cup.
Shilton played for 11 different clubs in his career, all in England and won two straight European Cups in 1979 and 1980 with Nottingham Forest. He was PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 1977–78, an award rarely won by a goalkeeper. After his career at Nottingham Forest, Shilton left Forest for Southampton. During his six years at Southampton, Shilton reached three semi-finals and came second in the top-flight division. A total of 188 appearances for The Saints across all competitions, Shilton was Southampton’s Player of the Season 1985, 1986. Later he left for Derby County with Mark Wright.
2. Mick Channon (1965-1977, 1979-1982)
Channon was the backbone of the club in the 1970s. He was there for the FA Cup Final in 1976, the first European excursions and gained 48 caps for England in his golden period of 1972-77. He also happens to be the leading all-time scorer in their history with 227 goals in 607 appearances.
Channon was also well-known for his trademark windmill goal celebration – which is no surprise considering he was the Saints top-scorer for seven consecutive seasons. His testimonial two days after the Cup Final in 1976 sparked jubilant pitch invasions as a wildly overpacked Dell continued the weekend celebrations – it was one of the special nights at The Dell. Channon was to move to Man City the following season but returned to The Dell for three more years in the top flight. In honour of his achievements and time at the club, he has a suite named after him at St. Mary’s Stadium.
1. Matt Le Tissier (1986-2002)
The boy from Guernsey was simply Saints’ biggest ever class act. Nicknamed “Le God” Matt Le Tissier was a talented and loyal player, he spent his entire professional club career at Southampton.
Le Tissier was the first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League and scored an impressive total of 210 goals for the Saints. He saved the club from relegation several times over.
Many of his achievements at Southampton included the PFA Young Player of the Year 1990, Southampton Player of the Season 1990, 1994, 1995. Plenty of his goals were extraordinary and they are just one of the many reasons why Saints fans are so affectionate of him to this very day.
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