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A legend on Wearside, Niall Quinn almost instead signed for Sporting Lisbon in '95 in what would become one of Sunderland's biggest 'what if' moments.

One year prior to his 1996 move to Sunderland, Irish icon Niall Quinn was on the brink of joining Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.

Having played over 500 games across three decades with spells at Arsenal, Manchester City and Sunderland, Quinn is a fondly remembered figure in English football.

20 years after his retirement, it's difficult to imagine him playing anywhere outside the English game, though this could well have been a reality.

What seemed like a promising and unique opportunity to experience European football fell apart under unusual and unexpected circumstances.

A watershed moment in the striker's career, the failed 1995 transfer would go on to shape the future of both him and his eventual Wearside club.

Sporting Lisbon's interest

After seven seasons at Arsenal proved near impossible to emerge as a first-team favourite, Quinn moved to Manchester City in early 1990.

It was during his time with the Citizens that his goal-scoring abilities and adaptability as a target man would be realised, as 36 goals in his first 87 First Division matches in blue made him one of the league's best. By 1995, a further 22 goals in the newly branded Premier League only added to his reputation.

Sporting CP, having won the 1994–95 Taça de Portugal, had qualified for the following season's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They had also come close to winning the domestic league title, finishing in the top-two for the first time in a decade.

Eager to push on for silverware, highly-rated coach Carlos Queiroz endeavored to bolster his attacking options. The future Manchester United assistant saw Quinn as the player who had the ideal attributes to lead their forward line and help them finally compete at both domestic and European levels.

Happy enough, though stagnating in Manchester, Quinn accepted the proposed move.

The transfer collapse

Quinn traveled to Portugal to finalise the move, and with dealings appearing to be all but complete, Sporting Lisbon prepared to integrate the Irishman into their squad.

However, the economics of the deal were still uncertain, as Manchester City were unhappy with Quinn's parting fee. Speaking to 'From The Horse's Mouth' in 2021, Quinn outlined his frustration in failing to get the move over the line.

"Carlos Quieroz was the coach there, who later came to Man United and did great things, and he agreed a deal with Manchester City.

"I went over, signed for them, picked a house to live in [ahead of] moving the family over, but had a row with Man City over the parting fee.

"Quieroz gave me seven days, and when I didn’t clear it up after seven days, he went for somebody else."

Despite his eventual success at Sunderland, the Irishman certainly wasn't cryptic regarding his Portuguese regret.

"That’s the one I look back and say I wish I’d have done."

Quinn reflected on the near-miss, describing it as one of the biggest "what if" moments of his career.

Quinn became a Sunderland legend

The only benefactors to Quinn's failed move were Sunderland supporters, as one year on, the striker would finally leave City and sign for Peter Reid's side.

As most already know, Quinn went on to build an incredibly strong bond with Sunderland, as a player, manager and even a chairman. An 18 goal season earned him Player of the Year as the Black Cats secured promotion to the Premier League, and his 44 goal partnership with Kevin Phillips in 1999-2000 remains one of the greatest returns for a strike partnership the league has ever seen.

Quinn’s failed transfer to Sporting Lisbon serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of football transfers. Similar alternate timelines and butterfly effects that would have seen Lewandowski at Blackburn Rovers or Pep Guardiola to Wigan Athletic, prospects that now, like this, remain only as interesting anecdotes.

Though the move never materialised, his unjust impasse helped shape the next phase of his career. The drive provided by unrequited European dreams undoubtedly helped him continue to thrive on the domestic stage with Sunderland and become an influential figure in Irish football.