| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Stuart Sharpe | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-05-27)27 May 1971 (age 53) | ||
| Place of birth | Halesowen, England | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1987 | Torquay United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1988 | Torquay United | 14 | (3) |
| 1988–1996 | Manchester United | 193 | (36) |
| 1996–1999 | Leeds United | 30 | (5) |
| 1998–1999 | →Sampdoria (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1999 | →Bradford City (loan) | 9 | (2) |
| 1999–2002 | Bradford City | 47 | (2) |
| 2001 | →Portsmouth (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2002 | Exeter City | 4 | (1) |
| 2003 | Grindavík | 7 | (0) |
| 2004 | Garforth Town | 21 | (6) |
| Total | 345 | (40) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989–1990 | England U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | England | 8 | (0) |
| 1992 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Lee Stuart Sharpe (born 27 May 1971) is an English former professionalfootballer, sports television pundit, reality television personality andgolfer.
As a player, Sharpe was predominantly aleft winger from 1988 to 2004. He notably played in thePremier League forManchester United,Leeds United andBradford City and inSerie A forSampdoria. He also had spells in theFootball League withTorquay United,Portsmouth andExeter City before wrapping his career up inIceland withGrindavík and in non-league football withGarforth Town. Sharpe's spell at Manchester United lasted eight years, during which he won threePremier League titles, twoFA Cups, theFootball League Cup, threeFA Charity Shields and aEuropean Cup Winners' Cup. He won a total of eight caps forEngland as well as one cap for theB team.
He retired from professional football in 2003, but achieved renewed fame after a number of reality television appearances on the likes ofCelebrity Wrestling,Celebrity Love Island andDancing on Ice, among others. He has also worked as a pundit largely abroad on international coverage of the Premier League for bothESPN Star and theAbu Dhabi Sports Channel.
In 2021, Sharpe began competing in professional golf tournaments.[2]
Sharpe, who was born inHalesowen,Worcestershire, was anAston Villa supporter, but began his career atTorquay United. He played 14 times for the Gulls in the1987-88 season as they achieved a secure finish in theFootball League Fourth Division, and didn't turn 17 until just after the season's end. He was soon on the radar of First and Second Division clubs and was sold toManchester United in June 1988 for £200,000, a record fee at the time for aYTS player.
Sharpe made his debut for Manchester United on 24 September 1988 in a 2–0 win overWest Ham United in theFootball League First Division, aged 17. His first team chances increased in November with the departure of the club's first choice left wingerJesper Olsen, and were further enhanced when new signingRalph Milne performed inconsistently. Sharpe ended the1988–89 season with 22 league appearances to his name, although he failed to score and United finished a disappointing 11th in the league a year after finishing second. He played 30 games in all competitions that season, and was on the shortlist for thePFA Young Player of the Year award, which was won byArsenal wingerPaul Merson.[3]
The following season, Sharpe found the net for the first time in a United shirt, scoring in the 5–1 home win overMillwall on 16 September 1989. He managed 18 appearances in the league that season (and 20 in all competitions), but failed to make the squad for theFA Cup final which United won 1–0 againstCrystal Palace in a replay after drawing 3–3 in the first match.Alex Ferguson had chosen new signingDanny Wallace as his first choice left winger for the1989–90 season.[3]
He played a key part in United's success in theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup in1990–91 scoring with a left-foot shot into the top corner in the home leg of the semi-final against Legia Warsaw (1–1). He also famously scored ahat-trick against Arsenal at Highbury in theLeague Cup fourth round on 28 November 1990, a match which United won 6–2. Sharpe himself cites this as one of the best memories in his footballing career.[citation needed] He was now United's first choice left winger ahead of Danny Wallace, although a new rival for the left wing position was emerging in the shape of highly promising 17-year-oldRyan Giggs.[4]
Having established himself as a left winger, Sharpe earned a call up to theEngland squad just before his 20th birthday, although he was unable to replaceJohn Barnes as first choice left winger. He was then out of the game for long periods of time through injury and illness (he suffered from viral meningitis in the autumn of 1992) and when his fitness recovered, the form ofRyan Giggs meant he had normally to play out of position at left back (by now the preferred position forDenis Irwin) or on the right wing, competing for a place withAndrei Kanchelskis who had arrived in March 1991.
His first team opportunities were limited by injury and by the form of Giggs in the1991-92 season, although he did appear as a substitute in theFootball League Cup final victory overNottingham Forest.
He did play in enough games to collect aPremier League title medal for the 1992–93 season, and added another in 1993–94 with 30 appearances (four as a substitute), and scoring nine league goals (11 in all competitions). He scored both of United's goals in their fourth league game of the season on 23 August 1993 as they beatAston Villa 2–1 atVilla Park, following with an early goal in the 3–1 win atSouthampton in the next game. He managed another double on 22 March 1994 in a 2–2 league draw atArsenal, and came on as a substitute in the FA Cup final againstChelsea. United wonthe double of the Premier League title and FA Cup that season.
Sharpe is well remembered for his memorable goal againstBarcelona during the 2–2 draw in the1994–1995 Champions League season's group stage, when he spectacularly back-heeled a cross fromRoy Keane into the corner of the net. He also got an assist in this game, crossing for Mark Hughes, who headed the first goal of the game.[5]
1994–95 was a difficult season for United, with many players out for significant periods due to injury. Sharpe was one of them, as he missed a string of mid season games due to a fractured ankle, though he had more opportunities to play on the left wing asRyan Giggs missed a quarter of the campaign due to injuries. He also made a number of appearances as left-back as the regular player in that position,Denis Irwin, spent most of the campaign playing on the right side of defence left vacant by a long absence byPaul Parker, though Irwin was back at left-back towards the end of the season following the emergence of right-backGary Neville.
United ended the season without a major trophy, finishing second toBlackburn Rovers in the Premier League as they failed to manage anything better than a 1–1 draw atWest Ham on the final day of the season, and losing 1–0 to Everton in the FA Cup final.
By the start of the1995–96,Andrei Kanchelskis had been sold toEverton and it seemed possible that Sharpe could establish himself as United's right winger – particularly when he scored twice for United in their 3–2 win over Everton on 9 September 1995.
WithRyan Giggs returning to fitness on the left wing, and Denis Irwin returning to left back following the emergence ofGary Neville as the club's regular right back, the right hand side of midfield seemed Sharpe's best opportunity of regular first team action. However, 20-year-oldDavid Beckham made the first team breakthrough that season and left Sharpe facing a fresh battle for a regular place in the first team, though he was selected in the squad for all but eight competitive games that season, during which United became the first English team to win the double twice. He still took to the field in 31 out of 38 Premier League games, scoring four goals. His first goal of the season came at Blackburn Rovers on 28 August, as a relatively strong United side recorded their third successive league win after being beaten byAston Villa on the opening day. In their next game at Everton on 9 September, Sharpe scored twice as United achieved an impressive 3–2 win. His next (and final) league goal for United came on 10 February 1996 when he scored the only goal of the game against Blackburn Rovers, as United kept up the pressure on leadersNewcastle who had been 10 points ahead at Christmas. Sharpe also managed two FA Cup goals that season, the winner againstManchester City in the fifth round atOld Trafford on 18 February, and the second in the last minute of a 2–0 home win overSouthampton in the quarter finals on 11 March. He was selected as a substitute in the 1–0FA Cup final win overLiverpool on 11 May, but did not come onto the pitch, though he still picked up his second FA Cup winner's medal, which was ultimately the last major trophy of his career just before his 25th birthday.[3] In total he played 265 games for Manchester United over eight years, scoring 36 goals and winning a total of seven major trophies.
After eight years atOld Trafford, he became Leeds United's joint record signing on 10 August 1996 when they paid £4.5million for his services, making him the last signing by managerHoward Wilkinson, who was sacked the following month to be succeeded byGeorge Graham. Again his time at Leeds was beset by further injuries. He made 26 Premiership appearances in1996–97, scoring five goals, but a pre-season knee injury ruled him out for the entire1997–98 season and he was unable to regain his place in the team on recovery. In the autumn of 1998, Graham's successorDavid O'Leary loaned Sharpe to ItalianSerie A strugglersSampdoria, where he played under English head coachDavid Platt, but soon fell out of favour and in the New Year he returned to England.
He signed on loan forBradford City in March 1999 and he helped in securing the club's promotion to the Premiership after 77 years outside the top division. He joined Bradford in a £250,000 deal during the summer and helped preserve the club's Premiership status in1999–2000.
In2000–01, Sharpe lost his place in the Bradford team and just before Christmas went on loan to Division OnePortsmouth. He played 17 matches. He returned to Bradford during the2001–02 season but when his contract expired at the end of the season he was given a free transfer.
Following a brief trial stay withGrimsby Town in the summer of 2002 he was snubbed a contract with the Mariners and he eventually signed forExeter City. During his time at Exeter he scored once against Hull City. This would prove to be Sharpe's final spell in English senior football at the age of 31.[6]
He then moved toGrindavík in Iceland. In June 2003 he announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 32. Just before this, he was rumoured to be on the verge of taking over as player-manager atBury in Division Three.[7]
In February 2004, Sharpe made a brief return to football in the Kidderminster Sunday League with Hoobrook Crown before signing for Northern Counties East Premier League sideGarforth Town the following summer.
Sharpe wascapped eight times byEngland between 1991 and 1993.
Sharpe has also developed a career in reality television. He appeared as a competitor in the 2005,ITV television showCelebrity Wrestling, under the name "Sharpe Shooter". He is also known though for appearing inCelebrity Love Island in 2005. During his time on the island, Sharpe courted the attentions of many of the show's ladies, most notably TV presenterJayne Middlemiss, who confessed to "never having felt like this before about someone", but Sharpe eventually datedAbi Titmuss.[citation needed]
In 2007 Sharpe appeared as a contestant in ITV'sDancing on Ice. He was eliminated from the competition on 3 March 2007.
Sharpe, alongside formerBucks Fizz singerCheryl Baker, currently fronts aLondon Underground advertising campaign for Nourkrin, a baldness treatment. He is billed as "OfCelebrity Love Island fame!"
In 2008, Sharpe starred in Dec's team on Ant versus Dec, on Saturday Night Takeaway ITV1. Sharpe also starred as the celebrity 'hider' in an episode of theCBBC showHider in the House. He also appeared in the 2008 television series Superstars on Channel Five.
In August 2009, he appeared in theRTÉ One celebrity boxing series,Charity Lords of the Ring.[8]
In 2019 and 2020, Sharpe featured in both seasons ofITV showHarry's Heroes, which featured former football managerHarry Redknapp attempting to get a squad of former England international footballers back fit and healthy for a game against Germany legends.[9]
After retirement in 2004 and 2006, Sharpe became a footballpundit forESPN Star in Singapore in Asia, and together withLes Ferdinand, is a celebrity host on the game show"Kickoff".[citation needed] Sharpe was previously a pundit onBBC'sMatch of the Day 2 andFootball Focus, and during the 2006 World Cup presented a vlog for Yahoo.[citation needed] Sharpe appeared in one episode of the football dramaDream Team.[citation needed]
Sharpe was one of the football pundits hired byAbu Dhabi Sports Channel, for their exclusive coverage of thePremier League.[citation needed]
In the early 1990s, Sharpe was part of a new direction in football that saw photogenic players like himself,Jamie Redknapp andRyan Giggs emerge as merchandising and mass marketed "poster boys" of the game, and fronted many football magazine covers and featured in advertisements. By the mid-1990s, these players, some of whom (notably the Liverpool FA cup final team dressed in white suits before the game) had become known asSpice Boys, had become icons in football already, in an era when football stars had becomeidols on par withrock stars andpop stars.[10] Sharpe was known for his lifestyle off the pitch as much as he had on it at the time, though these endorsement deals quieted down after he left Manchester United in 1996.
On 25 August 2005, Sharpe's autobiographyMy Idea of Fun was published, describing his time as afootballer and his resulting celebrity status. In the book Sharpe described his relationship with former United managerAlex Ferguson and referred to him as a "bully". In more recent interviews he has since gone on to criticise Ferguson for blanking him when the two have crossed paths at future events organised by Manchester United.[11]
In October 2021, Sharpe and his family moved toXàbia, Spain. That December, he opened a sports bar named "Sharpey's".[12]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 1988–89 | First Division | 22 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 22 | 0 | ||||
| 1989–90 | First Division | 18 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 18 | 1 | |||||
| 1990–91 | First Division | 23 | 2 | – | 1 | 0 | 8[a] | 1 | – | 32 | 3 | |||
| 1991–92 | First Division | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 2 | |||
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 30 | 1 | ||||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 30 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4[b] | 0 | – | 41 | 11 | ||
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 28 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3[b] | 2 | 1[c] | 0 | 41 | 6 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 31 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | – | 41 | 6 | ||
| Total | 193 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 243 | 30 | ||
| Leeds United | 1996–97 | Premier League | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 30 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | – | – | 3[d] | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 6 | ||
| Sampdoria (loan) | 1998-99 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Bradford City (loan) | 1998-99 | First Division | 9 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 2 | ||||
| Bradford City | 1999-2000 | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2000-01 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2001-02 | First Division | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 2 | |||
| Total | 54 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 4 | ||
| Portsmouth (loan) | 2000-01 | First Division | 17 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 297 | 30 | 24 | 3 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 364 | 40 | ||
Manchester United
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |