OTD: PAOLO DI CANIO BORN

Born on this day is former Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio. It’s safe to say that the controversial Italian was the total opposite to his predecessor, Martin O’Neill.

Di Canio’s arrival caused the instant resignation of club vice-chairman David Miliband due to his... questionable political views. The Italian was tasked with keeping Sunderland in the Premier League, and providing a short, sharp shock to the system after O’Neill’s poor run of form.

In his second match as manager, Di Canio won the hearts of Sunderland fans with an iconic display of passion at St James’ Park. The lads won 3-0 in the derby, our first away win against Newcastle in over a decade. Each goal was celebrated wildly by the former West Ham player, who famously performed a knee-slide on the sidelines!

After the famous victory, Di Canio got his first home win against Everton with Stephane Sessegnon getting the only goal of the game. After the two-game run of wins though, Aston Villa hammered us 6-1. Sunderland didn’t win any of the remaining games of the season but Di Canio ultimately completed his objective of keeping the lads in the top flight, with Wigan Athletic losing to Arsenal to send the Latics down.

The following season, there was a total overhaul of the squad, with 14 players coming in and key names exiting, such as Mignolet and Sessegnon. There seemed to be a major rift behind the scenes, with Di Canio being a tough manager which included banning the players from eating ketchup. After five games without a win, Di Canio came onto the pitch to speak to fans following a 3-0 loss to West Brom. That match turned out to be his last, with the players allegedly meeting with Margaret Byrne in order to get rid of the Italian.

Since leaving Sunderland, Di Canio hasn’t managed another team, and seems to be out of the footballing world, with his political views perhaps limiting his career opportunities in the media.