Sharpe: Lee Stuart (Lee)

1996-1999 (Player Details)

Left Winger

Born: Halesowen: 27-05-1971

Debut v Derby County (a): 17-08-1996

6’0” 12st 7lb (2000)

A midlander and Aston Villa fan, Sharpe signed schoolboy forms with Birmingham City, but a trial for Torquay United saw him join the Plainmoor club and sign professional forms for them. He made his debut as a sixteen year old substitute left winger in October 1987. After scoring three goals in nine League starts and five games from the bench, and still only sixteen, he was signed by Alex Ferguson for Manchester United in June 1988 for £185,000. It was a record fee for a trainee at that time. He soon broke into the first team, initially playing out of position at left back before getting the left wing spot in the 1990-91 season. He played a key part in United's success in the European Cup-Winners’Cup that season and scored a hat-trick against Arsenal at Highbury in the 1990 League Cup. United eventually won the game 6–2. Sharpe cited this game as one of the best memories in his footballing career. Having established himself as a left winger, Sharpe earned a call up to the England squad, although he was unable to oust John Barnes as first choice left winger. Sharpe would have been a regular first team player were it not for injury and Ryan Giggs, who also played on Sharpe's preferred left-wing position. However, he still managed to win a lot of medals. The 1991 Cup Winners Cup, the 1992 League Cup, the 1993, 1994, 1996 Premier League and 1994 F.A.Cup. He was famous for doing an Elvis impersonation at the corner flag when he scored a goal and for getting lots of fan mail from female admirers. Unfortunately, he was then out of the game for long periods of time through injury and illness. He suffered from viral meningitis, and when his fitness recovered, the form of Ryan Giggs meant he had to play out of position at left back or on the right wing, competing for a place with Andrei Kanchelsis. Illness sidelined him for much of the 1996 season and the emergence of David Beckham and Paul Scholes left little place for him in the Old Trafford first team. In total he played two hundred and fifty-seven games, including fifty-one as a substitute, for the Red Devils during eight years there, scoring thirty-six goals. Despite his injury history, Leeds signed him for £4.5 million in August 1996, making him their record signing. Again his time at United was beset by further injuries. He made twenty-six Premiership appearances in1996-97, 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 December 1998, he was loaned to Italian Serie-A strugglers Sampdoria, but soon fell out of favour and in March 1999 he returned to Elland Road. He immediately signed on loan for Bradford City and scored three times in the League, in nine starts and three games from the bench, as he helped in securing the club's promotion to the Premiership after seventy-seven 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. In 2000-01, Sharpe lost his place in the Bradford team and in February 2001 he went on loan to Division One Portsmouth for the rest of the season and made seventeen appearances for the Fratton Park team. He returned to Bradford for the 2001-02 season but when his contract expired at the end of the season he was given a free transfer. At Valley Parade, after signing permanently, he scored twice in forty-seven League games, including seventeen from the bench. He also made eight starts and two games from the bench in Cup and other games without scoring. After an unproductive trial with Grimsby Town, he had a brief spell at Exeter City, who he joined on a free transfer and scored once in four starts. This was followed by a move to Grindavik in Iceland. In June 2003 he announced his retirement from first class football at the age of thirty-two. He then went on to become a reality TV star and media personality. During 2003-04, Sharpe made a brief return to football in the Kidderminster Sunday League before signing for Northern Counties East Premier League side Garforth Town the following summer. Sharpe was capped eight times by England between 1991 and 1995 at full level and also played once for England ‘B’ and eight times for England Under-Twenty-ones.