My very first memories of supporting Sunderland AFC began in 2011 under Steve Bruce’s management. A mid-table Premier League side with some very gifted footballers. Later, through the period of Martin O’Neill, Paulo Di Canio, Gus Poyet, Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce we had an array of talent on Wearside. For old times’ sake, I have compiled a team consisting of some of the greatest players to wear the red and white stripes across the last 13 years.
GK- JORDAN PICKFORD
Where better to start the list than with England’s current number one? Born and raised in Washington as a boyhood Sunderland supporter, Pickford has had a tremendous career so far. Following early loan spells at Darlington and Bradford City, he earned the opportunity to showcase his ability as Sunderland’s starting goalkeeper in the 2016/17 season. This came after Vito Mannone suffered a serious arm injury in training. Pickford started the third league game of the season, where he produced several excellent saves - and the rest is history. Now, in 2024, Jordan Pickford is Everton’s starting shot-stopper and has registered an impressive 245 appearances for the Toffees to date. With the European Championships fast approaching, the eyes of the nation will be fixated on the boyhood Mackem in Germany this summer.
RB- PHIL BARDSLEY
Before Pep Guardiola arrived in Manchester and transformed the role of modern day full-backs, we had ‘no-nonsense fullbacks.’ A term that still resonates with the Football Manager community. Phil Bardsley was a prime example of this. Bardsley knew exactly what it meant to pull on the red and white stripes, he was one of us. Between 2008 and 2014, he totalled 174 appearances for the Black Cats. Ever-reliable, you always knew exactly what to expect from Bardsley and it never fell short of 100%. He earned the Sunderland Player of the year award in 2010/11. However, my favourite Phil Bardsley moment was his goal at Old Trafford, albeit a relatively tame effort directly at David De Gea. This goal summed up Bardsley, though. If you don’t shoot, you don’t score.
CB- YOUNES KABOUL
Any player with five caps for the French national team certainly isn’t short of ability. Not to mention more than 100 appearances for Spurs prior to his arrival on Wearside. Kaboul joined the club in 2015 for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal. He was everything that you would want from a central-defender at the top level. Hard to beat, strong and comfortable at winning the ball in the air. This was vital during a Premier League era filled with target men and aerial nuisances like Oliver Giroud and Diego Costa. Without a doubt, Kaboul’s greatest moment for Sunderland was that infamous Pirlo-esque pass to assist Steven Fletcher against Newcastle in another 3-0 derby day delight. It's such a shame he left after just one season here, because he was a real fan favourite.
CB- LAMINE KONE
Certainly controversial due to the abrupt manner of his departure, Lamine Kone is next on the team sheet. If anyone was going to partner Kaboul, it just had to be Kone. This partnership was simply superb. They knew each other’s game to a tee and their chemistry in defence won us vital matches to confirm survival. Two expertly taken goals in our 3-0 victory over Everton along with flooring Yaya Toure, one of the strongest men in football, join the archives of some of the Stadium of Light’s most iconic moments. We were all sick of him by the time he left the club, but I reckon he has to make this team because of that one outstanding season.
LB- DANNY ROSE
To finish the defence, this is probably the position that I struggled with most - but not due to lack of quality. Danny Rose, Patrick Van Aanholt and Marcos Alonso, I could have gone with any of the three. Long before his affiliation with Newcastle, Rose was an upcoming full-back on loan at Sunderland during the 2012/13 campaign. Different to Bardsley, Rose loved to go forward into the final-third and support the attack. He overlapped with pace and was sharp in possession. Throughout his career, Rose registered 156 appearances for Spurs and also earned 29 caps for England internationally. Not bad!
DM- LEE CATTERMOLE
Moving into midfield, no Sunderland listicle is complete without the inclusion of Lee Barry Cattermole. His name requires little introduction in this region. Cattermole played for the badge every single fixture and you won’t find many midfielders who tackle as hard as him. Of course, he didn’t win the ball every time - in fact placing a bet on a Cattermole yellow card would virtually guarantee your money back. This is the sort of player that you need in every team, though. Almost like having a coach on the field at times, Cattermole is without a doubt one of Sunderland’s most loved captains. He made 233 appearances at Sunderland over the span of a decade and even stuck with the club during the lows of relegation to the third-tier. Legend.
CM- YANN M'VILA
The collective outrage when David Moyes opted to sign Didier Ndong over Yann M’Vila speaks volumes for the impression that the French midfielder made on Wearside. Not to mention the Sunderland faithful pleading for M’Vila’s return, even in 2024, before his recent transfer to Championship rivals West Brom. M’Vila spent the 2015/16 on loan with the Black Cats and made 37 appearances. Ironically, the Frenchman was dismissed in his first outing for Sunderland for a head-butt during an under-21 encounter with Norwich. Things certainly improved from there. He was named man of the match during the 3-0 derby win at the Stadium of Light. ‘Never fall in love with a loan player,’ we should have listened!
CM- SEBASTIAN LARSSON
When Sebastian Larsson stood over a free-kick, the world stopped. Something was going to happen. The Swedish midfielder was one of the greatest dead ball specialists in the Barclays Premier League era. Not to mention his passing, precision, shooting etc. He had it all. Larsson could operate centrally or as a wide midfielder and you never once doubted his name on the team sheet. From that memorable acrobatic strike at Anfield to that late but great free-kick against Blackburn under Martin O’Neil’s reign to secure victory. It would be impossible to choose Larsson’s best moment. One thing is for sure, though, that Sunderland number seven jersey belongs to him. Swedish excellence.
AM- STEPHANE SESSEGNON
Next, is my personal favourite Sunderland player of my lifetime. If you wanted anyone to receive the ball in space it was Stephane Sessegnon. Long before the days of Jack Clarke and Amad Diallo, we had a silky playmaker from Benin. ‘God mixed Messi and Pele’ to give us the creative spark which produced that iconic late Ji Dong-Won winner over Manchester City. Luckily, VAR wasn’t around to interrupt the absolute bedlam that followed from the stands of the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day in 2012. Sessegnon had flair but he used it effectively. Not necessarily showboating, as such, just raw ability.
ST- JERMAIN DEFOE
‘Close your eyes and visualise one Jermain Defoe goal’ and suddenly everyone on Wearside is picturing Steven Fletcher nod it down for Defoe to thump it past Tim Krul from distance. One of those moments of pure class that remind you exactly why you love football. Wiping the tears from his eyes as he sprints away in celebration at scoring one of the best goals that the Stadium of Light has ever seen. The audacity, on his ‘weak foot’ in the most important game of the entire season. It just had to be the match-winning goal. Defoe made 94 appearances for Sunderland and scored 34 times. Arguably the greatest transfer business the football club has ever done. A quite remarkable ‘swap deal with Jozy Altidore going the other way.
ST- DARREN BENT
That beachball goal needs little introduction. However, Darren Bent’s time at Sunderland was so much more than just one bizarre fluke goal. He was electric. Bent signed for an initial fee of £10 million with potential add-ons rising the transfer sum to £16.5 million. At the time, this was big money. However, Sunderland certainly made a good return on that investment. Bent scored 32 times in 58 appearances between 2009 and 2011. He was quick and could finish as good as of the top strikers across Europe’s top five divisions. His strike partnership with Asamoah Gyan was lethal. The manner of his departure caused conflict but nobody can question his influence in attack. In 2009/10 the whole team scored 48 goals, with Bent grabbing 24 himself - meaning he scored 50% of our goals that year!
MANAGER- SAM ALLARDYCE
Every successful team needs a great manager. Someone likable and honest. A manager who knows when to make a substitution and reacts to positively impact results. With that in mind, Sam Allardyce is the best Sunderland manager that I have seen in my lifetime. You don’t get the nickname ‘Big Sam’ unless you are an absolute legend of the sport. He knows the game better than anyone and can pick-up points in the most challenging of fixtures. I believe if he hadn't left us for England, we could certainly still be in the Premier League to this day - he gave us an excellent platform to build with a talented squad, and a keen eye in the transfer market.
