Man Utd hero had his own fan club with thousands of members – run by his mum
A former Manchester United star once had his mum running his fanbase … whereas for most of us normal schlubs, our mum is our fanbase.
Lee Sharpe, who was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 1991, became such a superstar that fan mail was being sent to his Cheshire home from all over the world.
In an era before social media and streamlined club-supporter engagement programmes, the only option was to enlist his mum, Gail, who helped ship goody bags to far-flung destinations like Malaysia and Ghana.
READ MORE: Lee Sharpe's sports bar forced to shut down as ex-Man Utd ace admits 'it wasn't working'
"I can't understand why [he's so popular]," she joked in an unearthed clip [below] from an interview showcasing the Sharpe fan club back in 1992.
The left-footed wing wizard was the first of 'Fergie's Fledglings' – the name coined for United youngsters who broke into the first team under Sir Alex Ferguson (a homage to the iconic 'Busby Babes') – to truly make a splash.
For a time he even kept a young Ryan Giggs out of the team, but a series of nasty injuries and ill-timed illnesses saw him spent much of the mid-90s on the sidelines.
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By the time Sharpe eventually returned to full fitness, Giggs had firmly established himself as United's left winger, while a young David Beckham had emerged from the academy to stamp his authority on the right.
He was sold to Leeds in 1996 for a club-record £4.5m, but he yo-yo'd in and out of the team when his injury problems returned.
Stints at Bradford, Portsmouth and Exeter followed, as did spells abroad in Italy and Iceland, but Sharpe was never able to rediscover the sort of the form that had won him a legion of fans in the early 90s.
He hung up his boots in 2003 aged just 32, but achieved renewed fame after a number of reality TV appearances including on Celebrity Wrestling, Celebrity Love Island, Dancing on Ice and a minor role in Coronation Street.
Sharpe also dabbled in football punditry but these days his primary passion is golf. The 51-year-old actually turned professional in 2021 and now competes at pro tournaments all over the world.
Whether he'll bank himself enough golf fans to build another fan club remains to be seen, but if he does you can bet his dear old mum will be on hand to help out.
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