Ex-England star issues 'emotional' message after Southampton FC surprise | OneFootball

Rickie Lambert was one of many ex-Saints stars returning to St Mary's on Saturday afternoon

Southampton FC supporters have seen many great players grace either The Dell or St Mary's throughout the club's lengthy history, with some of the current squad also hoping to write themselves into folklore.

It has been a rocky ride for Saints in recent times with the South Coast side suffering two relegations from the Premier League back to the Championship within a three-season period.

In between those, of course, was their 1-0 success over Leeds United in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium in May 2024, which was still the club's first campaign as an EFL club since 2012, when they secured the remarkable feat of back-to-back promotions under Nigel Adkins.

During a period of rebuilding after their relegation to League One in 2009 amid financial troubles, a select number of players would emerge as cult heroes for the part which they played in swiftly changing Southampton's fortunes.

It has been well-documented just how many current and ex-Premier League and international stars can give major credit to Saints for the part in which they have helped their own careers, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott perhaps the greatest of examples on this particular front.

However, with Tonda Eckert's current Saints squad in the midst of the season's final international break ahead of next week's FA Cup quarter-final with Arsenal, locals were given the chance to welcome back a pool of iconic players to have donned the red and white stripes down the years on Saturday afternoon in a 'legends match' against a squad made up of ex-Manchester United stars.

Rickie Lambert pens 'emotional' Southampton FC message after England surprise on St Mary's return

Over 13,000 spectators were in attendance for this matchup of former players, which resulted in the Red Devils' legends team emerging as 5-3 victors.

Lee Barnard and Rickie Lambert were the two former Saints stars to score in the match, with the former bagging a brace, whilst United's five goals came through further doubles from Phil Bardsley and Frazier Campbell, before Darron Gibson rounded off an entertaining afternoon for all involved.

The match also saw Saints raise funds for their 1976 FA Cup-winning squad - who defeated United in the final - as part of a 50-year anniversary celebration, whilst the North West side were also raising funds for the Manchester United Foundation.

However, scoring yet again at St Mary's after previously racking up 117 goals in 235 games for the club wasn't the only highlight for Lambert, who was presented with his 'legacy cap' after previously representing England 11 times and scoring three times for the Three Lions.

The man who was a part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad in Brazil has since taken to social media, issuing a reaction to a video of the moment.

"Got to say, a complete surprise and a little emotional to be presented that Saturday in front of the Saints fans and In front of my Mum and Dad and my son ln Maison," said Lambert.

"Such a special moment that meant a lot thank you again @SouthamptonFC," he added.

Rickie Lambert will hope Southampton's current squad emulate his St Mary's success

Lambert's own spell at St Mary's epitomised the club's rapid rise back to the top-flight, having signed from Bristol Rovers for in excess of £1m in August 2009 before joining Liverpool just under five years later.

Given his goalscoring prowess for Saints, some argued that the £4m transfer to Anfield was far too low, but the striker wasn't exactly able to replicate such form on Merseyside under Brendan Rodgers.

At this point, though, Lambert will certainly be rooting for his former club to regain promotion to the Premier League in an attempt to re-establish themselves amongst the elite.

They are currently locked in a tense battle for the play-offs with the likes of Hull City, Wrexham and Derby County with seven games remaining.