Unless you have been living under a rock for the past week or so (or if you are fortunate enough to not have an active X account) you will be acutely aware of the current trend that is sweeping timelines across the country. Accompanied by the hashtag “#Barclaysmen”, nostalgic fans are pulling together compilation videos of their favourite forgotten Premier League footballers from yesteryear, sound-tracked by indie dancefloor bangers from the mid-noughties; Tugay crashing home thunderous volleys to Maximo Park; Lomana Lua Lua backflipping to Two Door Cinema Club; the entire Wigan Athletic squad doing their thing to Franz Ferdinand.
It is, in other words, a wonderful and daft tsunami of nurturing reminiscence, and it also got us thinking about which players may justifiably be considered Sunderland’s finest so-called Barclaysmen. We turned to social media to put the question to Black Cats everywhere, and they got back to us in their droves.
Now, for the avoidance of doubt, the period in question here is 2004-2016, the dozen or so years when the Premier League was title-sponsored by Barclays and Barclays alone. The internet has seemingly deemed that the “Barclaycard” years of 2001 to 2004 do not count.
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As such, you will find no Kevin Phillips or Niall Quinn here, no Tommy Sorensen or Stefan Schwarz. What you will find, however, is a list jam-packed with cult heroes and mercurial idols. With that in mind, put your feet up, find an appropriately guitar-driven Spotify playlist to spin in the background, and prepare to take a trip down memory lane. Here are the 26 finest Sunderland players of the Barclays Premier League era, as chosen by fans...
1. Wahbi Khazri
Only just squeezing in at the end of the Barclays era, Khazri produced some moments of magic after arriving at the Stadium of Light during Sam Allardyce's survival campaign. Who could forget that goal against Chelsea? Photo: Laurence Griffiths
2. Djibril Cisse
The hair, the tattoos, the general vibes - Cisse is an undeniable Barclays icon. Spent a season on loan at the Stadium of Light in 2008/09, scoring 11 goals. Photo: Hamish Blair
3. Steed Malbranque
Classy and mercurial, on his day Malbranque was absolutely unplayable. Was on the books at Sunderland for three years between 2008 and 2011. | se
4. Stephane Sessegnon
God took Messi and Pele, etc, etc. Sessegnon was the heartbeat of Sunderland's attacking unit for a couple of years after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in the January of 2011. Photo: Charlie Crowhurst