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In any sport — whether team or solo, played with a ball, in a swimming pool or on a racetrack — there’s always tremendous joy to be found in watching an athlete at the peak of their performance curve, seemingly unaffected by outside pressure, self doubt, or the standard of the opposition.
From the outside at least, they may look fairly unassuming but on the inside, something special is happening; something that can’t you quantify with numbers but can only be fully appreciated when intentions become actions and you see how the individual’s performance fits into the wider picture — in this particular case, the ongoing effectiveness of this Sunderland team and how we go about winning games of football.
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During 2025/2026, one player epitomised this perhaps more emphatically than any other player in the Sunderland ranks — and that’s something special in itself, given the collective level of skill, wholeheartedness and commitment we possess as a squad.
I’m talking, of course, about Enzo Le Fée, the truly outstanding, slightly enigmatic French playmaker that’s lit up the Stadium of Light, dazzled the travelling fans away from home, and would’ve more than likely been a shoo-in for the title of Sunderland’s 2025/2026 ‘player of the season’ were it not for the presence and influence of one Granit Xhaka.
£20 million on a permanent deal following promotion to the Premier League? Harrumph. An absolute bargain for a player of that calibre.
Had we signed him in the summer of 2024 and given him a full season in the second tier, the EFL could’ve probably done away with its Championship ‘player of the season’ award as he would’ve had that wrapped up with ten games to spare.
He’s just that good — and let’s remember that it was his accurate corner during the final seconds of our playoff semi-final second leg that played a huge role in kicking this whole process into a higher gear,
After half a season in the Championship, the hope among Sunderland fans was that Le Fée would prove to be the elite, game-changing presence that so many sides in this division crave; someone who could help the Lads to play on their terms, dictate matters and alter the dynamic of a game if things were going against us.
Has he done that? Erm, yes. Emphatically.
Despite making his Sunderland bow midway through what was at times a fraught Championship campaign (second tier football and top class playmakers are seldom easily bedfellows, after all), it was obvious that from his early appearances in red and white, Le Fée wasn’t merely a majestically talented footballer but a worker; someone who could bring a priceless mixture of talent and application, and vision and vigour — ideal for what Régis Le Bris was looking for from his team.
Nothing Le Fée does is accidental.
He’s a supreme on-field tactician; a plotter, a schemer, one of the men that makes us tick.
In the modern era, much is spoken about “footballing intelligence”, and the way the Frenchman sees a game and executes his skills is the epitome of that phrase. And when looking ahead to 2026/2027, his position in this team should be cemented: in the middle, where he can be free to roam and to probe; where he can be most influential and cause the most problems for opponents.
Trying to choose a favourite Le Fée moment from 2025/2026 isn’t easy.
If turning Dan Burn into a jelly-legged disco dancer in order to set up Brian Brobbey’s winner at St James’ Park was his crowning glory, how about his contribution at the Hill Dickinson Stadium or his mesmeric performances against Chelsea and Tottenham during the final weeks of the season? And that’s to say nothing of his defensive work rate, as well as his unerring ability to bamboozle opposition defenders with deft movement, razor-sharp passing and the sort of vision that leaves you open-mouthed.
He’s also got tremendous strength of character, too.
His backstory, that of family heartache and a slightly transient career before arriving at Sunderland, is inspirational enough, but as we saw following his failed attempt at a ‘panenka’ penalty during the defeat to Brentford, you can’t keep him down for long and a sublime volley against Everton in the FA Cup was the ideal response to those who took pleasure in hanging him out to dry for what was, at best, a misguided attempt at making a statement at the GTech Stadium.
If in Le Bris, we’re seeing a story of a head coach and a football club that are just right for each other unfolding in front of our eyes, surely the same is true of Le Fée.
We’d be naive to assume that rival clubs won’t be watching him with a keen eye and growing interest, but in the meantime, let’s celebrate the fact that a player of such ability is ours. Rarely do you see them pass this way, but what a thrill it is when they do.
· Global News
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