Compared to Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool; Southampton is obviously just a small club in the English League. The club has never won the highest division title in the English League (neither Division One nor the British Premier League) and only claimed one FA Cup in 1976. Southampton even experienced some time playing in the lower division of English football league within this decade.
Although it is not a big club, Southampton has produced many talented young footballers. There are a lot of famous football players that were raised by Southampton Youth Acadmey such as Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alan Shearer, and many more. The question is, who is Southampton's best player of all time? Find the answer in this article and be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll module.
15. Theo Walcott
Walcott was only played for Southampton for a season, but the player is the true evident of the greatness of Southampton Youth Academy. Young Walcott was raised and developed by the Southampton Youth Academy. He created a record as the youngest player ever to play for the Dell (Southampton's nickname) at the age of 16 years. After showing brilliant performances at the club, Walcott was signed by Arsenal with a value of £ 5 million. Now, Walcott is recognized as one of the best strikers of England national football team.
14. Alan Ball
Alan Ball is a legendary midfielder who helped England win the 1966 World Cup. The player joined Southampton for six years. His best achievement was helping Southampton promote to the Division One (equivalent to the Premier League at the time) by being the runner-up of Division 2 in the 1977-78 season. A year later, he took Southampton into final round of the FA Cup.
13. Alan Shearer
Perhaps only few people know that Alan Shearer is a product of Southampton Youth Academy. Before becoming a legendary striker who played brilliantly at Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, Shearer started his career at the Saints in 1988. During four years of joining the club, Shearer scored 43 goals in 158 appearances. In 1992, he moved to Blackburn Rovers with a 3.6 million pounds transfer value that made him the most expensive British player of the period.
12. Wayne Bridge
One more example of a great player who was raised by Southampton Youth Academy. Wayne Bridge is a left back who became a mainstay of the Chelsea and England national team in the early 2000s. He made his debut as a professional footballer at Southampton and showed a consistent performances at the club. As a result, Bridge was selected as Southampton's best player of the 2000-01 season. Throughout his career, Bridge helped the club stay in the Premier League for five consecutive seasons. He also created an outstanding feat in Premier League by appearing in consecutive 113 matches.
11. Adam Lallana
Adam Lallana is a young midfielder who is expected to be a future star of England national football team. Starting his debut in 2006, Lallana is now trusted to be the team captain of Southampton. He is known as a quick midfielder, possesses high techniques and remarkable dribbling skills. Lallana played a major role in helping Southampton win a promotion to the Premier League in the 2011-12 season. In 2013, he played in his first international match for England national team.
10. Marian Pahars
The former Latvian striker played for Southampton in the period 1998-2006. Marian Pahars had shown tremendous talent since he was young and even dubbed as the Latvian Michael Owen. He was recruited from Skonto to Southampton for a fee of 800 thousand pounds and made a record as the first Latvian player to play in the Premier League competition. Although he was often hit by injuries, Pahars showed consistent performance during his period at Southampton and led the club stay in the Premier League for seven consecutive seasons.
9. Kevin Davies
Kevin Davies is known as an energetic striker who possesses very aggressive playing style. He is famous as an English footballer who committed a lot of fouls and never hesitates to play harshly. This player joined Southampton in the period 1997-2003, scoring 25 goals in 125 matches. He will always be remembered by the Saints' fans for scoring a beautiful solo-run goal in a match against Everton in 1997.
8. James Beattie
If he were not too often hit by injuries, Beattie could certainly show better performances. He played for Southampton in the 1998-2005 period, scoring a total of 76 goals in 235 appearances. He was signed from Blackburn Rovers in 1998 and immediately trusted a role as the number one striker Southampton. When he was not injured, Beattie frequently scored important goals for his team. He played a major role in helping Southampton stay in the Premier League for seven consecutive seasons.
7. Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers is a retired goalkeeper who is known for his brilliant performances in helping Blackburn Rovers win the Premier League in the 1994-95 season. Before moving to Blackburn, Flowers played for seven years in Southampton under the guidance of Peter Shilton. He was trusted to be the club's number one goalkeeper in 1989 and twice was selected as Southampton Footballer of the Year. Flowers was finally signed by Blackburn Rovers in 1993 for a fee of 2.4 million pounds, making him the most expensive English goalkeeper of the period.
6. Kelvin Davis
Kelvin Davis is the current number one goalkeeper of Southampton who also serves as a vice-captain. He joined Southampton in 2006, signed from Sunderland for a fee of 1.25 million pounds. Within seven years, he played with Southampton in three different leagues; League One, Championship Division and Premier League. Davis is known as a reliable penalty-stopper, in which he several times saved penalty kicks from world-class players such as David Silva and Robin van Persie.
5. Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton is one of the best English goalkeepers of all time. He played for Sotuhampton for five years in the period 1982-1987. His best achievement occurred in the 1983-84 season, in which he helped Southampton to a second place finish in the final Premier League table, the highest position ever achieved by the club. In total, Shilton played in 242 matches and he was elected as Southampton Footballer of the Year twice.
4. Terry Paine
Terry Paine is a retired winger who holds the record of Southampton's most number of appearances of all-time. Joining The Saints for 17 years, Paine played in 815 matches. He took te club gain promotion from the Third Division South (at the time equivalent to Division 4) to Division One (equivalent to the Premier League). He was also included in the England squad that won the 1966 World Cup.
3. Mick Channon
With a total of 228 goals, Mick Channon is Southampton's top scorer of all time. The striker played for Southampton for fifteen years, helping the club win the FA Cup in 1976, the only major trophy ever claimed by the club. In addition to performing brilliantly at club level, Channon also showed good performance at national team level. He became one of the most remarkable players in England national football team in the 1970s, scoring 21 goals in 46 appearances.
2. Rickie Lambert
Rickie Lambert is an English striker who currently becomes the number-one goal scoring machine at Southampton. He possesses strong physical abilities and astounding set-piece skills. Being signed from Bristol Rovers in 2009, Lambert helped Southampton gain promotion from League One to the Premier League in just three seasons. Lambert's brilliant performances at Southampton make him earn a place in England national team in several international matches.
1. Matthew Le Tissier
Needless to say, the title of the best player of all time Southampton should be given to Matthew Le Tissier. The English midfielder played for Southampton in the 1986-2002 period, scoring a total of 209 goals in 540 appearances. Le Tissier was known as a reliable penalty-kick taker, netting a total of 47 goals from 48 penalties. He was also selected as the best young player of English League in 1990 and became the first midfielder ever to score 100 goals in the Premier League competition. Despite playing brilliantly, Le Tissier did not win even a single trophy with Southampton. After his retirement, he works as a panelist on Skysport.
