OTD: LIONEL PEREZ BORN

On this day in 1967, former Sunderland and Newcastle United goalkeeper Lionel Perez was born in Bagnols-sur-Ceze, France. The flamboyant Frenchman made 84 appearances in his three years on Wearside, before moving to the Mags.

Perez started his career at Nimes after joining the club from school. He made 111 league appearances over five years and won promotion with the club in 1991, a notable teammate of Perez that year was the future star Eric Cantona.

Perez would then make a move to Bordeaux, where he would spend most of his time warming the bench, only making 16 league appearances in his three years at the club. In 1996, Sunderland signed Perez as cover for then first team goalkeeper Tony Coton. It wasn't long after that Perez would grace Wearside with his stocky figure, flowing locks and bared forearms as, in the early stages of the 1996/97 season, Tony Coton would suffer a compound fracture against Southampton.

Perez seized his opportunity with open arms, contributing numerous heroic performances on the pitch. His form didn’t go unnoticed by fans as he was awarded the Supporters' Player of the Year accolade. Perez was signed for a fee of £200,000, an amount that the Frenchman can be said to have repaid. Known for his reflex shot stopping, Perez would never be short of any highlight-worthy saves. Although, his erratic style would make him unpredictable at times and often unreliable in goal.

Whilst he was a 'keeper of many top saves, perhaps his best would have been his extraordinary double save against Sheffield United in the 1998 play-off semi final. However, it wasn’t all positive for Lionel on Wearside as the unorthodox keeper was at fault for the heartbreaking Charlton Athletic equaliser in the final, which we eventually lost 7-6 on penalties.

The Wembley heartbreak would prove to be too much for Perez as, only days later, he was signed by Newcastle United manager Kenny Dalglish. Shortly after, however, Dalglish departed and Ruud Gullit replaced him. Gullit sharply promoted Steve Harper to number two, leaving Perez in no man's land, looking for opportunities elsewhere.

After a couple of loans at Scunthorpe United and Cambridge United, Perez spent the rest of his career bouncing around the lower leagues of English football, with clubs such as Chelmsford City and Stevenage Borough, a long way from playing with Cantona at Nimes.