Dwight Yorke is the most celebrated active footballer to visit these shores since who knows when.

The European Cup-winning former Manchester United striker is part of a Sydney FC squad hotly favoured to pour more misery on the Knights at North Harbour Stadium tonight.

While the Knights languish, soccer is hitting the mark across the Tasman led by Australia's qualification for next year's World Cup finals in Germany. But Yorke's class and glamour appeal are also at the cutting edge of this renaissance.

The 34-year-old Yorke was due in town late last night, arriving a day later than his team-mates after zipping back to England for Christmas.

Here's a potted history of an effervescent character who has experienced just about everything in football, from banging in goals to getting on the wrong side of Sir Alex Ferguson - with a fair dollop of tabloid headlines in between.

* Yorke has struck international football gold in the twilight of his career, with the Trinidad and Tobago side he leads making that country's first-ever World Cup finals appearance. With a population of 1.2 million, the Caribbean nation will be the smallest at next year's tournament in Germany. It is in England's group, meaning Yorke will face old team-mates such as David Beckham. Yorke "danced around the hotel room" when he heard England were in the same group.

* Yorke had quit international football four years ago after coaching problems. United manager Ferguson once tried to stop him playing for his country, saying it would never qualify for the World Cup finals.

"... that wasn't the point. Trinidad and Tobago is my country and I'm the main man there," said a defiant Yorke at the time.

* Yorke unsuccessfully tried to contact Beckham after T and T beat Bahrain to qualify.

"I've tried to phone him, but he's changed his mobile number," Yorke reckoned.

* Yorke was "discovered" by Aston Villa when they toured T and T in the late 1980s. Ferguson broke the English transfer record when he signed him for more than 12 million from Villa in 1998, a signal the United boss was serious about regenerating his successful club.

* Yorke scored 135 goals in 400 club appearances for Villa, United, Blackburn and Birmingham. His most famous front-running partnership was with Andy Cole at United. He played in the 1999 European Cup final against Bayern Munich, one of the greatest games in history. United scored twice in injury time for the stunning 2-1 victory which completed a treble of titles for the season.

Yorke won three consecutive English premiership titles, finishing joint top goalscorer in the premiership during the treble- winning season, but his post-United career was less glorious.

* Manchester United's legendary captain Roy Keane reckoned: "Dwight had enjoyed a fabulous [treble winning] season - in 51 appearances he scored 29 goals and led the line superbly, setting up countless scoring chances for others.