Born on this day is former Sunderland player and Champions League winner, Dwight Yorke. The Trinidad international won the treble with Manchester United: The Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Yorke was brought to England by Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor, who discovered the 17-year-old while Villa were touring the West Indies. Despite initially playing as a right winger, Yorke was quickly converted to a striker and became one of the most lethal strikers in the league. He scored a goal in the 1996 League Cup final, helping Villa storm to a 3-0 win.
Continuous impressive performances caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson, who made his interest known in 1998. Dwight Yorke informed Aston Villa that he wanted to leave, but manager John Gregory, rather ambitiously, refused to sell the striker unless they were given Andy Cole in return. However, Yorke made no effort in the first game of the season and it was clear that his mind had been made. Gregory had no choice but to accept the £12.6 million transfer offer from the Red Devils.
In Yorke’s first season at United, he was instrumental in winning the legendary treble, forming a formidable partnership with Cole up front. The Trinidadian finished the season as the Premier League top scorer, with 18 goals. He also scored some important goals as the Red Devils won the Champions League, finding the net against European giants such as Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
After another successful season, with United winning the league again in 1999/2000, Yorke struggled in 2000/01. He only scored eight goals, although Ferguson’s side still went on to win a third consecutive title. His final game for United came in January 2002, after a move to Middlesbrough fell through and he was never even on the bench after that! He wasn’t given a squad number the following season, which spelled the end of Yorke at Old Trafford.
The striker signed for Blackburn Rovers in 2002, reuniting with former strike partner Andy Cole. After scoring 13 goals in his debut season at Ewood Park, he scored just four Premier League goals the following season. Yorke was sold to Birmingham City, where he spent a year before moving to Australia with Sydney FC.
He was on an extremely lucrative deal, with a wage rumoured to be $1 million per season. Despite being a striker with an impressive record in front of goal, Sydney manager Pierre Littbarski moved Yorke into midfield and made him the captain of the side. Yorke’s gravitas was extremely influential on Australian football, and led to the Football Federation Australia using his name and image to promote the A-League massively.
After a year Down Under, Yorke returned to England to join former teammate Roy Keane at Sunderland. Keane forked out £200,000 for the experienced Trinidadian, although continued to play him in midfield rather than up front. Yorke made his debut in red and white at home against Leicester, receiving a standing ovation as he was subbed on.
His first goal for the lads came in a 2-1 loss to Stoke in the Championship, managing another four goals throughout the season where we were crowned Champions. Yorke was accepted hugely by Sunderland fans, and even turned the Christmas lights on in 2006!
In the Premier League, where the football is a lot faster and more physically demanding, Yorke began to be phased out of the team. His appearances became more gradual, although he often had an impact from the bench. When Roy Keane left and Ricky Sbragia took charge, Yorke was appointed assistant manager alongside Neil Bailey. Sunderland only just secured Premier League survival, and Yorke retired with an illustrious playing career.
