Chris Basham on his love for Sheffield United, reaching 500 games and why he became a Blade

One which would set in motion the chain of events which, nine years later, have seen his name indelibly etched into Sheffield United folklore. But it was there, after taking advice from two of the people he trusts most within the game, where Chris Basham telephoned then manager Nigel Clough to tell him he wanted to move to Bramall Lane.

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“I had a couple of Championship clubs interested in me,” the defender tells The Star, noting that United were still trying to drag themselves out of League One when their former manager got in touch following his departure from Blackpool. “But James Featherstone, my agent, also mentioned that a team from the third tier had also shown an interest and that he thought I should consider them too. It turned out to be United of course and I knew James Beattie who had played here before. Immediately he said ‘Go there, it’s brilliant, you’ll never regret it.’ So I came over, took a look around and Nigel advised me to take my time, think about it and let him know. I was living in Manchester at the time but, on the way back, I just had this feeling it was right. So I pulled over and rang him straight back, on that horrible winding road. I am so glad that I did.”

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Basham made his 372nd outing for United on Tuesday, starting their FA Cup fourth round replay against Wrexham. The match, which Paul Heckingbottom’s men won 2-1, was also his 500th career appearance; a landmark moment which drew a flurry of tributes from coaching staff, team mates and supporters alike.

Basham appears, well, bashful when some of these are relayed to him - including Heckingbottom’s comment that he will always be remembered by future generations of United’ites for his remarkable service. “I don’t know about that. I’m not that important.” But, whether Basham realises it or not, he definitely is. Two promotions and a ninth-placed top-flight finish already feature on his South Yorkshire CV. If things go according to plan over the next three-and-a-half months, starting with today’s game against Swansea City, then he’ll enter his testimonial season as a Premier League player once again. Heckingbottom’s side have prepared for the fixture second in the Championship and 10 points clear of third.

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“The craziest time here was probably getting out of League One,” Basham says, reflecting on United’s first campaign under Chris Wilder following his appointment in 2016. “Well, that and seeing my face come up on the big screen the other night saying I’d got to 500. We thought it was all done and dusted but Chris came in and told us ‘No, we’re going for 100 points as well. What we’ve started hasn’t finished yet.’ We got there, to the century, and thinking about it now he was so right.”

Basham’s humility, combined with a prodigious work ethic, goes a long way towards explaining why Clough, Nigel Adkins and Wilder all valued him so highly before Heckingbottom was seduced by his qualities too. But Basham is also a damn good footballer. Under Wilder, he was a pivotal figure in the tactical shift which revolutionised the modern game. Overlapping centre-halves are now commonplace, with the many of the game’s leading names now employing them. Yet most analysis of this phenomenon ignores the fact it was United, in the modern era at least, who first employed them.

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“You see everyone doing it now,” Basham admits. “All the way through the leagues. It shows how innovative it was and, credit to the gaffer here now, he’s brought it back and we’re having success with it.”

“He (Wilder) just asked me one day if I’d ever played there before,” Basham continues, noting how he was regarded as a midfielder and occasional wing-back before Heckkingbottom’s predecessor arrived. “He must have spotted something in a game and just went with it. No one could cope with us back then, the energy with Jack (O’Connell), Enda (Stevens) and George (Baldock) all going forward as well.”

Anel Ahmedhodzic, signed from Malmo last summer, is now United’s first-choice option on the right-hand side of their rearguard. Still Basham, aged 34, remains a regular performer under Heckingbottom.

“I’ve changed how I view myself, not being involved as much now. As a player, you can sometimes be selfish but, with us doing well and winning, I’ve realised you can contribute in other ways. I’m more aware of the bigger picture. And that competition, it’s competition in the right way as well, gives you a real hunger.”

Rejected as a youngster by Newcastle, Basham has resisted the opportunity to get in touch with those who doubted him before eventually turning professional with Bolton Wanderers. “When I go back and see a few people they always tell me ‘We knew you had something.’ Hopefully, I’ve shown that since.”

Basham cites his player of the year award three years ago, when the Covid-19 pandemic intervened to stall United’s march towards Europe, as the most cherished honour he has received as a professional. “Because the lads had done so well, to get that was so special. It could have been any one of 20, really.”

But Basham possesses something much more meaningful than medals and trophies. The love and respect of United’s followers.

“My kids are Blades and, when the time comes in the future, I’ll always come back here. I can’t tell you how much it meant to hear the applause the other night, when they made the announcement. I don’t know if I’ll stay in football when I retire. Maybe Billy (Sharp) will give me a buzz when he becomes a manager? I’ve always given 100 percent for this club, my club and hopefully people recognise that.”

They do.

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