Beginnings

After playing youth football with Vale Recreation for nine years, Matt’s talents were initially spotted by Oxford United who invited him for a trial. However, he didn’t sign to a professional football club until 1986. He made his club debut for Southampton against Norwich City before going onto score a staggering total of six goals throughout his first season.

Football Talent

One of the most elite players of his era, Matt Le Tissier made an impressive 443 appearances during the 16 years with the Southampton and scored over 160 goals. He was voted PFA Player of the Year in the 1989-90 season and was also one of the league’s top goal scorers. Le Tissier very quickly became a favourite amongst fans. He was dubbed ‘Le God’ due to his outstanding performances from match to match. He even achieved Match of the Day Goal of the Season in 1991. In 2000, he added yet another goal to his record which bought his grand total up to 100. An achievement only obtained by a few. Matt has also scored 49 out of a total of 50 chances to take a penalty for Southampton making him one of the most reliant and skilful attacking midfielders in English domestic football history.

England

Throughout his international career, Le Tissier earnt a total of eight caps for England. With his striking game on form as always, he managed to score an impressive hat trick for England B against Russia B whilst in the bid to reach the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final. After brief spells of playing for Eastleigh and Guernsey.

Retirement

Since his retirement, Le Tissier has forged a successful career as a pundit and panellist. He made his name as a regular on Sky Sports’ Gillette Soccer Saturday, as well as commercial and ambassador roles with several corporations. He became an honorary president of his home island team Guernsey in 2011 after briefly registering as a player in 2013.

TV appearances

Matt was an integral part of the ‘Harry’s Heroes’ cast for ITV in the 2019 and 2020 series, which was being nominated for a BAFTA. He also reached the final of ITV’s Eternal Glory in 2015, competing against a number of retired athletes in both physical and mental challenges. Other notable TV appearances include Countdown and A Question of Sport.

After dinner speaker

Additionally, Matt has built a strong profile as an after dinner speaker, where his genuine warmth and experiences both on and off the field are consistently well received. Teamwork, leadership, reaching peak performance and maximising success are just some of the topics Matt discusses in his renowned after-dinner speeches.