How do you appraise a legend?
Is it by their goals per minutes ratio? Their silverware? Their personal laurels? The number of goalkeepers left flat-footed and staring longingly into an abyss in their wake?
Or is it by something that occurs elsewhere, something outside themselves yet inspired only by them; say, BBC radio commentary, the sort that transcends not one, not two, but nearly three decades, growing legs of its own and indulging that difficult sweet spot of complete cringe and football nostalgia?
Of the early Premier League era, Teddy Sheringham was one of its defining factors. His catalogue of goals is breathtaking by the number alone, let alone the variety with which it boasts, but the striker’s £2.8million transfer from Nottingham Forest to Tottenham Hotspur provided the springboard from which his legend would soar.
Sheringham made his debut for Spurs against Ipswich Town on 30 August and quickly established himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in the league. In the inaugural 1992/93 season, Sheringham won the Golden Boot with 22 goals (one with Nottingham Forest and 21 with Spurs).
He went on to score 124 goals in 277 matches for the club in two spells between 1992-2003. His versatility cut him a particularly dangerous brand of forward. Sheringham was capable of as a traditional number 9, holding up the ball and playing in his teammates, or as a second striker, dropping into deeper, more creative roles.
It was this adaptation to his game honed at Spurs that took Sheringham’s game to the next level. Facilitated by his vision and football intelligence, Sheringham’s technical skills flourished, which came in clutch as time invariably forced him to rely less on pace and stamina.
Sheringham developed a particularly lethal strike partnership with Jurgen Klinsmann in the 1994-95 season, with Klinsmann later calling the Englishman the most intelligent strike partner he ever had. Sheringham’s intelligence allowed him to play until the age of 43, becoming the Premier League’s oldest goalscorer at 40 years old while at Portsmouth, then again at West Ham.
A second spell with Spurs at the turn of the century provided a second chapter in the Sheringham legend. In in his first season back after his time with Manchester United, Sheringham helped Spurs to a ninth-place finish, their highest in six years. They also reached the League Cup final against Blackburn Rovers, in which Sheringham was brought down in the penalty area in the last minute of the game but was continuously denied a penalty, securing Rovers’ 2-1 victory.
Sheringham torturously never one a major trophy with Spurs (albeit if VAR had been around, the League Cup might live in North London), but his legend remains intact amongst the North London faithful. He was deservedly inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame in 2008. “Oh Teddy, Teddy…”
So, does Sheringham get your vote? Or maybe another League icon pips him to the post? Cast your Best Premier League Transfers Ever vote above.
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