MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 22:23:43| >> :120:10300:10300:

On this day: David Platt moves to Italy

Back on this day in 1991, England international David Platt left Aston Villa to sign for Italian outfit Bari.

At his recent unveiling as a Roma player, Ashley Cole spoke of the current reluctance that English players have when it comes to plying their trade abroad.

Yet, it has not always been that way. In years gone by, the likes of Glenn Hoddle, Chris Waddle, Paul Gascoigne and Ray Wilkins all tried their luck in a foreign league, while back in the early 2000s, Steve McManaman, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate all represented Real Madrid.

Another England international that spent time away from home was David Platt, who came to the attention of clubs in Serie A when he scored three goals, including a memorable volley against Belgium, at Italia 90.

He returned from that tournament to score 24 goals for Aston Villa, which was form that convinced Bari to part with £5.5m to sign the midfielder 23 years ago today. At the time, it was a record fee received by an English club for one of their assets.

Upon his arrival in Southern Italy, Platt boldly stated that he wanted to have a similar impact on his new club to the one that Diego Maradona had on Napoli. While that was a nigh on impossible task, he did make a major impression, scoring 11 goals from midfield in his debut season in a league that was famed for its ultra defensive style.

He endeared himself to the Bari faithful even further by watching his side's encounter against Hellas Verona among the supporters when he was serving a suspension.

Nevertheless, his positive effect could not prevent the Galletti from dropping out of Serie A. Platt had too much quality to play in Serie B, though, and he soon joined Juventus, making Bari a £1m profit. He struggled to secure a regular place in the starting lineup in Turin and so was sold 12 months later to Sampdoria, where he would become a key member of Sven-Goran Eriksson's Coppa Italia winning side.

Throughout his time in Italy, Platt was often lauded for having immersed himself in the culture and the way of life of the locals.

He was brought back to England and the Premier League in 1995 by Arsenal, whom he would help to win the double three years later. The curtain eventually came down on his career in 2001 following a stint as player-manager of Nottingham Forest.

ID:166062: cacheID:166062:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4601:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
David Beckham celebrates scoring for England against Colombia on June 26, 1998.
Read Next:
England's top five World Cup goals
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!