Lee wears his heart on his sleeve in his role as Sunderland’s team captain.

The midfield general loves a hefty challenge and always looks to set the tone with his up-tempo play.

He brings tenacity and leadership to every game he plays and has captained the Black Cats for the last two seasons.

Lee is a north-east lad from Stockton and began his career with Middlesbrough at the age of just 17.

He played a big role in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, even playing in the UEFA Cup Final in 2006 as Boro lost 4-0 to Sevilla.

The midfielder was made the club’s youngest ever captain and made just short of 100 appearances in all before joining Wigan in July 2008 for £3.5m.

‘Catts’ played 35 games in his one and only season with the Latics, returning to the north east when Sunderland paid £6m to sign him in the summer of 2009.

He made an immediate impact in the red and white stripes, taking over the captaincy ahead of the 2010-11 season when Lorik Cana left for Galatasaray.

Lee – a former under-21 international with England - kept the armband when Steve Bruce was replaced by Martin O’Neill in December 2011.

He has struggled with injuries at times but still averaged 24 appearances in each of his first three seasons as a Black Cat.

Lee committed his future to the club by signing a new long-term contract in October 2012.

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