Matt Le Tissier reveals Southampton FC period when ex-players felt unwelcome | OneFootball

Matt Le Tissier has opened up on the only time he felt unwelcome at Southampton

Matt Le Tissier has revealed that Nicola Cortese was the only person to make him feel unwelcome at Southampton after his playing career ended.

The 57-year-old spent his entire professional career with the Saints, becoming a modern club legend during his time in the team.

He spent 16 seasons competing at the highest level of English football with the Hampshire outfit, becoming known for his impressive technical ability and his wonderful goals from all over the pitch.

Le Tissier became an ambassador for the Championship side in the years following his retirement, but he stood down from the role in April 2022.

The former playmaker posted a controversial series of messages on social media regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted him to step down from his position with the club.

The former England international also departed from his role as a pundit with Sky Sports, where he was a long-standing presence on the Soccer Saturday programme, alongside Jeff Stelling, Paul Merson and Phil Thompson.

Matt Le Tissier opens up on Southampton exit

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Le Tissier has claimed that he never felt like he was being isolated or pushed out at Southampton, and that the decision to step down from his ambassador role was ultimately his own.

However, he singled out former chairman Nicola Cortese for not treating former players well during his time in charge, and that these issues have been resolved since his exit.

“I was never ostracised at Southampton, in fact the only time I was slightly ostracised was when, before Covid, Nicola Cortese was there,” said Le Tissier, via OLBG on YouTube.

“He was not really welcoming to any of the ex-players and that stuff.

“But during the other periods, I stood down from my role as ambassador because I didn’t want the club to take any stick for the opinions I was giving on social media.

“So I stood down to protect them from that, and during all that time the club have always been brilliant with me, always giving me tickets to the games, and they’ve never once said you’re not welcome.

“So, I’ve never ever thought I’d been ostracised in any way.”

Matt Le Tissier’s importance to Southampton

Le Tissier came through the ranks of the Southampton academy system in 1986, helping the club finish 12th, 13th, 7th, 14 and 16th in the years before the formation of the Premier League.

And he spent the following 10 years becoming one of the first major cult figures of the Premier League era for his fantastic goal scoring efforts for the Saints.

The 57-year-old had an impressive highlight reel of long-range efforts that maintained Southampton’s place as a consistent presence in the division up until his departure from the club in 2002.

However, he has courted controversy in recent years for his crusade regarding freedom of speech.

But he remains a figure associated heavily with Southampton, and has appeared frequently in official club content despite no longer being an ambassador.

Le Tissier will be hoping the Saints can earn promotion back to the Premier League under Tonda Eckert this season in what is their second consecutive year of Championship football.

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Matt Le Tissier remains welcome at Southampton

Le Tissier has become a divisive figure in the world of football since he first started speaking out a few years ago, regularly sharing conspiracy theories online.

But he remains popular at Southampton, where he still continues to have a presence at St. Mary’s even after stepping down from his role with the club.

His relationship with the current ownership is much stronger than when Cortese was acting on behalf of Markus Liebherr.

And it would not be surprising to see him pop up in attendance for numerous Southampton fixtures throughout this season, and in the future.