In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Sunderland AFC’s Twitter account remembered Niall Quinn. The Irishman played for the Black Cats between 1996 and 2002 after making the move to Sunderland for £1.17 million. He hung up his boots after his time on Wearside.
To celebrate the player’s heritage, the club posted a video of him scoring a bagful of goals for the team. This prompted Sunderland fans to applaud the player, admitting that they would love to see a player like him in their squad at the moment.
Cracking player. Massively underated
— Chris Laing (@ChrisL1984) March 17, 2020
Became part of the clubs heartbeat
— Alan G Pinder (@AlanGPinder1) March 17, 2020
Awesome video! One of the greatest players to wear the shirt. If only we had one like that now
— OLOMA (@Olow40495936) March 17, 2020
Who was better?
Kevin Phillips
Niall Quinn
Others claim that his technique was impressive for a man of his stature. He was a big man, but they don’t think he played like one.
What a player! What a time to support Sunderland. Some unreal goals scored by the big man
— Knsafc (@Knsafc) March 17, 2020
Great feet from the big man! #legend
— Anthony Miller (@ThinWhiteDuke14) March 17, 2020
Mental how technical he was for the size of him
— Nath Slee (@nathslee90) March 17, 2020
What do we think?
It is clear that Quinn achieved cult hero status at Sunderland. After his playing days, Quinn also spent time as the Sunderland chairman, leaving that position in February 2012. It seems clear both he and the fans share a deep connection with the club.