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Sheffield Wednesday will never forget the £1m deal they struck with Marseille to sign former England international Chris Waddle.
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Waddle became a legend in Wednesday colours and played a huge role during a spell in which they were a very competitive Premier League side.
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Waddle was capable of providing huge moments for the Owls, highlighted by his goal in the 1993 FA Cup final replay.
Sheffield Wednesday will never forget the 1992 deal that saw them sign former England international Chris Waddle for just £1million.
The 62-cap England international left Marseille to join Sheffield Wednesday in South Yorkshire, where he became a legend.
Waddle appeared in 127 games for the Owls over a four-year period at Hillsborough, during which time Wednesday was constantly competitive in the Premier League.
Too many people remember Waddle for his famously pivotal miss in England’s penalty shootout loss to Germany at the 1990 World Cup, but in Sheffield, he’s regarded as an extremely brilliant player who starred for the club during a period of great success.
Chris Waddle excelled at Wednesday
Waddle, famously, never played academy football. Instead, he worked in a sausage factory and played football at the local level in his youth.
Waddle began his professional career at his local side Newcastle United before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 1985, which marked his first major move.
During his time at Tottenham, he did not win any trophies, although he did earn the club’s player of the year award in 1987/88.
Waddle’s efforts for Tottenham earned him a lucrative move to Marseille in 1989, with the £4.25 million transfer fee making the 29-year-old the world’s third most expensive player.
He scored 28 goals in 140 appearances for the French giants, winning three French league titles and earning the nickname ‘Magic Chris’ among the club’s devoted fans.
In 1992, he returned to England and signed with Wednesday for £1 million.
Waddle appeared 33 times in the league during 1992/93, as Wednesday finished seventh in the newly constituted Premier League. The Owls made both domestic cup finals that season, losing both to Arsenal, but Waddle scored Wednesday’s only goal in the FA Cup final replay.
Waddle’s semi-final goal, a magnificent free kick against city rivals Sheffield United, secured his position in Owls mythology.
The winger was superb for Wednesday that year, earning the 1993 Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year title.
Waddle scored three goals and assisted seven in just 19 league appearances in 1993/94, a total he would never match in the rest of his career.
His Wednesday side finished seventh again that season before falling down the table for the rest of his term at the club, while remaining a solidly established Premier League squad throughout.
Waddle retired on Wednesday, 1996, after 127 games with 15 points and 19 assists.
| Chris Waddle Sheffield Wednesday Stats (As per Transfermarkt) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Premier League | 108 | 10 | 16 |
| League Cup | 8 | – | 1 |
| FA Cup | 5 | 3 | – |
| UEFA Cup | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 2 | 1 | – |
While he may not have put up the same numbers at Wednesday as he did with his former teams, Waddle was a significant character in an era that Wednesday fans will always remember with pride.
Waddle’s career tailed off after he left Wednesday
Unfortunately, Waddle’s career took a poor turn once he departed Wednesday at the age of 35 in 1996.
He played for Falkirk, Bradford City, and Sunderland during the 1996/97 season before becoming Burnley’s player-manager in 1997.
However, he left the Clarets after a single season and 31 matches. Waddle later joined Torquay United, but he didn’t play much for them.
When he joined North Nottinghamshire non-league side Worksop Town in 2002, he was still playing at the age of 42.
While Waddle never achieved the raw stats of some of his generation’s other best players, he will be remembered by Wednesday fans as a man on whom the Owls could rely to produce huge moments for a fee of only £1 million.
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