I WAS lucky enough to win my share of medals as a player — but one of the greatest honours I ever got can never be displayed.
It came towards the end of Cyrille Regis’ career and the earlier days of my time with Arsenal when we played each other.
Cyrille — at Aston Villa by then — had always been an icon to me, an absolute hero, and the one man above all others who made me want to be a professional footballer.
And although I was pretty established by then, I remember telling him, ‘I always wanted to be you’.
He gave me that lovely smile of his and replied, ‘Well, actually I would love to be you’.
It was one of the biggest compliments I ever got.
Latest football news
I welled up when he said it at the time and I welled up again when I heard the news he had passed away.
Cyrille was an absolute legend. That’s not something I say lightly, either.
RIP CYRILLE Regis inspired a generation of young black kids like me
He was an icon, an inspiration, a ground-breaker. And above all he was a true, true gentleman.
I can still see that opening clip on Match of the Day, taking the ball on his chest and smacking one in from about 20 yards.
Most read in football
Absolutely fantastic.
So many prominent black English players have paid tribute to Cyrille, admitted how they owe so much to him, Laurie Cunningham, Garth Crooks, Viv Anderson and Brendon Batson for all they did.
What they had to come through, to deal with, every week, every game they played, was dreadful.
It was absolutely unforgivable and unacceptable, like the time Cyrille was sent a bullet through the post after being called up by England.
But he handled it all with such dignity.
The first time I played against him, I was at Crystal Palace and told him, ‘I can’t believe I’m on the same pitch as you’.
He smiled and said, “Just make sure you don’t beat us’. And we didn’t, either. Coventry won!
I met him initially at a PFA dinner in the mid-1980s and, when you talk about people having an aura, he had it like few I’ve known before or since.
A huge chest, huge arms, a huge presence and a huge air about him — and a huge smile to go with it.
For me, he was — and always will be — THE man.
Leave a comment