"He was absolutely unreal" - Ex-Portsmouth star Benjani tipped as perfect John Mousinho fit | OneFootball

Former Portsmouth striker Benjani is still fondly remembered for his contributions to the club's Premier League glory days

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Portsmouth have been at the forefront of the nostalgic 2000's Barclays Premier era footage circulating from reflective supporters and even clubs on social media as of late, and ex-forward Benjani is particularly well-remembered.

The "streets won't forget" moniker has been much-coined among online fans in recent years, often used in reference to a maverick former player who were largely inconsistent but supplied moments of individual brilliance.

They are therefore memorable across a period that many punters still believe to be the most glorious and exhilarating, where individualism was prioritised over modernised systematic structure and rigidity.

From mercurial playmakers such as Adel Taarabt and Hatem Ben Arfa to Michu, Morten Gamst Pedersen and Yakubu among many others, the terminology has failed to wane from digital discourse. The trend of 2000's era montages, however, has accelerated into the online stratosphere as of late and it has a recurring theme.

Portsmouth spent seven years in the Premier League between 2003 and 2010, lifting the FA Cup in the process and endearing themselves to the masses with a swashbuckling brand of football carried out by memorable mavericks. The Harry Redknapp era, which saw them achieve their only major honour and featured the likes of David James, Niko Kranjcar, Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe, is still fondly remembered to this day.

Crouch and Defoe may have formed one of the most memorable striking partnerships in Premier League history before both going on to individually star for England, but Benjani's impact with the club was impressive and helped him to engrave his name into a rather-niche top-flight folklore.

Memorable Benjani, Portsmouth verdict offered

It felt timely to assess the one player Portsmouth supporters would love to have back at Fratton Park today in light of the trend's recent acceleration.

Indeed, Football League World's resident Pompey fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis has namechecked Benjani, who scored 19 goals over the full equivalent of two Premier League seasons for the club.

"There's this trend going on right now on Twitter [now known as X] of people posting old players and teams' highlights and goals, especially from the very famous Barclays Premier League days," Miltos explained to Football League World.

"There has been a lot of Pompey stuff in there as well these last few days, and these montages have reminded me how good some of the players we used to have were.

"One player who stands out to me and was really good for us was Benjani, especially in his first spell but he did have that second stint with us in the Championship and that wasn't too good.

"But the first stint he had with us, he was absolutely unreal. Especially for a team like us now, obviously we are kind of sorted in the forward department but you can never say no to a player like Benjani.

"So my pick would be Benjani, having a player like him again would be unreal."

Portsmouth are trying to return Premier League glory days

Portsmouth have been waiting for nearly fifteen years to return to the Premier League following their 2010 relegation, which saw the club placed into administration before going down to League One two years later and spending time in the third and fourth-tier.

However, following years of misery, Portsmouth are now back on the right track under a progressive overarching strategy spearheaded by John Mousinho, who guided them to the League One title last term.

Portsmouth have made a reasonable start to their long-awaited renaissance in the Championship by losing just one of their opening four encounters.

Retaining their status for next season may be the principal objective for the time being, although Pompey's long-term ambitions are fundamentally more exciting and progressive, with sporting director Richard Hughes recently revealing that they are striving to emulate Sunderland's recruitment philosophy.

The south coast side signed just one player - Josh Murphy on a free transfer - over the age of 24 this summer and the strategy very much replicates that of Sunderland, who are currently at the top of the division after having the Championship's youngest squad by measure of average age over the last two seasons.

Sunderland are now reaping the rewards of patience and persistence with a progressively sustainable vision, which can also come to fruition for Portsmouth in good time. It is a dedicated and arduous process to begin with, and it certainly yields trials and tribulations, but it should instill supporters with the hope of an eventual top-flight return.