MATTHEW Le Tissier's boyhood hero Liam Brady has paid a glowing tribute to the Saints legend on the day of the testimonial which will bring to an end his 17 years of service at Southampton.

More than 32,000 fans will pack into St Mary's tonight to thank Le Tissier for his loyal service and the 209 goals he has scored since joining Saints in 1985.

In a recent interview, Le Tissier admitted that he idolised Brady, along with Glenn Hoddle, as a boy and said: "Brady had a left foot I would have killed for. If I could have had his left foot I would have been quite a decent player."

And Arsenal legend Brady was quick to return the compliment, saying: "I rate Matt at the very top of the tree with Paul Gascoigne and Glenn Hoddle. Not many English players spring to mind who had that kind of beautiful balance and technique."

A galaxy of stars will be turning out to play in the match between a Saints side and an England XI this evening, including Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and John Barnes. They will be honouring a man for his loyalty and contribution to Saints, but Brady admitted he felt that playing for a bigger club may have meant more England caps for Le Tissier

"I would have liked to see Matt play for a team that was going to challenge for trophies to see how far that technique would take him. I think if he had done that his claims for more England caps would have been enhanced," added Brady.

"In some ways, maybe Glenn Hoddle wasn't at all fair to him - to bring him in and then discard him as quickly as he brought him in, was a bit unfair, but I am only looking from the outside."