What I’ll miss about Oli McBurnie

"Football as destruction derby" - Alec Hawley pays tribute to the departed Oli McBurnie.

Alec Hawley

One of the defining images of Oli McBurnie comes from an August 2022 game vs Luton. After a sumptuous volley to make it 1-1, the Blades number nine runs behind the goal to charge along the side of the stand where the United supporters are housed, roaring into the camera as fans leap over the hoardings behind him. It’s vaguely reminiscent of the infamous Diego Maradona coke-fuelled scream at the 1994 World Cup, but Mcburnie’s look of wild-eyed intensity isn’t the product of substance abuse, just the sheer intoxication of competing and succeeding on a football pitch.