Former Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell recently revealed one player that he thought “was an absolute Rolls Royce” when he was with the Blades.
That player was the late great Ugo Ehiogu. Ehiogu played 27 times for Sheffield United, scoring a goal and making two goals for teammates. He was also sent off once.
Blackwell spoke fondly of the centre-back on Sheff United Way:
“I never realised, until I had him, how good Ugo was. He was an absolute Rolls Royce. They said his legs had gone when I got there, and he had problems with his calves. He played for me nearly as much as he could, I don’t think he missed many games. But once again, what a leader he was.”
But Ugo would get released at the end of the 08/09 season when his contract expired, with the Blades cutting big earners off their books.
Kevin Blackwell added:
“Ugo was an absolute gentleman, and nothing but respect. I learned a lot from him.”
In 1993, Ehiogu became the first black player to captain an England team in a competitive match, when he captained the England u21’s.
The centre-back made over 400 career appearances across three different decades. He also recorded four senior English caps.
When he retired in 2009, he became a coach and worked with the England u20’s for the 2013 u20’s World Cup. He also worked part time as a coach for Tottenham Hotspur’s u21’s.
Sadly, on the 20th of April 2017 Ugo Ehiogu suffered a cardiac arrest at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground and he died the next morning.
