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...
9. Craig Gordon
A sublime shot-stopper, Gordon spent five years on Wearside and is still active today at the age of 41, plying his trade for Hearts in Scotland. Photo: Sean Dempsey
10. Kieran Richardson
Versatile, immensely gifted, and the scorer of the fastest free kick ever seen by the naked human eye. Richardson was a real asset to the Black Cats. Photo: Mike Hewitt
11. Andy Reid
The silky Irishman's left foot was the very definition of a 'wand'. Racked up 80 appearances for Sunderland, all in all. Photo: Clive Brunskill
12. Jan Kirchoff
Another latter day Barclays addition, the German signed for Sunderland in January under Sam Allardyce and played a huge role in staving off relegation for the Black Cats. A proper cult hero. Photo: Stu Forster