Many of those whose careers brought them to Fratton Park have developed a life-long affection for the Blues and life on the south coast.
So here, in the words of 12 former players, is why Pompey holds so much affection for footballers who have proudly worn the shirt...
9. Mark Hateley
'My one year at Pompey was the basis of my whole career, it provided the foundations. Without Pompey I don’t think I would ever have achieved what I managed to do.
'My time there, though, was like the blink of an eye, an incredibly fast year, arguably my best-ever in football in terms of getting from A to B.
'It was ridiculously quick, like one of these Roy of the Rovers stories, and if you wrote it all down you would think it a complete flight of fantasy.'
(Mark Hateley, Played Up Pompey, 2015) Photo: None
10. Ricardo Rocha
'Looking back at my career, I wish when I first came to the Premier League I had gone to a club like Pompey and not Spurs because it is like a family.
'Everybody will support you as a player, everybody will be there for you and at Spurs it didn’t happen, it wasn’t like that. Pompey is a wonderful club.'
(Ricardo Rocha, Played Up Pompey, 2015) Picture: Daniel Hambury/EMPICS Sport Photo: Daniel Hambury
11. Alan Biley
'I never wanted to leave Pompey, I wanted to cement myself in folklore, to be one of the club greats.
'You don’t know anything about Pompey until you drive onto that island, you haven’t got a clue. When you do, it grabs you forever.
'My belief was I would have rotted under Alan Ball if I hadn’t left, but by going to Brighton it finished my career anyway because the heart had been ripped out of me.'
(Alan Biley, Played Up Pompey, 2015) Photo: None
12. Lomana Lualua
'Living in Port Solent and playing for them I became a fan, it was my team. They weren’t my employers, they were the club I supported and wanted to see do really well.
'You ask anybody, all the time I was out in the city meeting people, mixing socially and taking part in a lot of charity work with Linvoy Primus. I was a fan of the city and knew how much that match meant to everybody.
'I still have that Southampton match on DVD and whenever I need happy memories to cheer me up I get it out and watch it.
'My kids have seen it plenty of times, that was one of my happiest times in football and I am so grateful to God for letting me be part of such a wonderful occasion.'
(Lomana Lualua, Played Up Pompey, 2015) Photo: National World