Jeff Stelling and Matt Le Tissier have been reminiscing over football from yesteryear and the conversation led to a former Southampton ace.
Stelling’s welcomed Saints legend Le Tissier to his Football’s Greatest podcast this week.
The pair were colleagues at Sky Sports for years, working alongside each other for the Gilette Soccer Special show.
They have both departed the broadcaster in recent times, with Stelling the latest to leave last year due to his health.
On the latest episode of the podcast, they discussed Le Tissier’s memories in the game, at length, and one ex-Saints star was mentioned.
Jeff Stelling labels Francis Benali a ‘monster’
Francis Benali, who made 344 appearances for Southampton between 1987 and 2004, was labelled an ‘absolute monster’ by Stelling when discussing his character on the pitch.
“Pat Van Den Hauwe, he had them mad eyes that like the red mist comes down, a bit like Franny Benali had,” Le Tissier joked.
“Franny off the pitch is the nicest man in the world,” Stelling added.
“David Prutton (said) off the pitch, nicest man in the world. On the pitch, turns into an absolute monster.”
A look at one of Benali’s tackles below, and it’s pretty clear to see why the two saw contrasting personalities on and off the field.
What is Francis Benali up to now?
Benali retired from professional football in July 2004 after playing a total of 359 games, predominantly with Southampton but also with Nottingham Forest.
The tough-tackling left-back is now an inspirational speaker and has released his own autobiography, which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards 2022.
Benali was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Years Honours list for his charity work, in which he has raised over £1m.
One of his fundraising challenges involved running to every Premier League and Championship ground in just under two weeks.
The 55-year-old is active on X (formerly Twitter) and is often posting inspirational messages and Southampton-related opinions.
His latest post was a video wishing his former side well in their clash at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road, with the caption reading: “It goes without saying the importance of every game now. A great opportunity to go and win 3 points and make a statement to every other team in the Championship.”
He remains involved in the game and has appeared as a pundit on Sky Sports and BT Sports, as well as radio station talkSPORT.