Hero and Villain: Southampton

There's nothing like geographical hate among cities. Southampton and Portsmouth view themselves on two ends of the spectrum; however, they both label those spectrums differently. Southhampton sees Portsmouth as a loathsome place with fishermen who enjoy fish... and they might enjoy them a little bit too much. Portsmouth is a tough, fighting Navy town, and they think Southhampton is made up of yuppies enjoying their yachts and big ships. It's led to a long, hateful rivalry between two soccer clubs, but it's hard to find on pitch hatred that mirrors the hatred between the citizens of each city.
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Matthew Le Tissier, nicknamed "Le God", was a graceful midfielder who spent 16 years with the Saints scoring jaw-dropping goals on the regular and leaving defenders in his wake with his dazzling ball-handling. Some say he was lazy, unwilling to chase back on defense and survive a full-90 minutes on the field. He battled relegation over the course of the 1990s and never succumbed to its gravitational pull, keeping the team in the Premier League on his own some seasons.

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Links:
COPA 90 Spotlight // BBC Saints v Pompey Rivalry

"Le Pod" Podcast with Le Tissier and Rickie Lambert

Le Tissier Goal of the Year 1995 against Blackburn

Le Tissier's Greatest Goals