THROW your mind back to 1999, when England had the likes of Alan Shearer, Michael Owen and Frank Lampard playing in a 2-1 win over Belgium in October.
The Three Lions were managed by Kevin Keegan, with current England boss Gareth Southgate being named in defence.
But in the more than two-decade interval since, fans may have forgotten England’s left-midfielder from that game. A certain Steve Guppy.
Dubbed a “left-sided David Beckham” by Keegan ahead of his England debut, Guppy appeared destined for greatness.
Guppy, who starred for Leicester at the time, played the full duration of the match.
However, it would turn out to be his one and only international cap as England’s infamous left wing problem became synonymous with repeated failures of the so-called “golden generation”.
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Fast forward to 2023, Guppy now finds himself in Nashville, TN, United States.
Though he is not over there for to simply see the sights.
Guppy, having played in the States for D.C. United and Rochester New York during the twilight of his playing career, decided to make his stay across the Atlantic long-term.
Having had assistant coaching stints at Colorado Rapids, Sunderland and Ireland, Guppy eventually found himself heading to Nashville under former Fulham academy star Gary Smith in 2020.
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Now age 54, he has remained in the coaching team at the club since.
With Guppy’s help Nashville have made the Major League Soccer post-season play-offs three years running.
Guppy, a title winner with Celtic and League Cup winner with Leicester, came agonisingly close to lifting Nashville’s first piece of silverware earlier this season.
They made it all the way to the Leagues Cup final, only to lose to a Lionel Messi-inspired Inter Miami on penalties.
Despite this, Guppy appears to have fallen in love with coaching admitting he rarely looked back on his career due to being “so into coaching”.
Speaking to the Celtic View Podcast in April, Guppy said: “I look back now very rarely as I’m so into coaching.
“But on the odd occasions, I think back it’s nice to say you played for Celtic, especially out here in America because everyone knows the club.”
Guppy told SunSport last year how much he loved the “family oriented” way of life in the MLS.
Writing in an exclusive column, he said: “I remember running down the wing at DC United when I first joined the club in 2006 and I heard an unusual roar at the other end of the pitch.
“Whenever that happened in England it tended to be that a fight had broken out in the crowd.
“When I looked up it wasn’t a scrap but a giant teddy bear mascot catapulting sweets into the stands.
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“I chuckled to myself and thought wow this is different from my time playing in the blood and thunder of the English leagues with the likes of Wycombe, Port Vale and Leicester!
“The MLS is very family oriented which is what I love about it, and I cannot wait for the season to start.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
