'Up there': Ally McCoist shares the one area where Matt Le Tissier was genuinely as good as Lionel Messi

Yesterday at 01:15 PM

Matt Le Tissier is rightly considered one of England’s greatest-ever players.

Le Tissier spent the entirety of his professional club career at Southampton and is widely considered as the Saints’ best player of all time.

The 56-year-old was renowned for his quick feet, technical elegance and eye for goal.

Matt Le Tissier was ahead of his time, considering he was the first midfielder in Premier League history to score 100 goals, paving the way for other players like Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes to replicate him.

The 56-year-old was a scorer of great goals as well, with his dinked finish from outside the box against Manchester United in 1996 as well as his left-footed half-volley against Arsenal in 2001 springing to mind.

Matt Le Tissier compared to Lionel Messi

So much so that Ally McCoist feels that Matt Le Tissier scored a standard of goals that are comparable to that of Lionel Messi.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Jeff Stelling initially said: “I watched a video of his 20 greatest goals in reverse order and I saw goal number 20 and I thought there can’t be 19 better than this.”

Ally McCoist replied: “Who, Le Tiss? Ridiculous, ridiculous.”

Stelling added: “But there were. He scored some ridiculous goals.”

“Here’s a statement for you and let’s make it controversial. I think he is up there with the likes of [Lionel] Messi in terms of great goals. In terms of a scorer of absolutely top-class, great goals, Le Tissier has to up there with anybody! Anybody!”

“In terms of scoring great goals, goals that make you go wow, he’s up there with anybody!”

Le Tissier names the best goal he’s ever scored

While some may disagree with Ally McCoist’s bold claim, there is no questioning that Le Tissier had a habit of scoring extraordinary goals.

In an interview with Football’s Greatest with Jeff Stelling, Matt Le Tissier claimed that his tremendous long-range goal against Blackburn Rovers in December 1994 is the finest he has ever scored.

“I’ve got two different answers for my favourite goal and my best goal.”

“So, my best goal, I think I scored was against Blackburn, which won the [Premier League] Goal of the Season in 1995.”

However, Matt Le Tissier revealed his favourite-ever goal was against Arsenal in the final game at Southampton’s legendary stadium, The Dell.

“My favourite goal, because of the situation because of the fact that it was the last-ever game at The Dell, I was the last-ever person to score a last-ever league goal at The Dell, that winning goal against Arsenal in the 88th minute in the last-ever game at The Dell, I couldn’t have written a better script to finish my playing career at The Dell.”