Sheffield Wednesday will never forget £1m agreement with French club | OneFootball

Waddle quickly became a legend through a golden period at Hillsborough.

Summary

Sheffield Wednesday will never forget the 1992 deal that saw them sign former England international Chris Waddle for just £1million.

The 62-cap England man left Marseille to swap the South of France for South Yorkshire, where he became a Wednesday legend.

Waddle played 127 games for the Owls across a four-year spell at Hillsborough, in which Wednesday were consistently a competitive side in the Premier League.

Too many, Waddle is known for his famously decisive miss in England’s penalty shootout defeat to Germany at the 1990 World Cup, but in Sheffield in particular, he’s remembered as an extremely talented player who shone for Wednesday during a strong period for the club.

Chris Waddle excelled at Wednesday

Famously, Waddle was never part of academy football. Instead, he worked in a sausage factory and played football at a local level in his early years.

After first turning professional at his hometown club Newcastle United, Waddle moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 1985, in what was the first big move of his career.

He went trophyless during his time at Spurs but did pick up an individual accolade, winning the club’s player of the year award in 1987/88.

Waddle’s performances for Tottenham saw him earn a big money move to Marseille in 1989, with the £4.25million transfer fee making the then 29-year-old the third most expensive player in the world.

He scored 28 times in his 140 games for the French giants, winning three French league titles and becoming known as ‘Magic Chris’ by the club’s adoring supporters.

He then moved back to England with Wednesday in 1992 for £1million.

Waddle played 33 times in the league in 1992/93 as Wednesday finished 7th in the newly formed Premier League. The Owls reached both domestic cup finals that season, losing both of them to Arsenal, but Waddle scored Wednesday’s only goal of the FA Cup final replay.

It was his semi-final goal however, a stunning free-kick against city rivals Sheffield United, that earned Waddle his place in Owls folklore.

The winger was outstanding for Wednesday that year and his dazzling performances earned him the 1993 Football Writers’ Association Player of The Year award.

Waddle scored three goals and assisted seven from just 19 league appearances in 1993/94, a return he was never able to match in the rest of his career.

His Wednesday side finished 7th again that season, before sliding down the table during the remainder of his time at the club, although they remained a firmly established Premier League team throughout.

Waddle eventually departed Wednesday in 1996, after scoring 15 and assisting 19 from his 127 games.

While he perhaps didn’t put up the same numbers at Wednesday as he did with his previous clubs, Waddle was a key figure in an era that will always be looked back on with pride by Wednesday fans.

Waddle’s career tailed off after he left Wednesday

Sadly, Waddle’s career tailed off badly after he left Wednesday as a 35-year-old in 1996.

He played for Falkirk, Bradford City and Sunderland all in the 1996/97 season, before joining Burnley as player-manager in 1997.

However, he left the Clarets after one season and 31 appearances. Waddle then joined Torquay United but hardly played for the Gulls.

He was still playing as a 42-year-old in 2002 when he turned out for North Nottinghamshire non-league side Worksop Town.

While Waddle never really produced the raw numbers of some of the other top players of his generation, he will forever be remembered by Wednesday fans as a man who the Owls could rely on to produce big moments and all for just £1 million.