Brian Deane Remembers When He Made Premier League History With Sheffield United

Twenty-five years ago this month sporting history was made at Bramall Lane.

Just five minutes into the first-ever Premier League game, Brian Deane struck. A long throw came in, the ball was flicked on and the English striker pounced. Reading the play well, Deane made a run and got to the ball first, heading to past a helpless Peter Schmeichel in goal. 1-0 to Sheffield United against Manchester United.

No one back on August 15, 1992, not Deane, not Schmeichel or any of the administrators who launched this brand-new football competition independent of the FA, could have predicted how the Premier League, and indeed football itself, would change over the next quarter of a century.

The money, the TV coverage, the exposure, the worldwide reach, the giant salaries, the global appeal. The English Premier League has become the pre-eminent sporting across the globe, watched and followed closely from San Francisco to Sydney, Shanghai and Sao Paulo.

“When people say it’s the best league in the world, it’s the most followed league,” Deane told The Sportsman.

“It generates the most interest around the globe and I suppose back then we had no idea it was going to happen. Back then the Italian league was probably the biggest league at the time. And so for the Premier League to now be the world leader, we had no idea really.

“Obviously the money that has come into the game has made it a better spectacle from the fans point of view. The stadiums, the training facilities, the science that goes into it and football creates that kind of money so the players are going to benefit from it.” 

For Deane that iconic moment in 1992 seems a lifetime away. The centre forward scored 195 goals in his 21-year career but that one against the Red Devils, a favourite of quizzes and sporting trivia, lives long in the memory.

“It’s great. I’m really proud to be part of history, definitely,” he admitted.

“You’re talking about it because it’s Manchester United I suppose. That’s what gives it extra-special meaning, they were the best team in the year that year. For me as a game it probably has more meaning because of that.”

The Premier League now is almost completely unrecognisable from that debut season 25 years ago. Then the likes of Wimbledon, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham Athletic and Coventry City were clubs in the top flight. Stadiums were smaller, less games were on TV and foreign players were rare. The new league started with a five-year £305 million TV deal from Sky. In 2015 Sky and BT shelled out £5.136 billion for TV rights over three years.

“The longer you stay in the Premier the more money it generates, and that’s why it’s a business. All in all the model itself is a fantastic one and fortunately if you spend time outside of the Premier League there’s some big clubs outside of the Premier League that I played for – Sheffield United, Leeds United – they’ve probably fallen behind because they haven’t been part of it and haven’t enjoyed some of the money that comes the club’s way.”

Today players’ wages have skyrocketed to unheard of levels. Players are sold and bought for obscene figures. Lifestyles, and their connection to the average fan, has changed too.

“Who wouldn’t want to be playing today?” Deane said.

“But I’ve seen the other side of that, I enjoyed the era that I played in. There’s a lot of scrutiny now, there’s a lot of exposure, social media, all of these things now that players had to put up with we didn’t have back then. That has a big bearing because it’s all down to advertising, it’s all down to making money. Everything combines to make the game what it is today. It is what it is, there’s no point saying if you take away that then maybe that would be better. It’s just a combination of everything that makes the Premier League a global interest now.”

For Deane no matter what he does he will always be tied to the dawn of the Premier League, tied to that special afternoon in South Yorkshire. It’s a goal that went down in history, a moment etched in time.

“It’s kind of always there. It’s just the time has flown so much. 25 years, most of the top players now weren’t even born then. It is kind of strange from that point of view as I still feel quite young in myself. Obviously I’m a bit of an old man now.”

• Brian Deane was speaking to The Sportsman on behalf of Play With A Legend, an eventscompany and agency for former footballers, which gives fans the chance to play alongside over 100 former footballers. Visit Play With A Legend for more information.