Lee Sharpe

Torquay United

Sharpe, who was born in Halesowen, Worcestershire, was an Aston Villa supporter, but initially was a member of the academy at Birmingham City. Sharpe was released from Birmingham's academy aged 16 before his father got him a trial at Torquay United. He was subsequently signed by the Gulls and played 14 times in the 1987-88 season as they achieved a 5th place finish in the Football League Fourth Division before turning 17 until just after the season's end. He was soon on the radar of First and Second Division clubs and was sold to Manchester United in June 1988 for £200,000, a record fee at the time for a YTS player.

Manchester United

Sharpe made his debut for Manchester United on 24 September 1988 in a 2–0 win over West Ham United in the Football League First Division, aged 17. His first team chances increased in November with the departure of the club's first choice left winger Jesper Olsen, and were further enhanced when new signing Ralph Milne performed inconsistently. Sharpe ended the 1988–89 season with 22 league appearances to his name, although he failed to score and United finished a disappointing 11th in the league a year after finishing second. He played 30 games in all competitions that season, and was on the shortlist for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, which was won by Arsenal winger Paul Merson. The following season, Sharpe found the net for the first time in a United shirt, scoring in the 5–1 home win over Millwall on…

Sharpe was capped eight times by England between 1991 and 1993.

Sharpe has also developed a career in reality television. He appeared as a competitor in the 2005, ITV television show Celebrity Wrestling, under the name "Sharpe Shooter". He is also known though for appearing in Celebrity Love Island in 2005. During his time on the island, Sharpe courted the attentions of many of the show's ladies, most notably TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss, who confessed to "never having felt like this before about someone", but Sharpe eventually dated Abi Titmuss. In 2007 Sharpe appeared as a contestant in ITV's Dancing on Ice. He was eliminated from the competition on 3 March 2007. Sharpe, alongside former Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker, currently fronts a London Underground advertising campaign for Nourkrin, a baldness treatment. He is billed as "Of Celebrity Love Island fame!" In 2008, Sharpe starred in Dec's team on Ant versus Dec, on Saturday Night Takeaway ITV1. Sharpe also starred as the celebrity 'hider' in an episode of the CBBC show Hider in the House. He also appeared in the 2008 television series Superstars on Channel Five. In August 2009, he appeared in the RTÉ One celebrity boxing series, Charity Lords of the Ring. In 2019 and 2020, Sharpe featured in both seasons of ITV show Harry's Heroes, which featured former football manager Harry Redknapp attempting to get a squad of former England international footballers back fit and healthy for a game against Germany legends.

After retirement in 2004 and 2006, Sharpe became a football pundit for ESPN Star in Singapore in Asia, and together with Les Ferdinand, is a celebrity host on the game show "Kickoff". Sharpe was previously a pundit on BBC's Match of the Day 2 and Football Focus, and during the 2006 World Cup presented a vlog for Yahoo. Sharpe appeared in one episode of the football drama Dream Team. Sharpe was one of the football pundits hired by Abu Dhabi Sports Channel, for their exclusive coverage of the Premier League.