Former Sunderland stopper Thomas Sørensen says he’s “desperate” to return to Wearside with his family
Former Sunderland goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen has looked back on his time at the Stadium of Light – from his move to Wearside as a relatively unknown Danish stopper to his record-breaking promotion campaign and the unforgettable moment he denied Alan Shearer in the Tyne–Wear derby.
Speaking to Rob Mason for the club’s matchday programme, Sørensen reflected on the decision that changed the course of his career. The tall and athletic keeper was signed by Peter Reid from Danish club Odense Boldklub in the summer of 1998 for around £510,000, replacing fan favourite Lionel Pérez, who had left on a free transfer. Recommended to Sunderland by Peter Schmeichel, Sørensen was just 22 at the time and little known outside Denmark.
“When I signed for Sunderland in 1998 it was really the start of my career,” Sørensen recalled. “It was a big opportunity and I had no idea where it would end up. I had five fabulous years at the club. Sunderland is still ingrained in my DNA and that of my family. It brings back fabulous memories. It’s a great club with great fans and I had fantastic teammates. I’m so happy that we are back in the Premier League. I just wish my kids could have been there at that time when I was playing. I would love to take them back with my wife.”
Sørensen says Peter Reid took a chance on him – a decision that paid off handsomely as he went on to become one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League. “For me personally, I think Peter Reid took a bit of a gamble on me,” he said. “I was young and something of an unknown as an up-and-coming Danish goalkeeper.
“He wouldn’t have given me many games if I wasn’t doing it, so I was obviously playing my part and the team helped me. It was really easy to some extent, but I felt that I had contributed, and we went on to have some great times in the Premier League.”
Sørensen became a key part of one of Sunderland’s most successful modern sides, helping the club to promotion in 1999 and breaking a long-standing record with an extraordinary 29 clean sheets during a 105-point Championship-winning campaign.
“Obviously we had a fantastic season,” Sørensen said. “It was a team who had suffered the disappointment of the Play-Off final loss on penalties before I came in. It was a team who came into that season determined to prove a lot of people wrong and I was lucky enough to become part of it.”
Once in the top flight, Sørensen helped Sunderland finish seventh in consecutive Premier League seasons and produced one of the club’s most iconic moments – saving Alan Shearer’s late penalty in the 2–1 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park in November 2000.
“Of course. There are always moments in your career – whether they are good or bad – where you instantly feel the emotions,” he recalled. “In that situation, he was well known for hitting it up to the keeper’s right. He was pretty consistent, but I just had a hunch that was added to by his body language that he was maybe overthinking it. We were leading 2-1 and it was late on, but I thought I saw things that maybe would bluff him a little bit, and that he would change from his usual side. He did, and I managed to save it.
“I realised how big a save it was when we got back to Wearside. We went to a bar and somebody offered £500 for the chair that I had sat in. That’s when I fully understood how much it meant for our supporters to win the derby. It meant a lot for us and it means a lot to me now.”
Reflecting on how the transfer to Sunderland materialised, Sørensen credited the club’s then goalkeeping coach Tony Coton for scouting him and admitted that the passion of the fans ultimately convinced him to move. “Tony Coton had a relationship with Peter Schmeichel and I had been to United in 1997 and the spring of ‘98 and had training sessions there,” he explained.
“Maybe they had a word with each other, but I don’t know. Tony Coton came to Denmark to watch me, as did some other clubs. What swayed me to choose Sunderland was when I saw the stadium and met Peter Reid, and saw a video of the Play-Off semi-final with Sheffield United. The atmosphere made me understand it was the right place for me because I saw the passion of the fans. I couldn’t have made a better decision.”
The move also opened the door to an international career that saw Sørensen earn over 100 caps for Denmark and appear at major tournaments, including the 2002 World Cup. “That was an opportunity that Sunderland provided,” he said.
“It was during that promotion season that I started to get involved. We had a Play-Off semi-final against Israel for Euro 2000 when Peter Schmeichel and I came on and that was a highlight for me as Peter was coming to the end of his career and they were looking for the next young keeper. Going to the big tournaments was fantastic. We beat France at the 2002 World Cup, but one of the lowlights came against England when I didn’t cover myself in glory. I played with a lot of great players.”
Now based in Australia, Sørensen works as a TV pundit covering Premier League football – and he still follows Sunderland closely. “I’ve always followed Sunderland’s results wherever I’ve been,” he said. “Those scenes in the play-offs last season were incredible.
“So many people around the world have seen the ‘Sunderland Til I Die’ documentary, and I’ve lived it to some extent. I’m so pleased for all of the fans who have lived through those years. It will be tough, but I feel Sunderland can stay up.”
Away from football, Sørensen has swapped goalkeeping gloves for cycling gear, competing in endurance events across the world. “There are qualifying rounds all around the world, which I came through,” he explained. “This year the championships are in Australia, where I live now. I keep myself fit out of habit, I think, and it demands a lot of training. The event is 130 kilometres with a couple of semi-mountains, so it’s a fairly hard route. You have to wear your national jersey.”
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And while his playing days are long behind him, Sørensen admits a return to the Stadium of Light remains high on his list. “I’m desperate to bring my kids over to give them the experience of seeing Sunderland,” he said. “I’m hoping to come over next year or the year after, and it would be great to come and feel the atmosphere at the Stadium of Light and to see the supporters again.”
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