Despite rejecting the title himself, Edin Dzeko is beginning to secure the title of super-sub, having rescued Manchester City in consecutive away matches with winning strikes.
Dzeko has some way to go before he can be placed amongst the immortals of football substitute history.
So here at TibsNews we’d like to pay homage to the best super-subs of all-time with our top 10…
10. Tore Andre Flo – Chelsea
Having scored 28 goals in just 40 appearances for his native Brann, Tore Andre Flo was signed by Chelsea for the mere paltry fee (by Premier League standards) of £300,000. The striker never quite managed to cement a first-team place with the Blues, with Mark Hughes, Gianfranco Zola and the soon to be player-manager Gianluca Vialli all challenging him for a place up top. But the Norwegian frontman soon became something of a cult hero at Stamford Bridge with his scoring exploits whilst coming off the bench. In total Flo came on as a substitute 69 times and scored the healthy sum of 13 goals.
9. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez – Manchester United
In a little over two seasons at Manchester United the diminutive Mexican has gone from being an unknown quantity to a goal scoring sensation. ‘Chicharito’, as he’s affectionately known, dazzled the Premier League in his debut season and despite struggling to find a regular place in the Manchester United squad of late there’s no doubting this striker’s super-sub credentials. His goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season, which secured a dramatic 3-3 draw after United had been 3-0 down, was Hernandez’s tenth Premier League goal as a substitute. This puts in joint second with Ryan Giggs on the number of goals scored by a super-sub for the Red Devils. Given that the Welshman is currently beginning his 21st season for United and it puts the striker’s exploits into context. But he’s got some way to go if he’s to overall the all-time record holder, non-other than United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær
8. Jermain Defoe – Tottenham Hotspur
Until this season Jermain Defoe has never managed to secure a regular starting place at White Hart Lane – much to the bemusement of many Spurs fans. One of the most clinical finishers of his generation and never more so when coming off the bench. He deservedly holds his place amongst the greatest super-subs of all-time. In fact, the former West Ham and Portsmouth striker holds the record for the number of Premier League goals scored as a substitute, with 20. Defoe also has a remarkable record at international level when coming on as a substitute. In total the striker has scored 17 goals for England with seven of those coming as a replacement. Defoe’s most prolific run as a super-sub came between 10 June 2009 and 5 September 2009. In that time he made four substitute appearances for Tottenham and England scoring six goals. Prolific!
7. David Trezeguet – France
Going into the 2000 European Championship final, France were looking to become the first national side to win both the World Cup and European trophy at the same time. Their 3-0 win on home soil two years previous against Brazil was possibly one of the most comfortable wins in international football final history. This time round they would face Italy and it would be an entirely different encounter. The Azzurri went 1-0 ahead ten minutes into the second half through Marco Delvecchio. Italy were on the brink of victory when Sylvain Wiltord scored in the fourth minute of added time, sending the match into golden goal extra time. The golden goal was first used in a European Championships in 1996 when Oliver Bierhoff scored a golden goal to win the trophy for Germany. David Trezeguet had come on with fifteen minutes to go in the second half and with two minutes to go before the first half of extra time the striker latched onto a pull back from Robert Pires and fired home the golden goal to break Italian hearts.
6. Henrik Larsson – Barcelona
Despite spending his whole career being a prolific goal scorer, the Swede proved during the 2006 Champions League final that you don’t necessarily have to be the one who puts the ball in the back of the net who earn super-sub status. Having reached the final of Europe’s elite club competition four times prior to the 2006 final, the Catalan giants had only managed to secure the trophy once in a Wembley final in 1992 against Sampdoria. This time round they would face Premier League outfit Arsenal. And things looked like they would go Barca’s way early on when Gunners’ goalkeeper Jens Lehman became the first person to be sent off in a Champions League final after just 17 minutes. But in spite of their numerical advantage Arsenal went into half-time 1-0 ahead through a 37 minute Sol Campbell header. Mid-way through the second half, Barca boss Frank Rijkaard brought Larsson off the bench – in what would be his final game in a Blaugrana shirt. With less than 15 minutes to go Larsson set up Samuel Eto’o for the equaliser. Then just four minutes later Larsson would cement his place in history as he would this time assist Juliano Belletti to score the winner.
5. Patrick Kluivert – Ajax
When Ajax reached the 1995 Champions League final it had been 23 years since the Amsterdam club had dominated European football, having won three consecutive European Cups between 1970-2. That side pretty much invented total football and it was spearheaded by the mercurial talents of three-time Ballon d’Or winner Johan Cruyff. Not even the second coming of immensely talented youngsters to come through Jong (Young) Ajax could claim Europe’s top club competition – which included Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten. The duo would go on to lift the trophy with AC Milan and it would be the Italian giants, the then holders of the Champions League, who Ajax would face in the final. In fact, by that time Rijkaard had returned to Amsterdam and was in the starting XI that night. But it would be how the new generation of Jong graduates could handle their biggest test that would ultimately decide this finale. One such player was a tall, skilful striker by the name of Patrick Kluivert. The Dutchman came on mid-way through the second half with the score 0-0. The game was seemingly heading towards extra time when the veteran Rijkaard found Kluivert inside the penalty area who managed to poke the ball in the corner of the net and win the game for Ajax. With one strike of his boot, Kluivert ensured he and the likes of Edgar Davids, Frank and Ronald de Boer, Marc Overmars, Clarence Seedorf and Edwin van de Sar cemented their place in football history and were duly dubbed the ‘Golden Generation’ of Ajax football.
4. Günter Netzer – Borussia Moenchengladbach
Who? Yes, Günter Netzer, this little known playmaker played during the 1960s and 70s. After ten successful years at Borussia, Netzer got a dream move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. But before he left for the Iberian Peninsula, Netzer would ensure legendary status amongst the Moenchengladbach faithful and his place in super-sub history. The player maker was usually a nailed on starter, but just before the 1973 German Cup Final his mother passed away. Believing he was not emotionally stable to start the match, his coach opted to place Netzer on the bench. But with Gladbach drawing 1-1 with FC Köln and only minutes to go, in typical Netzer style, the German asked, well, no, ordered the coach, “now I play.” Within three minutes of coming off the bench, Netzer scored the winning goal to secure only the second of three German cups that M’Gladbach has ever won.
3. Roger Milla – Cameroon
Before the 1990 World Cup not many people would have been aware of the Cameroon striker Albert Roger Mooh Miller. But this tournament would announce the then 38-years old onto the world stage and cement his place in football history. Changing his name to Milla to sound more African, he emerged as one of the stars of Italia ’90, scoring four goals, each as a second half substitute. Milla is perhaps best known for the way he celebrated each goal by running over to the corner of the pitch to dance around the corner flag. The first of his four goals came against Romania in the group stages. He then completed his scoring, grabbing a brace in extra time against Colombia to take Cameroon to the quarter-finals. At the time it was the furthest an African team had ever advanced at a World Cup before Senegal and Ghana matched this feat in 2002 and 2010 respectively. In the quarter-final match against England, Milla confirmed his super-sub legend by entering the second half with Cameroon trailing 1–0. He went on to set up both goals for The Indomitable Lions, before eventually losing 3–2. He is now an itinerant ambassador for African causes and in 2004, he was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé in conjunction with FIFA’s centenary celebrations.
2. David Fairclough – Liverpool
The original super-sub. The former striker played for the Reds during the late 70s and early 80s. With big names like Keegan, Toshack, Dalglish and Rush in front of him in the pecking order, Fairclough made a name for himself by coming on as a substitute and regularly scoring. In total he scored 35 goals in the last half-hour of matches, and 18 of his 55 goals came from the bench. In his first season at Anfield, Fairclough scored seven crucial goals in just 14 appearances to land Liverpool the League championship – nine of which were as a substitute. Fairclough’s most famous Liverpool goal came at Anfield as a substitute in a crucial European Cup quarter final against the French side St Etienne – a goal which prompted ITV commentator Gerald Sinstadt to famously bellow: “Super-sub strikes again!”
1. Ole Gunnar Solskjær – Manchester United
There could only be one player that tops the list for the greatest super-sub of all-time. The “baby-faced assassin”, as he was affectionately known, scored 28 goals off the bench for the Red Devils, most notably scoring the goal that clinched the 1999 Champions League final in the most dramatic style. Costing United only £1.5 million in 1996, the Norwegian would spend just over a decade at Old Trafford and whilst he never managed to hold down a regular first team place, he was always willing and more than able when called upon. Solskjær wasn’t blessed with supreme skill or pace like many prolific strikers, but there were few that had his razor sharp instincts and his finishing ability was second to none. Solskjær still holds the Premier League record for the most goals scored as a substitute when he bagged four goals coming off the bench against Nottingham Forest in 1999. But it is without any down that the king of all super-subs will be most remembered for his Champions League-winning goal in 1999. United had been 1-0 down since the sixth minute as the match headed into added on time. First, the other substitute on the night, Teddy Sheringham, scored in the first of three minutes of added on time following a David Beckham corner to draw the game level. The Red Devils then won another corner. Once again Beckham would take it. Sheringham managed to head the flighted ball in to the path of Solskjær and the Norwegian finished like only he could, and thus securing a famous and unprecedented treble for United.
