Two decades on, Niall Quinn remains the ultimate modern Sunderland icon

Today at 01:00 AM

The legendary Irish striker epitomises all that we loved in a Sunderland player, and his affinity for the red and white clearly burns as strongly as ever.

Sunderland AFC's recent 'Founders Week' was filled with plenty of evocative social media content, historical landmarks and of course, the release of a fantastic retro-themed long sleeved jersey from Hummel to drive the point home even more emphatically. The message? 'This is our history, we're tremendously proud of it, and here's why you might be too'.

Among the aforementioned online content was an in-depth interview with a man whom I consider to be the very definition of a modern-day Sunderland icon, someone who wore our badge with pride and represented the club and the city with distinction, and that man's name is Niall Quinn.

Nowadays, Quinn is a far less visible presence on the airwaves and newspaper columns than in the mid-2010's, when he combined his role at the club with a position as a respected commentator for Sky Sports.

Nevertheless, it was great to hear from the big man once again as he recalled his years in red and white, from the excitement of the late 1990s to flirtations with Europe under Peter Reid, his rapport with the Sunderland supporters and the many trials and tribulations of his stint as chairman.

As you'd expect, hearing from the former Irish international brought back plenty of memories from a near-three decade association with Sunderland, from his injury-interrupted debut campaign to tearing up Division One and the Premier League, before returning on a wave of optimism in 2006.

It may be over two decades since Quinn last played a competitive game for the Lads, and the intervening years have seen unprecedented upheaval, turmoil and evolution at the Stadium of Light, but in my view, few players in that time (and arguably since we moved to our current home) hold the kind of status — or even should hold the kind of status — that the Irishman was able to attain.

Of the current crop of red and white talents, Luke O'Nien naturally comes closest to carrying on the legacy that was started in modern times by Kevin Ball and continued by Quinn, that of a player from further afield who made Sunderland their home and embraced life in the city, but for a variety of reasons, I would still put Quinn on a higher pedestal.

One word I always associate with Quinn is 'class'.

This applies equally to his Sunderland career as a dynamic, talismanic striker during the halcyon days of the Reid years, but also off the field as he embraced his adopted home following his 1996 move from Manchester City, and latterly as club chairman, when he returned to spearhead the Drumaville Consortium's takeover in 2006, hiring Roy Keane as manager and ultimately helping to lay the foundations for a decade of Premier League football.

Quinn's attributes — among them his charm, ability to connect with a fanbase scarred by a brutal 2005/2006 campaign and give them something to believe in once again — were exceptionally useful as he contributed to the rebirth of Sunderland in a non-playing capacity.

Prior to this, and during seven years as a player, it was the dominant performances, the towering headers, the clever finishes and the general dynamism he brought to the team that turned him into a such a respected figure.

Many talented strikers have donned the red and white stripes in Quinn's stead, but in order to fully appreciate how good he was, you really needed to have lived through those years and to have witnessed him in his pomp. Reid's record in the transfer market could occasionally be sketchy, but he struck gold with Quinn, and then some.

In addition to his ability on the field, he could be cutting, witty, and occasionally prophetic.

Remember his observation that 'we know we're the best football team in the division and next year, we'll prove it' line in the aftermath of our heartbreaking Wembley playoff loss in 1998?

Lesser players might've hedged their bets or been lost for words at such a moment, but instead, he put his arms around Michael Gray after his penalty miss, struck a defiant tone in front of the TV cameras, and played his part when the 1998/1999 Division One title was won in emphatic fashion before things really went to a new level during our memorable 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 seasons.

Quinn's connection with the equally brilliant Kevin Phillips was one of the best, most spectacular and successful many of us have ever seen at Sunderland, but it's fair to say that twenty one years since his Wearside farewell, he clearly retains an affinity for the red and white stripes — proof that, in his own words, Sunderland really did get under his skin.

A true icon.