Only one speedo: Gary Speed

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"We can't replace Gary Speed. Where do you get an experienced player with a left foot and a head?"
– Sir Bobby Robson

Seen above is quote made famous by a man, whose loss football mourned in 2009, about a man whose death rocked the same world last week. Gary Speed, 42 years young, was found dead in his Cheshire home, hanging from the ceiling fan.

I've got nothing funny to say today. Some of you might say that there’s not much different, then, about today’s article. But this is a tribute to a man whose life I have followed since 1993.

It was in 1993 that my love affair with Manchester United started. Any hero at Elland Road, home ground of Leeds United, who had guided them to a Division-1 Title in 1992, could only be an object of my ire.

But there was something different about Speedo. The fact that he played for Leeds, Everton & Newcastle United - clubs where temporary residence is as welcome as the plague — and was still adored by football fans from United, Liverpool and Sunderland speaks volumes of how much of a gent he was.

He was the kind of player any aspiring footballer would want to be. The most capped outfield player for his country (85), the first player to reach 500 Premier League appearances, scored in every season he played for his club, a professional career that lasted over 20 years and led to him becoming manager for his country.

The most heterosexual man would tell you that Speed was as easy on the eye as his Welsh team. Blessed with a beautiful wife and two kids, you would think that this was a man who had it all going for him, but you know what they say about loneliness and being at the top.

Football fans from over 150 countries messaged in to offer condolences to Speed’s family, proving football is that important at the end of the day. It has, after all, bound civilisations around the globe.
I agree with Sir Bobby. We can’t replace Gary Speed. But we can have more like him.

RIP Speedo,
Love, everyone.