Hall of Fame full-back Andy Thompson reflects on his most elegant, skilful and stylish teammates, kits and moments which make up his beautiful game.
Most beautiful player | Alan Mahon
There was one lad that I played with at Tranmere, Alan Mahon, who played for the Republic of Ireland. He was such a gifted player, he had a brilliant left foot, and he was so good he went on to play for Sporting in Lisbon.
Most beautiful Wolves teammate | Paul Cook
There’s quite a few that were at the Wolves, but one of them was Paul Cook. When he first came to the Wolves, he was an exceptional player. He had a great left foot and was always able to pick that pass out, and he had great ability. There was also another lad who I played with at Wolves who was a really skilful player, and that was Paul Birch, who came over from Villa. He was technically very good and you could always rely on him with the way that he played. I played with some very good players during my career, some very good technical players, but I would say those are probably the ones that stood out.
Most beautiful kit | Wolves 1992-94 away
I didn’t make the Wolves kits look the most stylish, as most of the ones when I was at the club were one size fits all, which didn’t work for me! I’ve talked about this to somebody already today, as we were chatting about them being down to my elbows, and that was when it was short sleeves, and they also hung really low and the shorts were quite long, so that was an unfortunate look for me because the bottom of the top would always hang below my shorts! But my favourite kit was the away one in 1992. It was a nice blue colour with Goodyear on the front. It was the away version of the home one which had the little smudges which looked like tyre prints on it. That away one was quite nice. But with home kits, I always preferred the darker gold ones.
Most beautiful opposition | Liverpool
I don’t think the pitches helped teams to play nice football in my era as there was less grass on them and more mud! I’ve mentioned it before, and I might be name dropping a little bit, but I played against Liverpool at Anfield when I was with the Albion and that was a time when they had the Jan Molbys, the Kenny Dalgleishs, the Ian Rushs. I was a fit lad and I could run round and everything, but they had this tag for Jan Molby that he wasn’t very mobile, but I couldn’t get anywhere near him because of the way they played. They were so technically gifted and skilful, and you even had players like Steve McMahon in there who even though he had a reputation as being one of the tough players, he was still very skilful. That first game that I played was a massive learning curve for me and it just showed you the quality and what was needed if you wanted to make it as a professional footballer.
Most beautiful goal | Dennison vs Everton, 1988
I remember one game where Birchy scored a volley from the left side just on the edge of the box, coming across the wing, but for me it’s got to be Denno and that goal at Wembley, which is probably one of the best goals scored there. It was in the centenary game against Everton, he made it 1-1 at the time and we unfortunately lost on penalties, but it was a great goal. He had a bit of space about 40 yards out and then does this piece of skill where he just scoops the ball from distance and launches it straight over their keeper and under the bar. It was a great goal. But he was known for his free-kicks, and the Sherpa Van one was another stellar goal he scored.
Most beautiful stadium | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
I obviously never played there, but I’ve been to the Tottenham one quite a few times now with Wolves TV and I love it. When I first went there, I couldn’t believe it. I know we only get a little bit of the place with a press pass, but having a bit of a walk around the ground, and seeing what they’ve done with it, the way they’ve actually got that one end which is similar to the Borussia Dortmund end, all in one bank, and it helps to create a great atmosphere. It’s a great stadium and the facilities are second to none.
Most beautiful moment in history | Maradona vs England, 1986
It's got to be that Maradona goal against England in 1986. It’s probably the best goal I’ve ever seen. I know that game’s always going to be known as the Hand of God game, but his other goal more than made up for it. It was a stunning goal, where he just showed such beautiful technique and skill to single-handedly take on the whole of the England team. The way that he went about it and the way that he got the goal, he wasn’t doing this against a weak side, he was doing it on the biggest stage against a very strong England side, so it just showed you the quality that he had to be able to go out there and pull off a goal of that quality.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2025/26 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
