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...
21. Patrick van Aanholt
A flying full-back with an eye for goal, Van Aanholt was a key presence in the Black Cats' repeated escapologist acts from 2014 until he left in the January of 2017. Photo: Ian MacNicol
22. Younes Kaboul
Having formed a fine partnership with Kone, many Sunderland fans were disappointed when Kaboul joined Watford in 2016 - citing 'family reasons' for his desire to move south. Still, while he was on Wearside, he very much established himself as a cult hero. Photo: Gareth Copley
23. Danny Rose
A loanee who won the hearts of many supporters, Rose may only have been been a Sunderland player for a short time, but he was an immensely popular figure. Photo: Stu Forster
24. Wes Brown
Some would argue that Brown's best years were behind him by the time he joined the Black Cats, but he was still a willing worker for the five years that he stayed in the North East. Photo: Stu Forster