One of the most decorated English footballers of his generation, Teddy Sheringham has made a career out of being a step ahead of everyone else. Not blessed with a huge amount of pace, Sheringham has made the most of one of the greatest footballing brains English football has ever known to terrorise defences at international and club level for the last 26 years.
It took a huge character to step into Eric Cantona's shoes when he left Manchester United in 1997 but Sheringham's arrival heralded a new era of success at Old Trafford. It was Sheringham who scored the stoppage-time equaliser that paved the way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's winner in the final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich, giving United their second ever European Cup victory and their first in 31 years.
That famous night in Barcelona was a long way from Sheringham's beginnings as a 16-year-old at Milwall in 1982. He cemented his place in the Millwall side in the 1986/87 season and ended that year as the club's top scorer, a feat he repeated in the next three seasons. His goalscoring exploits earned him a move to Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest for £2 million in 1991.
After a successful year as a Forest player Sheringham moved to Tottenham Hotspur as the Premiership began its first year in 1992. He proved an instant success, winning the golden boot that season with 22 goals. While at Spurs Sheringham broke into the England team, forming a memorable strike partnership with Alan Shearer. The pair's almost telepathic understanding was instrumental at Euro 96, guiding England to the semi-finals.