Matt Le Tissier facts for kids
Le Tissier in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Paul Le Tissier | ||
| Date of birth | 14 October 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Saint Peter Port, Guernsey | ||
| Height | 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1975–1984 | Vale Recreation | ||
| 1985–1986 | Southampton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1986–2002 | Southampton | 443 | (161) |
| 2002–2003 | Eastleigh | 17 | (3) |
| 2013 | Guernsey | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 461 | (164) | |
| National team | |||
| – | Guernsey U15 | ||
| 1986 | England Youth | 1 | (0) |
| 1990–1998 | England B | 6 | (3) |
| 1994–1997 | England | 8 | (0) |
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Matthew Paul Le Tissier (born 14 October 1968) is a famous former professional footballer. He played as an midfielder. Le Tissier spent his whole professional club career with Southampton. Fans loved him for his loyalty and called him "Le God."
He was a creative attacking midfielder with amazing skills. Le Tissier is the second-highest scorer for Southampton. He was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was also the first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League. Le Tissier was very good at scoring penalty kicks. He scored 47 out of 48 attempts. Many people think he is one of the best penalty takers ever. He was born in Guernsey but chose to play for England. He played eight games for England between 1994 and 1997. In 2011, he became the honorary president of Guernsey F.C.. He even played a game for them in 2013 after retiring.
After he stopped playing, Le Tissier became a football expert. He worked on the Sky Sports show Soccer Saturday until 2020. Later, some of his social media posts caused controversy. This led to him stepping down from a role as a club ambassador.
Contents
Matt Le Tissier: Football Star
Early Life and Youth Football
Matt Le Tissier was born in Guernsey. This is a British island. He played youth football for Vale Recreation. He played there from age seven to sixteen. When he was fifteen, he had a try-out with Oxford United. But he did not join the team.
Becoming a Southampton Legend
Le Tissier joined Southampton in 1985. He signed his first professional contract in October 1986. He played his first game for the club against Norwich City. By the end of that season, he had scored six goals in 24 league games. This included three goals in one game against Leicester City. He scored his first two goals for Southampton in a League Cup game. This was against Manchester United in November 1986. Southampton won that game 4–1.
In the 1989–90 season, Le Tissier was voted PFA Young Player of the Year. He was one of the top goalscorers in the league. He scored 20 goals that season. Southampton finished seventh, which was their best finish in five years.
His best scoring season was in 1993–94. He scored 25 league goals. The next season, he won the Match of the Day Goal of the Season award. This was for an amazing 40-yard chip shot against Blackburn Rovers. He scored against his friend and former Southampton goalkeeper, Tim Flowers.
Le Tissier scored many goals each season in the 1990s. He helped Southampton stay in the top league. Many big clubs wanted to sign him. These included Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United. But he always stayed with Southampton. In 1995, Chelsea reportedly offered £10 million for him. This would have made him the most expensive player in England. But he chose to stay loyal to Southampton until he retired.
On 2 April 2000, Le Tissier scored a last-minute penalty for Southampton. This brought his total Premier League goals to 100. He was only the sixth player and the first midfielder to reach this goal.
Le Tissier scored the last goal at The Dell. This was Southampton's old stadium. It happened on 19 May 2001 against Arsenal. This was his last goal for Southampton. He played a few more games in the 2001–02 season. This was the first season at the new St Mary's Stadium. His last game for Southampton was on 30 January 2002. He announced his retirement on 29 March 2002. He had a calf injury that kept coming back.
Le Tissier's final match was a special game for him in May 2002. It ended in a 9–9 draw. He played for both teams. His ten-year-old son, Mitchell, also played and scored four goals!
Throughout his career, Le Tissier was known for his amazing penalty kicks. He scored 47 out of 48 penalties for Southampton. His only miss was on 24 March 1993. The Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, Mark Crossley, saved it. Crossley says it is the save he is most proud of.
Playing for Other Clubs
After leaving Southampton, Le Tissier played for Eastleigh. This was a non-league team. He played there for two seasons. He made his debut in October 2002. His last game for Eastleigh was in August 2003.
On 7 April 2013, Le Tissier announced he would play again. He signed with his hometown club Guernsey. He made his only appearance for the club on 24 April. He came on as a substitute in a 4–2 loss to Colliers Wood United.
Playing for England
Le Tissier played for Guernsey's under-15 team. He played in the 1983 Muratti Vase final.
He chose to play for England. He earned eight caps over three years. Guernsey does not have its own FIFA national team. This meant Le Tissier could play for England. He started a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland in 1995. The game was stopped because of trouble from some England fans.
Before the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Le Tissier scored three goals in one game. This was for England B against Russia B. But the manager, Glenn Hoddle, did not pick him for the World Cup squad. He never played for England again after that.
Le Tissier's Playing Style
Le Tissier was a very creative and skilled attacking midfielder. He was great at shooting and getting into good positions to score. He also had good vision and could create chances for his teammates. He could play as a supporting striker or on the right wing. He was known for his excellent control, technique, and dribbling skills. He used tricks and feints to get past opponents. He was also incredibly accurate with penalties.
FC Barcelona player and manager, Xavi Hernandez, looked up to Le Tissier when he was young.
Life After Football
On the old site of The Dell, Southampton's former stadium, there are apartment blocks named after players. One is called Le Tissier Court. At Southampton's current stadium, St Mary's Stadium, a special room is named after him.
In 2007, a plane from Flybe was named after him in Guernsey.
In September 2009, Le Tissier wrote in his autobiography. He said he once made a spread bet on a match he was playing in. He bet on when the first throw-in would happen. He tried to kick the ball out of play early to win the bet. But he didn't kick it hard enough. The ball eventually went out after 70 seconds. This meant he didn't win or lose money. The police looked into it, but no action was taken.
Le Tissier played a short game for Southampton in a special match in 2008. This was for his former teammate Claus Lundekvam.
In 2011, Le Tissier became the Honorary President of Guernsey F.C..
In 2016, Le Tissier and former teammate Francis Benali started a business. They became football agents. They wanted to help young players with their careers. Le Tissier was a long-time expert on the Sky Sports show Soccer Saturday. He left the show in August 2020.
In 2019 and 2020, Le Tissier was on the ITV show Harry's Heroes. This show helped former England players get fit again.
Le Tissier has shared his opinions on social media. Some of his posts caused controversy. For example, he was investigated in 2024 for promoting products online. This was because his posts were not clearly marked as advertisements.
In June 2024, Le Tissier joined Sholing, a non-league club, as an associate director.
Personal Life
Le Tissier married his childhood sweetheart, Cathy. They had two children. They divorced in 1997. Cathy and the children moved back to Guernsey. Later, he married Angela Nabulsi in 2008. They have one daughter. All three of Le Tissier's brothers also played football. But they did not play professionally. His brother Mark is the secretary of Guernsey F.C..
Matt Le Tissier is not related to another footballer from Guernsey, Maya Le Tissier. However, her father did play football with him.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Full Members Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | ||
| Southampton | 1986–87 | First Division | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 10 |
| 1987–88 | First Division | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |
| 1988–89 | First Division | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 11 | |
| 1989–90 | First Division | 35 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | – | 44 | 24 | ||
| 1990–91 | First Division | 35 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 23 | |
| 1991–92 | First Division | 32 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 51 | 15 | |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 40 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | – | 44 | 18 | ||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 38 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 40 | 25 | ||
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 41 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | – | 49 | 30 | ||
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 34 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | – | 43 | 10 | ||
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 31 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | – | 38 | 16 | ||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 26 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | – | 30 | 14 | ||
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 33 | 6 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 21 | 3 | ||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 443 | 161 | 33 | 12 | 52 | 27 | 12 | 9 | 540 | 209 | ||
| Eastleigh | 2002–03 | Wessex Premier Div. | – | – | ||||||||
| 2003–04 | Southern Lge. Eastern Div. | – | – | |||||||||
| Guernsey | 2012–13 | C. Counties Premier Div. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 444 | 161 | 33 | 12 | 52 | 27 | 12 | 9 | 541 | 209 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1994 | 5 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
Southampton
- Full Members' Cup runner-up: 1991–92
Eastleigh
- Wessex Football League: 2002–03
Individual Awards
- PFA Young Player of the Year: 1989–90
- Southampton Player of the Season: 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95
- Most assists in the Premier League: 1994–95
- PFA Team of the Year: 1994–95 Premier League
- BBC Goal of the Season: 1994–95
- English Football Hall of Fame: 2013
- One Club Man Award: 2015
See also
In Spanish: Matthew Le Tissier para niños
