Matthew Le Tissier
Encyclopedia
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier (icon; born 14 October 1968) is a retired English
footballer who played for Southampton
and England
.
An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon
and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year
in 1990. He was the first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League. He is notable for his record at scoring penalty kick
s, converting from the spot 47 times from 48 attempts.
In spite of interest from bigger clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur
in 1990 and Chelsea
in 1996, Le Tissier remained at Southampton for his entire professional career, his loyalty garnering special affection from Southampton's fans who nicknamed him "Le God".
, and played youth football on the island with Vale Recreation between the ages of ten and seventeen. On leaving school in 1985, he had a trial at Oxford United
, but nothing came of it.
Signing for Southampton
the following year, Le Tissier made his club debut in a 4–3 defeat at Norwich City
in the Football League First Division
, and by the end of that season had scored six goals in 24 games. He made 19 first team appearances in 1987–88, failing to score, but in 1988–89 scored nine times in 28 league games. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year
for the 1989–90 season, in which he was one of the league's top goalscorers with 20 goals.
Le Tissier's top scoring season was 1994–95, when he scored 30 goals. The following season he won the Match of the Day
Goal of the Season
award for his drifting 40-yard lob against Blackburn Rovers
, scoring against his long term friend, and former Southampton keeper, Tim Flowers
.
On 2 April 2000, Le Tissier scored a last minute penalty
for Southampton in a 2–1 defeat to Sunderland
. This brought his tally of Premiership goals to 100, making him only the sixth player and first midfielder to reach this milestone.
He scored the last goal in the final competitive match played at The Dell on 19 May 2001, against Arsenal
. This turned out to be his last goal for Southampton. He played several games for the club during 2001–02, the first season at the new St Mary's Stadium
, in an eventual 11th-place finish. His final competitive appearance for the Saints came against West Ham on 30 January 2002. He announced on 29 March 2002 that he would retire from playing at the season's end.
His final match, a testimonial
against an England XI in May 2002, ended in a 9–9 draw, with Le Tissier playing 45 minutes for each side, while his 10-year old son Mitchell came on as a substitute in the second half, scoring four times.
After leaving Southampton, he had a brief spell with non-league side Eastleigh
, where he played alongside his former Southampton teammate David Hughes
.
Throughout his career, Le Tissier had a fearsome reputation for scoring from the spot, converting 47 of the 48 penalties that he took for Southampton. His sole failure to convert came on 24 March 1993 in a match against Nottingham Forest
, his spot kick being saved by Forest keeper Mark Crossley
, the feat being so unique that Crossley describes it as the save of which he is most proud.
Le Tissier made a cameo appearance for Southampton in Claus Lundekvam
's testimonial against Celtic
, on 18 July 2008. Lundekvam had previously played with him at Southampton from 1996 to 2002.
In 2010, Spanish
superstar Xavi
revealed that Le Tissier had been one of his childhood inspirations, claiming that: "His talent was simply out of the norm. He could simply dribble past seven or eight players but without speed - he just walked past them. For me he was sensational".
, he was eligible for any of the Home Nations
teams. Electing to play for England
, he earned eight caps
over three years, but failed to score at international level.
Le Tissier was picked by the then manager Terry Venables
to start the ill-fated friendly match against the Republic of Ireland
at Lansdowne Road
, on 15 February 1995. With Ireland leading from a 22nd minute goal by David Kelly, a group of England fans began to riot, causing the Dutch referee Dick Jol
to abandon the match.
In the run up to the 1998 World Cup
, Le Tissier scored a hat-trick
in a 4–1 victory for England B
against Russia B, at Loftus Road
; despite this, he was controversially overlooked by manager Glenn Hoddle
for the final squad, a decision that the player himself cited as a hiatus in his career after which his form never fully recovered. Ironically, given his reputation for penalty taking, England exited the tournament after losing to Argentina
in a penalty shoot-out.
On 7 February 2007, he had a plane in the Flybe
fleet named after him, on his home island of Guernsey
.
Additionally, Le Tissier worked as a pundit for Sky Sports
' Soccer Saturday
. On 29 June 2009, he made his debut as the guest in Dictionary Corner on the Channel 4
game show
Countdown
, hosted by Soccer Saturday presenter Jeff Stelling
.
After Southampton's relegation to level three in 2008–09, Le Tissier initially offered to help with a bid to take over the club, but later withdrew, amidst some controversy.
In September 2009, Le Tissier revealed in his autobiography
that he had placed a spread bet
on a match he was involved in during his playing career. During an April 1995 match at Wimbledon
, Le Tissier stood to win "well into four figures" after betting on the time of the first throw-in. After kicking off, he tried to overhit a pass to unsuspecting teammate Neil Shipperley
, but due to nerves, underhit it and Shipperley was able to keep the ball in play. Le Tissier revealed he had "never run so much" in his life as he tried to put the ball out of play to avoid losing money, with the ball eventually going out of play after 70 seconds, meaning Le Tissier and his associates neither won nor lost money. The event was investigated by Hampshire Police but the Crown Prosecution Service
refused to take the case further, citing that it did "not represent appropriate use of police resources" and "would not be in the public interest".
.
All three of Le Tissier's brothers – Mark, Kevin and Carl – also played football, but never professionally. Mark is currently chairman of the Guernsey Football Association
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who played for Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon
Mick Channon
Michael Roger "Mick" Channon is a sportsman who enjoyed a career as a striker with Southampton and England in the 1970s and later became a hugely successful racehorse trainer.-Southampton:...
and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
in 1990. He was the first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League. He is notable for his record at scoring penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
s, converting from the spot 47 times from 48 attempts.
In spite of interest from bigger clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in 1990 and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in 1996, Le Tissier remained at Southampton for his entire professional career, his loyalty garnering special affection from Southampton's fans who nicknamed him "Le God".
Club career
Le Tissier was born in GuernseyGuernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, and played youth football on the island with Vale Recreation between the ages of ten and seventeen. On leaving school in 1985, he had a trial at Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
, but nothing came of it.
Signing for Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
the following year, Le Tissier made his club debut in a 4–3 defeat at Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, and by the end of that season had scored six goals in 24 games. He made 19 first team appearances in 1987–88, failing to score, but in 1988–89 scored nine times in 28 league games. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
for the 1989–90 season, in which he was one of the league's top goalscorers with 20 goals.
Le Tissier's top scoring season was 1994–95, when he scored 30 goals. The following season he won the Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
Goal of the Season
Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
award for his drifting 40-yard lob against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, scoring against his long term friend, and former Southampton keeper, Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers
Timothy David "Tim" Flowers is an English former football goalkeeper and the former manager of Conference North team Stafford Rangers.-Club career:...
.
On 2 April 2000, Le Tissier scored a last minute penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
for Southampton in a 2–1 defeat to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. This brought his tally of Premiership goals to 100, making him only the sixth player and first midfielder to reach this milestone.
He scored the last goal in the final competitive match played at The Dell on 19 May 2001, against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. This turned out to be his last goal for Southampton. He played several games for the club during 2001–02, the first season at the new St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
, in an eventual 11th-place finish. His final competitive appearance for the Saints came against West Ham on 30 January 2002. He announced on 29 March 2002 that he would retire from playing at the season's end.
His final match, a testimonial
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
against an England XI in May 2002, ended in a 9–9 draw, with Le Tissier playing 45 minutes for each side, while his 10-year old son Mitchell came on as a substitute in the second half, scoring four times.
After leaving Southampton, he had a brief spell with non-league side Eastleigh
Eastleigh F.C.
Eastleigh Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Eastleigh, Hampshire. The club are currently members of the Conference South and play at the Silverlake Stadium.-History:...
, where he played alongside his former Southampton teammate David Hughes
David Hughes (footballer born 1972)
David Robert Hughes is a Welsh footballer, who spent six seasons in the Premiership with Southampton, playing as a midfielder.-Southampton:...
.
Throughout his career, Le Tissier had a fearsome reputation for scoring from the spot, converting 47 of the 48 penalties that he took for Southampton. His sole failure to convert came on 24 March 1993 in a match against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, his spot kick being saved by Forest keeper Mark Crossley
Mark Crossley
Mark Geoffrey Crossley is a former English-born Wales international football goalkeeper, who is currently employed as the Goalkeeping Coach of Football League One side Chesterfield....
, the feat being so unique that Crossley describes it as the save of which he is most proud.
Le Tissier made a cameo appearance for Southampton in Claus Lundekvam
Claus Lundekvam
Claus Lundekvam is a former Norwegian footballer, who spent most of his career at English side Southampton. He played for Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup Final against Arsenal .-Playing career:...
's testimonial against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, on 18 July 2008. Lundekvam had previously played with him at Southampton from 1996 to 2002.
In 2010, Spanish
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
superstar Xavi
Xavi
Xavier Hernández i Creus , commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi , is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, where he has spent his entire 14-year career....
revealed that Le Tissier had been one of his childhood inspirations, claiming that: "His talent was simply out of the norm. He could simply dribble past seven or eight players but without speed - he just walked past them. For me he was sensational".
International career
As a Channel IslanderChannel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
, he was eligible for any of the Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
teams. Electing to play for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, he earned eight caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
over three years, but failed to score at international level.
Le Tissier was picked by the then manager Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
to start the ill-fated friendly match against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
at Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, on 15 February 1995. With Ireland leading from a 22nd minute goal by David Kelly, a group of England fans began to riot, causing the Dutch referee Dick Jol
Dick Jol
Dick Jol is a football referee from the Netherlands, best known for supervising three matches during the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship held in Belgium and the Netherlands. He also was the referee of the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship final between Corinthians and Vasco da Gama...
to abandon the match.
In the run up to the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, Le Tissier scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a 4–1 victory for England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
against Russia B, at Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
; despite this, he was controversially overlooked by manager Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
for the final squad, a decision that the player himself cited as a hiatus in his career after which his form never fully recovered. Ironically, given his reputation for penalty taking, England exited the tournament after losing to Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
in a penalty shoot-out.
Career statistics
| Season | Club | League | League | FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Full Mem. Full Members Cup The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992.... |
Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||||||
| 1986–87 | Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 10 | |||||||
| 1987–88 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |||||||||
| 1988–89 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 11 | |||||||||
| 1989–90 | 35 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | – | 44 | 24 | ||||||||||
| 1990–91 | 35 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 23 | |||||||||
| 1991–92 | 32 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 51 | 15 | |||||||||
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 40 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | – | 44 | 18 | |||||||||
| 1993–94 | 38 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 40 | 25 | ||||||||||
| 1994–95 | 41 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | – | 49 | 30 | ||||||||||
| 1995–96 | 34 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | – | 43 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 1996–97 | 31 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | – | 38 | 16 | ||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 26 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | – | 30 | 14 | ||||||||||
| 1998–99 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 33 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 21 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 2000–01 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 10 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2001–02 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 443 |
162 | 33 | 12 | 52 | 27 | 12 | 9 | 540 | 210 | |
Post-retirement
Le Tissier had one of the hospitality suites at the St Mary's Stadium named after him, and also an apartment block built on the old site of The Dell.On 7 February 2007, he had a plane in the Flybe
Flybe
Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
fleet named after him, on his home island of Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
.
Additionally, Le Tissier worked as a pundit for Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
' Soccer Saturday
Soccer Saturday
Gillette Soccer Saturday is a weekly television programme broadcast on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the football season. The programme updates viewers on the progress of association football games in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Saturday afternoons. The current host is...
. On 29 June 2009, he made his debut as the guest in Dictionary Corner on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
, hosted by Soccer Saturday presenter Jeff Stelling
Jeff Stelling
Robert Jeffrey "Jeff" Stelling is an English sports journalist and sport television presenter, of Gillette Soccer Saturday for Sky Sports and other programming for the satellite broadcaster. In January 2009 he took over as host of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown...
.
After Southampton's relegation to level three in 2008–09, Le Tissier initially offered to help with a bid to take over the club, but later withdrew, amidst some controversy.
In September 2009, Le Tissier revealed in his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
that he had placed a spread bet
Spread betting
Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event, where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds betting or parimutuel betting. A spread is a range of outcomes and the bet is whether the outcome...
on a match he was involved in during his playing career. During an April 1995 match at Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, Le Tissier stood to win "well into four figures" after betting on the time of the first throw-in. After kicking off, he tried to overhit a pass to unsuspecting teammate Neil Shipperley
Neil Shipperley
Neil Jason Shipperley is a retired English professional footballer, who played as a centre-forward. He is the former manager of Walton Casuals of the Isthmian League Division One South....
, but due to nerves, underhit it and Shipperley was able to keep the ball in play. Le Tissier revealed he had "never run so much" in his life as he tried to put the ball out of play to avoid losing money, with the ball eventually going out of play after 70 seconds, meaning Le Tissier and his associates neither won nor lost money. The event was investigated by Hampshire Police but the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
refused to take the case further, citing that it did "not represent appropriate use of police resources" and "would not be in the public interest".
Personal life
Le Tissier married childhood sweetheart Cathy and had two children; Mitchell and Keeleigh, but the couple divorced in 1997 and Cathy and the children moved back to GuernseyGuernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
.
All three of Le Tissier's brothers – Mark, Kevin and Carl – also played football, but never professionally. Mark is currently chairman of the Guernsey Football Association
Guernsey Football Association
The Guernsey Football Association, also simply known as the Guernsey FA, is the body that co-ordinates and organises the sport of football in Guernsey. It is not a member of either UEFA or FIFA, but is a member of the Football Association and has the status of an English county, despite that...
.
Honours
SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
- Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
Finalist: 1992