What Billy Sharp’s dad did before he became a Sheffield United hero is incredible | OneFootball

Sharp's cult hero status at Bramall Lane will never be jeopardised due to his love for the Blades

It is impossible to think of Sheffield United in the modern era without associating the Steel City side with former striker, Billy Sharp, who remains not just a cult figure at Bramall Lane, but throughout the EFL as a whole.

Sharp, alongside Chris Wilder, were two local cornerstones of United's rise from League One to the Premier League in rapid fashion between 2016 and 2019.

However, Sharp's third and final spell with his boyhood club, which lasted as long as eight years, began with a reunion with his former Southampton boss, Nigel Adkins, whose own managerial stint in South Yorkshire proved to be one to forget as United failed to achieve a long-awaited promotion from the third tier under his experienced stewardship.

Therefore, the deal which brought the Championship's all-time leading scorer back to Bramall Lane was a moment which defined the 2015/16 season, with the likes of Wilder and Paul Heckingbottom ending up as major beneficiaries.

As previously mentioned, Sharp and the Blades go hand-in-hand due to his well-documented support of the club, even before his first spell as a player between 2004 and 2005.

But, the lengths his father took to support the club were perhaps on an even-greater scale, as well as taking the eventual cult hero and his brother to Bramall Lane on several occasions during his childhood.

How Billy Sharp's dad used to attend Sheffield United games before his son was a Bramall Lane legend

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Shortly after completing the deal which saw him return to the Steel City in the summer of 2015, Sharp reaffirmed his love for the club, and at the time, his desire to bring success back to Bramall Lane after years of decline.

During his second stint, United lost the Championship play-off final against Burnley in May 2009, and were relegated to League One in 2011, a year before Sharp made his first appearances in the Premier League after gaining promotion with Southampton.

Talking on Sky Sports, he said: "I started there as a kid and always wanted to play for the club because I'm a Sheffield boy."

Then going into further detail about his personal memories of going to matches with his dad and family before pursuing his own successful career, the striker added: "Tickets were not as expensive back then, so my dad tried to take me to as many games as he could. He's a die-hard Blade. I have seen some unbelievable games as a fan and it's my job now to bring some new memories for the supporters."

Billy Sharp lived up to his promise as Sheffield United were revived

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After scoring 13 goals in 64 appearances during his second spell with United, but one which yielded a far greater amount of gametime, the 2015/16 season where he marked his return was one of strong personal success, even if it would take another year for the club to win League One with exactly 100 points.

After scoring 21 times, during the promotion-winning season under Wilder, Sharp hit 30 goals, and two years later, another 23 would land him a spot in the Championship Team of the Season as the Blades ended a 12-year exile from the Premier League.

Sharp then scored the club's first goal back in the top-flight against AFC Bournemouth in August 2019, and netted a further eight goals in the division before returning to the Championship and eventually ending his playing association with the club in June 2023 after a season which brought automatic promotion and a run to the FA Cup semi-final.

Billy Sharp's future ambitions involving Sheffield United

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The 40-year-old has also had more than one spell at Doncaster Rovers, and recently ended his second stint with the Reds with a hat-trick against Peterborough United.

Despite still having a burning desire to continue playing, Sharp exclusively outlined to Football League World in February 2026 that he, one day, hopes to emulate the aforementioned Wilder and go from the terraces, to the pitch and then the dugout at Bramall Lane.