Who are Fulham’s greatest Barclaysmen?

In his debut article, Ben Ballard charts what he believes to be our most iconic ballers from the Barclays era.

Flooding our social media timelines with videos of Premier league cult icons and noughties indies tracks, the ‘Barclaysmen’ trend took X by storm, enriching our lives with the kind of luxurious nostalgia that makes you audibly groan with approval.

The formerly useless recesses of our mind reserved only for random Premier League footballers have fuelled the fires of a cultural phenomenon, and regular references to Yakubu, Morten Gamst Pedersen, and Rory Delap (among many others) have become relevant outside of 5am afters, post-match pub sessions and long train journeys.

It begs the question, as every footballing matter does, where do Fulham fit into all of this? Who are the Fulham players who have captured the public conscience as true Barclaysmen?

We could have included many, many more, but here are 10 of the most notorious Barclaysmen to grace Craven Cottage.

1. Damien Duff

Few things are more reminiscent of the golden Barclays years for Fulham fans than Damien Duff gliding inside off the right flank to slot one in the far corner past a flailing goalkeeper.

Left midfielder in the 2002 UEFA Team of the Year (yes, you read that right), the ex Blackburn, Chelsea and Newcastle man was already a decorated Premier League player by the time he made his debut in SW6. That it was a Europa League qualifier against Amkar Perm makes it all the more gloriously esoteric.

And while Duff would be the first to admit that he had lost some of the dazzling pace and skill that made him a two-time Premier League champion, it wasn’t long before his wand of a left boot, boyish blonde hair and tireless industry had endeared him to the Fulham faithful and reinvigorated his cult status in the English top flight.

2. Steed Malbranque

Whether it was Betfair, Pizza Hut, Dabs.com or Pipex emblazoned across his torso, Steed brought a continental flair and immutable intensity to our early years in the Premier League.

His departure was the first of many to break my heart and while his remaining years in the top flight with Tottenham and Sunderland were unremarkable (albeit consistent), Steed remains one of Fulham’s all time Premier League top scorers and a pivotal figure in our consolidation as a mainstay in the league. Who can forget “Steeeeeeeeeeeed” ringing out across a Premier League stadium?

In the words of Jose Mourinho, “this is football heritage”.

3. Luis Boa Morte

While the world was fawning over Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry, we were falling in love with Malbranque and Luis Boa Morte on the banks of the River Thames.

Undoubtedly one of Fulham’s most iconic Premier League figures, Boa Morte was everything a football fan could ask for in a player. The Portuguese international won the Premier League at Arsenal but it was at Fulham where his direct attacking runs, aggressive style and passion for the shirt – often accompanied by a brilliant smile – created a unique bond with the fans.

And who can forget that goal against Chelsea? A man who Fulham fans loved, and opposition fans loved to hate, ‘Luis Bo’ is as cult as heroes come.

4. Zoltan Gera

One of Gera’s most remarkable and peculiar qualities is that if you met him down the pub, it would be difficult to believe that he was a footballer – much less a former Europa League finalist capped nearly 100 times by his country. And yet that scrawny man with his ungainly strides, alongside a legacy of famous goals and acrobatics, created one of the most magical nights in our club’s history.

His career at Fulham might have tailed off, but his ability to pop up sporadically in the footballing world, whether it be volleying West Brom to a victory against Liverpool in 2012 or conducting the Hungary midfield at Euro 2016, has secured a joyously eccentric Zoltan Gera lore that exists both within and external to Fulham’s own.

5. Jimmy Bullard

In an era where media training had begun to dilute Premier League footballers, turning them into robots spewing out rehearsed lines, Jimmy Bullard was truly one of a kind.

A personality so large that it seems difficult to believe that he only played 39 Premier League games for Fulham. Despite his injury-riddled spell at Craven Cottage, Bullard was a fan favourite and a pivotal figure in the 2007/08 ‘Great Escape’. His free-kick against Aston Villa kick-started that famous run-in and although his most iconic moments in the Barclays era – winding up Big Duncan Ferguson while at Wigan, and the team-talk celebration for Hull City, to name but a few – Jimmy Bullard will not be forgotten quickly at the Cottage.

6. Clint Dempsey

Nothing screams prime Barclays like belting a volley over the keeper from 30 yards out on a snowy Tuesday night at the Britannia. Clint Dempsey’s career took him to the New England Revolution, Fulham, Tottenham, Seattle Sounders and Fulham again, but I can guarantee “you don’t know where he’s from, dawg”.

That chip against Juventus is one of the greatest goals in Fulham history and yet Dempsey’s legacy in SW6 extends far beyond that historic night. Whether it was the 17-goal season in 2011/12, the goal against Liverpool to keep us in the league in 2006/07 or the hat-trick against Newcastle, ‘Deuce’ was a walking highlight reel. A forward who donned the number two and released his own rap single, the streets have no choice but to remember the Barclaysman that is Clint Dempsey.

7. Louis Saha

Opposition defenders had nightmares about Louis Saha with a Pizza Hut logo on his shirt and blonde highlights in his hair. Blessed with lightning pace and clinical off either foot, he was the kind of player that reminded you why you fell in love with football.

To many, he is the best Fulham striker of the modern game, but he is equally a reminder of a different era in football, an era where the Gegenpress, VAR and set-piece coaches were unheard of and games on muddy pitches were won and lost by the individual brilliance of players like Saha.

Injury-plagued throughout most of his post-Fulham career, Saha’s meandering spells at Man United, Everton, Tottenham, Sunderland and Lazio only add to the mystique of a truly magical footballer.

8. Brede Hangeland

Batman and Robin, Tom and Jerry, Ant and Dec, fish and chips, Hangeland and Hughes. It could have been either one of that famous partnership burnishing this list, but I do not exaggerate when I say that no one did it like Brede Hangeland.

The sheer size of our 6’6 man mountain was notable enough, but not even that could overshadow the character of this humble giant. Not too long after prescribing Hangeland with his infamous cheese therapy, Felix Magath ultimately cut short our love affair with Big Brede but his exceptional defensive capabilities, his iconic goalscoring feats and his love for the club are forever written in the history books.

9. Bobby Zamora

Can you name the only two players in Premier League history to score penalties with both feet? I thought not. Right foot, left foot, or on that shiny bald head, Bobby Zamora was deadly.

His song was iconic enough in its own right, but watching Zamora at his best, bullying centre-halves, Cruyff-turning for fun and whipping balls past goalkeepers, that truly was amore.

We all remember Zamora at his best but it was his initial struggles at Fulham (which almost saw him leave the club in 2009) that made it all the more special when he took us to dreamland in Europe and then got there himself, representing England twice during his time at Craven Cottage. 

10. Papa Bouba Diop

Football has an unparalleled ability to trigger nostalgia and while it can be a warm and celebratory experience to reminisce about some of the most iconic Fulham moments we experienced as a child or a teenager or a young adult, it is also inherently wistful.

This feeling is never confronted more vividly than when remembering the great man that was Papa Bouba Diop. Of course, there was the otherworldly strength and the worldies against Chelsea and Man United but what was always more striking to me was the very tangible sense that Papa savoured every minute of football that he played as if he knew he was living out every fan’s dream.

An FA Cup trophy after leaving Fulham was a fitting tribute to his top flight career and to a man who will be remembered not just as a Barclaysman but as a true gentleman and character of the game. Rest in peace, Papa.