Lee Sharpe
Encyclopedia
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United
from Torquay United
as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996. He won a total of eight caps for England
, but his later career failed to live up to its potential after leaving Manchester United in his mid-twenties.
Sharpe moved to Leeds United
in 1996, but persistent knee injuries kept him from making an impact on the squad, and he was loaned to Sampdoria
at the start of the 1998–99 season. Another loan to Bradford City
in March 1999 turned into a permanent deal at the end of the season. He stayed at Bradford for three seasons, but he gradually slipped down the league ladder, eventually moving to Iceland to play for Grindavík
in 2003. He retired from professional football in 2003, but achieved renewed fame
after a number of reality television
appearances. He briefly returned to football in 2004, playing for Garforth Town
, but his return was short-lived.
supporter, Sharpe began his career at Torquay United
. However, in his first season with them, after only 16 games, Manchester United
noted his potential and swooped to sign him in June 1988 for £200,000, a record fee at the time for a YTS
player.
in the Football League First Division
. His first team chances increased in November with the departure of the club's first choice left winger Jesper Olsen
, and were further enhanced when new signing Ralph Milne
failed to live up to expectations. Sharpe ended the 1988–89 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.
The following season, Sharpe found the net for the first time in a United shirt, scoring in the 5–1 home win over Millwall
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 the FA Cup
final which United won 1–0 against Crystal Palace
in a replay after drawing 3–3 in the first match. Alex Ferguson
had chosen new signing Danny Wallace
as his first choice left winger for the 1989–90 season.
He played a key part in United's success in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1990–91 scoring with a left foot pile-driver into the top corner in the home leg of the semi-final against Legia Warsaw (1–1). He also famously scored a hat-trick
against Arsenal at Highbury in the League Cup
fourth round on 28 November 1990. United eventually won the game 6–2. Sharpe himself cites this as one of the best memories in his footballing career. 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-old Ryan Giggs
.
Having established himself as a left winger, Sharpe earned a call up to the England squad
, although he was unable to replace John Barnes
as first choice left winger. Unfortunately, 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 of Ryan Giggs
meant he had normally to play out of position at left back (by now the preferred position for Denis Irwin
) or on the right wing, competing for a place with Andrei Kanchelskis
who had arrived in March 1991.
Sharpe is well remembered for his memorable goal against Barcelona
during the 2–2 draw in the 1994–1995 Champions League season's group stage, when he spectacularly back-heeled a cross from Roy Keane
into the corner of the net. He also got an assist in this game, crossing for Mark Hughes' opening header.
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 as Ryan Giggs
missed a quarter of the campaign due to injuries, and most of Sharpe's appearances came as a 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 by Paul Parker, though Irwin was back at left back towards the end of the season following the emergence of right-back Gary Neville
.
United ended the season without a major trophy, finishing second to Blackburn Rovers
in the Premier League as they failed to manage anything better than a 1–1 draw at West Ham
on the final day of the season, and losing 1–0 to Everton in the FA Cup final.
By the start of the 1995–96, Andrei Kanchelskis
had been sold to Everton
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.
With Ryan Giggs
returning to fitness on the left wing, and Denis Irwin returning to left back following the emergence of Gary 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-old David Beckham
made the first team breakthrough that season and left Sharpe with nothing like a guaranteed place in the first eleven, 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 by Aston 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 leaders Newcastle
who had been 10 points ahead at Christmas. Sharpe also managed two FA Cup goals that season, the winner against Manchester City
in the fifth round at Old Trafford
on 18 February, and the second in the last minute of a 2–0 home win over Southampton
in the quarter finals on 11 March. He was selected as a substitute in the 1–0 FA Cup
final win over Liverpool
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. In total he played 265 games for Manchester United over eight years, scoring 36 goals.
strugglers Sampdoria
, but soon fell out of favour and in the New Year he returned to England.
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 in 1999–2000.
. He played 17 matches He returned to Bradford during the 2001–02 season but when his contract expired at the end of the season he was given a free transfer.
in the summer of 2002 he was snubbed a contract with The Mariners and he eventually signed for Exeter City
.
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 at Bury
in Division Three.
the following summer.
between 1991 and 1995.
, Sharpe was part of a new direction in football that saw photogenic players like himself, Jamie Redknapp
and Ryan 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 had become known as Spice Boys
, had become icons in football already, in an era when football stars had become idols
on par with rock stars and pop stars. 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.
After retirement in 2004 and 2006, Sharpe became a football pundit for ESPN Star in Singapore
in Asia
, and together with Les Ferdinand
, is a celebrity host on the game show "Kickoff" where he is known as "Sharpey". Sharpe is a pundit on BBC
's Match of the Day 2
and "Football Focus", and during the 2006 World Cup presented a cup blog from Germany with video clips and photos for Yahoo. Sharpe appeared in one episode of the footballing drama Dream Team
.
Sharpe has also developed a career in reality television
. He appeared as a competitor in the 2005, ITV
television show Celebrity Wrestling
, under the name "Sharpe Shooter". He is best known though for appearing in Celebrity Love Island. During his time on the Island Sharpe courted the attentions of many of the show's ladies, most notably TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss
, who confessed to "never having felt like this before about someone", but Sharpe eventually dated Abi Titmuss
.
On 25 August 2005 Sharpe's autobiography
My Idea of Fun was published, describing his time as a footballer
and his resulting celebrity
status. The lyrical passages and memorable depictions of his contemporaries have prompted some critics to draw comparisons with Marcel Proust's "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu".
In 2007 Sharpe appeared as a contestant in ITV's Dancing On Ice
. He was eliminated from the competition on 3 March 2007. He was to also appear in ITV's popular TV soap Coronation Street
as an extra in the fictional pub "The Rovers Return" as a working class taxi driver from Manchester
.
Sharpe, alongside former Bucks Fizz
singer Cheryl Baker
, currently fronts a London Underground
advertising campaign for Nourkrin, a baldness treatment. He is billed as "Of Celebrity 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 the CBBC
show Hider in the House
.
Appeared in the 2008 television series Superstars on Channel Five.
In August 2009. he appeared in the RTÉ One
series, Charity Lords of the Ring
.
Since 2009, Sharpe has been involved with global football charity, Ambassadors in Sport. His first involvement came after a trip to South Africa and an unscheduled invite to visit an AIS Hope Academy in a South African Prison. Since then he has been involved at different levels with AIS, including Cycle for Hope, a 6 month cycle through Africa which Sharpe was involved in publicity and also took part in the last leg.
Sharpe is currently the spokesperson for the investment company comparethefinancialmarkets.com and is due to open the Lee Sharpe Football Academy in Natal, Brazil in 2011
Lee is now one of the football pundits hired by Abu Dhabi Sports Channel
, for their exclusive coverage of the Barclays Premier League.
. They split in 2005 after two years, shortly before he went on "Celebrity Love Island" and fell for co-star Abi Titmuss
.
After he dated other women, Sharpe and Titmuss split up, but by February 2007 he was back with Petty.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
from Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996. He won a total of eight caps 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...
, but his later career failed to live up to its potential after leaving Manchester United in his mid-twenties.
Sharpe moved to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in 1996, but persistent knee injuries kept him from making an impact on the squad, and he was loaned to Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
at the start of the 1998–99 season. Another loan to Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
in March 1999 turned into a permanent deal at the end of the season. He stayed at Bradford for three seasons, but he gradually slipped down the league ladder, eventually moving to Iceland to play for Grindavík
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG, commonly known as Grindavík, is the football subdivision of the Ungmennafélag Grindavíkur athletic club located in the town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland.-History:...
in 2003. He retired from professional football in 2003, but achieved renewed fame
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
after a number of reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
appearances. He briefly returned to football in 2004, playing for Garforth Town
Garforth Town A.F.C.
Garforth Town Association Football Club are an English football team based in Garforth, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North, the 8th level of the English football pyramid.-History:...
, but his return was short-lived.
Torquay United
An Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
supporter, Sharpe began his career at Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
. However, in his first season with them, after only 16 games, Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
noted his potential and swooped to sign him in June 1988 for £200,000, a record fee at the time for a YTS
Youth Training Scheme
The Youth Training Scheme was the former name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17, managed by the Manpower Services Commission...
player.
Manchester United
Sharpe made his debut for Manchester United on 24 September 1988 as a substitute in a 2–0 win over West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
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....
. His first team chances increased in November with the departure of the club's first choice left winger Jesper Olsen
Jesper Olsen
Jesper Olsen is a Danish former footballer who most notably played for Ajax of the Netherlands and Manchester United of England. Olsen was a regular left winger for the Danish national team, scoring five goals in 43 matches...
, and were further enhanced when new signing Ralph Milne
Ralph Milne
Ralph Milne is a Scottish former footballer whose clubs included Dundee United, Charlton Athletic, Bristol City and Manchester United. He played as a midfielder.-Career:...
failed to live up to expectations. Sharpe ended the 1988–89 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.
The following season, Sharpe found the net for the first time in a United shirt, scoring in the 5–1 home win over Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
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 the 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...
final which United won 1–0 against Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in a replay after drawing 3–3 in the first match. Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
had chosen new signing Danny Wallace
Danny Wallace (footballer)
David Lloyd "Danny" Wallace is an English former footballer who played for Southampton, Manchester United, Millwall, Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers. He won one full cap for England. His football career was ended prematurely by the effects of multiple sclerosis.-Southampton:Wallace was born...
as his first choice left winger for the 1989–90 season.
He played a key part in United's success in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1990–91 scoring with a left foot pile-driver into the top corner in the home leg of the semi-final against Legia Warsaw (1–1). He also famously 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...
against Arsenal at Highbury in the 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...
fourth round on 28 November 1990. United eventually won the game 6–2. Sharpe himself cites this as one of the best memories in his footballing career. 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-old Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
.
Having established himself as a left winger, Sharpe earned a call up to the England squad
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...
, although he was unable to replace John Barnes
John Barnes (footballer)
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE is an English football manager and former player.During his playing career, Barnes had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and playing for England 79 times...
as first choice left winger. Unfortunately, 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 of Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
meant he had normally to play out of position at left back (by now the preferred position for Denis Irwin
Denis Irwin
Denis Joseph Irwin is a former Irish football player who is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester United, where he established himself as one of the most important players in the United team that won a host of domestic and European trophies in his time there between 1990 and...
) or on the right wing, competing for a place with Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
who had arrived in March 1991.
Sharpe is well remembered for his memorable goal against Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
during the 2–2 draw in the 1994–1995 Champions League season's group stage, when he spectacularly back-heeled a cross from Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
into the corner of the net. He also got an assist in this game, crossing for Mark Hughes' opening header.
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 as Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
missed a quarter of the campaign due to injuries, and most of Sharpe's appearances came as a left back as the regular player in that position, Denis Irwin
Denis Irwin
Denis Joseph Irwin is a former Irish football player who is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester United, where he established himself as one of the most important players in the United team that won a host of domestic and European trophies in his time there between 1990 and...
, spent most of the campaign playing on the right side of defence left vacant by a long absence by Paul Parker, though Irwin was back at left back towards the end of the season following the emergence of right-back Gary Neville
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
.
United ended the season without a major trophy, finishing second to 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....
in the Premier League as they failed to manage anything better than a 1–1 draw at West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
on the final day of the season, and losing 1–0 to Everton in the FA Cup final.
By the start of the 1995–96, Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
had been sold to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
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.
With Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
returning to fitness on the left wing, and Denis Irwin returning to left back following the emergence of Gary Neville
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
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-old David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
made the first team breakthrough that season and left Sharpe with nothing like a guaranteed place in the first eleven, 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 by Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
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 leaders Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
who had been 10 points ahead at Christmas. Sharpe also managed two FA Cup goals that season, the winner against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in the fifth round at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
on 18 February, and the second in the last minute of a 2–0 home win over 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...
in the quarter finals on 11 March. He was selected as a substitute in the 1–0 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...
final win over Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
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. In total he played 265 games for Manchester United over eight years, scoring 36 goals.
Leeds United
Despite his injury history, Leeds United signed him for £4.5 million in the summer of 1996, making him their record signing. Again his time at Leeds was beset by further injuries. He made 26 Premiership appearances in 1996–97, scoring five goals, but a pre-season knee injury ruled him out for the entire 1997–98 season and he was unable to regain his place in the team on recovery. In the autumn of 1998, he was loaned to Italian Serie ASerie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
strugglers Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
, but soon fell out of favour and in the New Year he returned to England.
Bradford City
He signed on loan for Bradford CityBradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
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 in 1999–2000.
Portsmouth
In 2000–01, Sharpe lost his place in the Bradford team and just before Christmas went on loan to Division One PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. He played 17 matches He returned to Bradford during the 2001–02 season but when his contract expired at the end of the season he was given a free transfer.
Exeter City
Following a brief trial stay with Grimsby TownGrimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
in the summer of 2002 he was snubbed a contract with The Mariners and he eventually signed for Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
.
Grindavik
He then moved to GrindavíkKnattspyrnudeild UMFG
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG, commonly known as Grindavík, is the football subdivision of the Ungmennafélag Grindavíkur athletic club located in the town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland.-History:...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. 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 at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
in Division Three.
Garforth Town
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 side Garforth TownGarforth Town A.F.C.
Garforth Town Association Football Club are an English football team based in Garforth, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North, the 8th level of the English football pyramid.-History:...
the following summer.
International career
Sharpe was capped eight times by EnglandEngland 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...
between 1991 and 1995.
Outside football
In the early 1990s1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, Sharpe was part of a new direction in football that saw photogenic players like himself, Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
and Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
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 had become known as Spice Boys
Spice Boys (footballers)
The Spice Boys was a media term used to describe a group of Liverpool F.C. footballers in the mid-late 1990s, seen typically as being composed of Jamie Redknapp, David James, Phil Babb, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Stan Collymore and Jason McAteer...
, had become icons in football already, in an era when football stars had become idols
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
on par with rock stars and pop stars. 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.
After retirement in 2004 and 2006, Sharpe became a football pundit for ESPN Star in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and together with Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand
Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Besiktas J.K., Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...
, is a celebrity host on the game show "Kickoff" where he is known as "Sharpey". Sharpe is a pundit on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Match of the Day 2
Match of the Day 2
Match of the Day 2 is a football highlights programme shown on BBC Two in the United Kingdom...
and "Football Focus", and during the 2006 World Cup presented a cup blog from Germany with video clips and photos for Yahoo. Sharpe appeared in one episode of the footballing drama Dream Team
Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....
.
Sharpe has also developed a career in reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. He appeared as a competitor in the 2005, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television show Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV in 2005. It involved two teams of celebrities, competing against each other in wrestling style events. The series was presented by Kate Thornton and Rowdy Roddy Piper...
, under the name "Sharpe Shooter". He is best known though for appearing in Celebrity Love Island. During his time on the Island Sharpe courted the attentions of many of the show's ladies, most notably TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss
Jayne Middlemiss
Jayne Middlemiss is a London-based British television and radio presenter, originally from Northumberland. She began presenting music television shows such as The O-Zone and Top of the Pops in the mid '90s, before presenting a variety of other television and radio shows, including on BBC 6 Music...
, who confessed to "never having felt like this before about someone", but Sharpe eventually dated Abi Titmuss
Abi Titmuss
Abi Titmuss, , is a former English nurse turned glamour model, television personality and actress.-Early life:...
.
On 25 August 2005 Sharpe's autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
My Idea of Fun was published, describing his time as a footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and his resulting celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
status. The lyrical passages and memorable depictions of his contemporaries have prompted some critics to draw comparisons with Marcel Proust's "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu".
In 2007 Sharpe appeared as a contestant in ITV's Dancing On Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
. He was eliminated from the competition on 3 March 2007. He was to also appear in ITV's popular TV soap Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
as an extra in the fictional pub "The Rovers Return" as a working class taxi driver from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Sharpe, alongside former Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
singer Cheryl Baker
Cheryl Baker
Cheryl Baker is an English television presenter and singer. She is most famous for being a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, and has performed for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, winning it the second time.-Early career:After leaving school and a series of secretarial jobs, Cheryl...
, currently fronts a London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
advertising campaign for Nourkrin, a baldness treatment. He is billed as "Of Celebrity 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 the CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
show Hider in the House
Hider in the House
Hider in the House was a British children's game show presented by Jason King and Joel Ross . In the programme, a celebrity had to be hidden in a family's house by three children and a parent. If the family have fewer than three children, they use friends or related children to make up the numbers...
.
Appeared in the 2008 television series Superstars on Channel Five.
In August 2009. he appeared in the RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
series, Charity Lords of the Ring
Charity Lords of the Ring
Charity Lords of the Ring is an Irish reality television competition, broadcast on RTÉ One. Presented by Lucy Kennedy and ex-boxer Barry McGuigan, the four-part series follows ten personalities compete for their charity of choice, in the field of boxing...
.
Since 2009, Sharpe has been involved with global football charity, Ambassadors in Sport. His first involvement came after a trip to South Africa and an unscheduled invite to visit an AIS Hope Academy in a South African Prison. Since then he has been involved at different levels with AIS, including Cycle for Hope, a 6 month cycle through Africa which Sharpe was involved in publicity and also took part in the last leg.
Sharpe is currently the spokesperson for the investment company comparethefinancialmarkets.com and is due to open the Lee Sharpe Football Academy in Natal, Brazil in 2011
Lee is now one of the football pundits hired by Abu Dhabi Sports Channel
Abu Dhabi Sports Channel
Abu Dhabi Al Riadhia is an Arabic television station It broadcasts from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates and is owned by Abu Dhabi Media Company...
, for their exclusive coverage of the Barclays Premier League.
Personal life
Sharpe dated Joanne Petty from 2003, and the couple lived together in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. They split in 2005 after two years, shortly before he went on "Celebrity Love Island" and fell for co-star Abi Titmuss
Abi Titmuss
Abi Titmuss, , is a former English nurse turned glamour model, television personality and actress.-Early life:...
.
After he dated other women, Sharpe and Titmuss split up, but by February 2007 he was back with Petty.