There is no doubt that Kevin Phillips is a Sunderland legend, with the striker finding the net with ease in his six-year spell at the Stadium of Light.
The achievements of Phillips at the Black Cats are something the striker can look back proudly on.
In his first two campaigns, he netted 60 goals in all competitions, with the latter ending in promotion to the Premier League after they stormed the First Division with 105 points.
However, it was the 1999/2000 campaign that will live long in the memories of the Stadium of Light faithful.
Despite being the Premier League new boys, Sunderland took to the top flight with ease.
Much of this was due to the brilliance of Phillips who was consistently finding the back of the net.
By the end of the campaign, he had netted an extraordinary 30 goals, not only earning him the Premier League top scorer award but also the European Golden Boot.
Yet, Phillips insists that this feat may not have been reached if not for the words of one Newcastle legend.
Read more: Eight Sunderland records that may never be broken.
Alan Shearer’s words spurred Kevin Phillips to 30 goals
At the time, Alan Shearer was the elite striker in the division. Going into the 1999/2000 campaign, he had already netted over 150 Premier League goals.
However, at the time, the majority of these had come at Blackburn, with the former England international netting over 30 times in three consecutive campaigns.
The prospect of scoring 30 Premier League goals in a single season was unheard of at the time, and Shearer insisted that this feat would not be repeated.
Yet, these words proved to be the Newcastle legend’s undoing as Phillips reveals that this spurred him on to reach the milestone.
The Sunderland legend stated in 2020: “After Al had said he didn’t think another player would score 30 league goals, I was desperate to get to that.
“When I was 29, I went a few games without scoring and it was towards the end of the season.
“I managed it against West Ham and with my celebration I did the 10, 20, 30 hand gesture.
“I never even thought about a European Golden Shoe. I didn’t even realise at that time it existed!”
He then added: “I was always confident in my own ability but I didn’t envisage I would score as many as I did.
“I have to give loads of credit to my teammates who gave me so many opportunities.
“I was very surprised by the amount of chances we created — I got two or three chances a game.
“At the time I think we took the Premier League a little by surprise with our little and large combination between myself and Niall.
“I’ve always said the goal never changes, it stays the same size.
“There’s always going to be one person between the sticks — and it’s about trying to remain calm when you get that opportunity.”
‘Netting 30 goals with Sunderland makes the achievement more special’ – Kevin Phillips
While Erling Haaland may dominate the Premier League now with his goals, few stars outside the ‘big six’ have come close to hitting Phillips’ record.
Many players in the top division now move to a better side if they show glimpses of quality. Dominic Solanke is a prime example. The striker netted 19 Premier League goals last season before earning a move to Spurs in the summer.
However, Phillips believes that the fact he netted 30 goals for a team outside the top couple in the league ‘makes the achievement better’.
“If I were to harp on about it I think people might say I was being picky,” Phillips said in 2023. “But let’s put it this way: If an English player scored 30 goals now, they’d get themselves a massive move and be on God-knows-what. They’d be all over the world.
“When I did it, it was just like, ‘Yeah it’s a freak, it’s a one-off.’
“I thought it was a hell of an achievement. No disrespect, but generally when players score 30 goals, they are doing it in a team who are in the top two, three, or four in the league.
“I did it in a team that finished seventh, in a team that – and I love Sunderland, they’re dear to my heart – are not fashionable compared to Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and so on.
“So I think that made the achievement even better. To have received the Golden Boot in the whole of Europe as well, it’s never been beaten [since, by an English striker], and I don’t think it ever will when you have the likes of Messi and Ronaldo and Neymar.
“It goes under the radar and doesn’t really get mentioned, but within my household, I’m certainly very proud of it!”
While Kane has since won the European Golden Boot, in the 2023/24 campaign, he has not done it in the Premier League.
This means Phillips is still the last Englishman to win the European Golden Boot in the Premier League.
With players like Haaland now scoring goals for fun, it is unlikely that this will be matched anytime soon.