At the grand old age of 40 years and 268 days, Teddy Sheringham wrote his name in the record books as the oldest player to ever score in the Premier League.
Teddy Sheringham became a legend of English football after scoring past Portsmouth to break the record previously held by Dean Windass.
However, twenty-four years before breaking the record, the former Manchester United frontman was plying his trade for lowly non-league outfit Leytonstone & Ilford. At 16 his talents were finally spotted by a Millwall scout who quickly snapped up the promising young striker.
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The forward began to develop into one of England’s most feared strikers after successful spells with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur. Playing for Spurs he finished as the Premier League’s top-scorer in its inaugural season.
At 31, Sheringham was yet to win a major trophy but all that would change when he caught the attention of Alex Ferguson who signed the forward to fill a void left by Eric Cantona in 1997. Sheringham had mixed fortunes at Old Trafford as stiff competition limited his minutes on the pitch. His finest moment came on that famous night in Barcelona where Sheringham’s goal and assist helped United beat Bayern Munich to Champions League glory in stoppage time.
After finishing as their highest scorer in the 2000/2001 season, Teddy re-joined Spurs before heading to Pompey. After scoring three against Bolton in 2002, Sheringham became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League.
Records continued to fall as he joined West Ham in 2004. At 40 years old, Sheringham became the oldest player to score in the Premier league when he netted against former employers Portsmouth on Boxing Day 2006. Shortly after, Sheringham became the oldest out-field player to play in the top-flight.
Both records still stand true today as ‘Teddy, Teddy’ embarks on his new career as manager of Stevenage Town. The London-born striker will be forever renowned for his technical ability, physical presence and longevity.
Also in this month:
1914– Both German and English troops stop fighting for a Christmas Truce football match.
1992– Eric Cantona makes his debut for Manchester United against City rivals.
2000– Ledley King scored the fastest ever Premier League goal, in just 9.7 seconds.