Story added: 21st December 2017
Sutton, Holt, Roberts and Materazzi confirmed
Iconic Canary strikers Grant Holt, Iwan Roberts, and Chris Sutton, and World Cup winner Marco Materazzi have been added to the squads for the Norwich City Legends v Inter Forever match, in May.
The trio of former city front men, who have over 200 Norwich City goals between them, join Adam Drury, Bryan Gunn, and Darren Huckerby as the ex-Canaries so far confirmed to appear in the Norwich City Legends side.
Marco Materazzi won the Champions League during his ten seasons with Inter Milan and scored Italy’s goal en route to victory in the 2006 World Cup final.
Already confirmed to appear for the Italian giants are legendary ‘keeper Francesco Toldo, Javier Zanetti, and 1993 squad member Nicola Berti.
The match, proudly supported by club Community Partner Aviva, takes place on Sunday, May 20, 2018, and will mark 25 years since the Canaries’ memorable run in the UEFA Cup in 1993.
Chris Sutton, who wore the number nine shirt during City’s 1993 UEFA Cup Run, is the second member of the ‘93 squad to be confirmed in the Norwich City Legends team, alongside Gunn.
Sutton scored 25 Premier League goals in the 1993/94 season before becoming the most expensive player in English football when he signed for Blackburn Rovers, with whom he would win the Premier League title the following season.
Iwan Roberts sits third in Norwich City’s all-time top goal scorers list behind Jonny Gavin and Terry Allcock, having struck 96 times for the Canaries.
The big Welshman was a hero to the Canary fans for seven years and picked up the Barry Butler trophy in 1999 and 2000.
Grant Holt is a player familiar to City fans young and old, thanks to four memorable seasons at Carrow Road.
A three-time winner of the Barry Butler trophy, Holt led the Canaries to the League One title and promotion to the Premier League, in successive seasons.
He was inducted into the Club’s Hall of Fame in 2012 after making a big impression in the Premier League, including a famous goal against Liverpool at the Kop End.
Previously confirmed Norwich City Legends players
- Bryan Gunn – the City stopper made a total of 478 appearances for Norwich City, was an integral part of the teams which finished 5th, 4th and then 3rd in the top flight and also played in the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. He was part of the 1993 UEFA Cup side and was player of the season twice, in 1988 and 1993.
- Darren Huckerby – the two-time player of the season played a pivotal role for the Canaries as they won the Championship title in 2003/04, and was named in the Norwich City Greatest Ever XI following a fan vote in 2008.
- Adam Drury – the former Club Captain made over 300 appearances in 11 years with Norwich City and won player of the season in 2003. He is one of a very distinguished group of Club Captains to receive silverware on behalf of Norwich City during its 115-year history.
Previously confirmed Inter Forever players
- Francesco Toldo – the Italy international was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year in 2000 before winning 11 major honours with Inter Milan including 4 Serie A titles. He kept three clean sheets in the UEFA European Championship finals of 2000 as Italy finished runners-up.
- Javier Zanetti – With 143 caps for Argentina, defender/midfielder Zanetti captained Inter in their 2010 UEFA Champions League Final victory over Bayern Munich – adding another medal to a glittering array of Italian and European honours. He has been voted in the FIFA World’s Best XI three times in a career spanning more than two decades at the very top of the sport.
- Nicola Berti – Berti was part of the Inter side that went on to win the 1993/94 UEFA Cup – his second winners’ medal in that competition. He was also part of the Italy side that finished third in the World Cup on home soil in 1990 and runners-up in 1994.
Raising funds for The Nest
The proceeds from the match will go towards the development of the Community Sports Foundation’s new facility, which will be known as ‘The Nest’, after the Canaries’ former home.
In July, the Foundation outlined their plans to redevelop the site, in Horsford, and are set to unveil a major fundraising campaign in the near future.
To find out more about The Nest, click here.