Billy Sharp

At 38 years old, Billy Sharp has this physical status:

Club career

Sharp was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and as a youth player, he played for Middlewood Rovers Junior Football Club. He began his playing for Rotherham United and Sheffield United's youth teams before making his first-team debut for Sheffield United in the 2004–05 season. In January 2005, he joined Rushden and Diamonds on loan, scoring 9 goals in 16 games for the club before moving to Scunthorpe United in 2005.

Sharp made his name in the 2005–06 season by signing Scunthorpe's Andy Keogh from Leeds United, who joined Scunthorpe on a permanent deal in 2005 for a £100,000 fee. Keogh and Sharp became one of League One's most potent strike force, scoring 38 goals between them, with Sharp scoring 23 goals and Keogh netting 15 of them.

In the 2006–07 season, Sharp led his team to promotion to the Championship after scoring 30 times in the league. This was the highest total in England's four leagues. In the televised loss to Aston Villa, he scored a header, only helping to raise his profile around the country. In all, he scored 56 goals in 95 games for Scunthorpe during his two seasons at Glanford Park.

Sharp's contingent was keen on him after his goalscoring success in the 2006–07 season, and a number of clubs in Sharp showed keen interest in the striker when the season came, but a number of clubs made bids for him.

Sharp returned to Sheffield United on July 4th, 2007, for a fee of around £2 million, a transfer that saw Jonathan Forte of Sheffield United's Jonathan Forte transfer to Scunthorpe.

Sharp made his complete Sheffield United debut in the 2007–08 season's first game, a 2–2 draw with Colchester United. In a 2–1 win over Coventry City, he scored two goals against Morecambe in September, but he had to wait until March to score his first league goal. He went on to score three more times before the season's end.

Sharp started the 2008–09 season off by posting a flawless hat-trick (header, right foot, left foot) in the Blades' first home game against Queens Park Rangers. He scored the equalizer in a 1-1 home draw to Coventry a few weeks earlier, but it was his last league goal of the season. Sharp scored twice more in the FA Cup, including a goal against Hull City during a fifth-round replay. Sharp was wrongly charged for diving by referee Peter Walton, who later apologized for his mistake. Sharp was placed on the transfer list in July 2009 as the club was rebuilding the squad after losing promotion.

Sharp joined Doncaster Rovers in the Championship Championship on September 1st. He was ranked number 5 for the season, a rare feat for a striker. He made his debut against Reading on September 12th and scored his first goal just two games later against Scunthor United, a former club. With ten goals in seventeen games, it sparked a lot of people, and Sheffield United's January transfer window would allow the striker to leave Sheffield United, with both Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley expected to sign the striker. Sharp's season came to an end early this season, but he nevertheless managed to finish with 15 goals in 33 league games.

Sheffield United's initial bid of what was thought to be £1 million from Doncaster on May 20th was turned down, but the club had not lost hope of signing the striker during the summer transfer window. Despite United's £1 million being accepted by United, Sharp refused a transfer to relegated Premier League side Burnley on June 29th. Sharp eventually agreed to Doncaster Rovers for £1.15 million on July 7, 2010, beating their record of £300,000 for Matt Mills from Manchester City. Sharp stayed at Keepmoat Stadium until the summer of 2013.

Sharp scored in his first game back against Preston North End on August 7th on his second birthday. Sharp won by 2–0 for Rovers against another of his former clubs, Sheffield United, but he was forced to leave early in the first half due to a hamstring injury. It was later announced that he would be out for at least six weeks. Sharp scored a six-minute opener at the Walkers Stadium in his return against Leicester City. Sharp told BBC Radio on March 3rd that he would need a hernia surgery but that he would hold it until the end of the season so he could hit a 20-goal milestone. Despite failing to reach this milestone, Sharp's bids came in during the summer window, but Doncaster turned down two bids from Ipswich Town. Sharp himself declined Southampton's bid for £3.25 million, only after it was rejected.

Sharp scored a volley against Middlesbrough in the 14th minute on November 2, 2011, three days after his two-day-old son Luey Jacob's death. He celebrated by removing his jersey and launching "THAT'S FOR YOU SON" underwear, but not given the usual yellow card by referee Darren Deadman for his emotional honors. Doncaster lost 3-1 on the game against Middlesbrough. Sharp's team beat Ipswich Town 3–2 at Portman Road on Friday. Sharp's goal was also greeted by the home fans, who applauded his victory, with the player later stating that the gesture brought a smile to him. Barnsley supporters were accused of chanting insulting Sharp's son's death when Doncaster defeated Barnsley 2–0 on Sunday, but Barnsley director Don Rowing denied it was untrue and attributed it to rumors on Twitter.

After turning down a bid days before from an unidentified club, Doncaster decided an undisclosed fee with Championship rivals Leicester City for Sharp on Saturday. Despite agreeing to this fee, Doncaster gave Sharp a new contract, which was said to be the most lucrative deal in their history. Sharp had refused the transfer to Leicester after a goalless draw with Cardiff City, according to Rovers boss Dean Saunders.

Sharp agreed to Southampton on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee that is expected to be around £1.8 million. Sharp scored his first goal for Southampton on his homecoming in a 2–0 win over Burnley on February 11, 2012. In a 2–0 victory over former Doncaster Rovers on March 24, he scored twice. Southampton defeated Portsmouth 2–2 at St Mary's Stadium on 7 April in his first South Coast derby, scoring twice. In a 3–1 victory over Peterborough United on April 17, he scored his first two away goals for the club. After deflecting a shot from Adam Lallana against Coventry City, Southampton helped Southampton beat Southampton as runners-up in the Premier League for the second time this season.

In a 4–1 win at Stevenage in the League Cup, his first goal of the 2012–2013 season came in.

Sharp joined Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the 2012–13 season, on August 31, 2012. On September 1, 2012, he made his Nottingham Forest debut as a replacement against Charlton Athletic at the City Ground. Forest defeated Cardiff City 3–1 in their first goal on October 20, 2012. When he was a student at Nottingham Forest, he scored 11 goals in 40 games, the club's top scorer in total, finishing the season as the club's top scorer.

Sharp joined Reading on an emergency loan agreement on September 26, 2013, partnering with former boss Nigel Adkins. Sharp scored his first goal for Reading on December 3, 2013 in their 1–0 home win over Charlton Athletic. Sharp returned to Southampton on January 2nd after completing his loan, scoring twice in ten games for the club.

Sharp rejoined his former club Doncaster Rovers on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season on January 22, 2014 – a new phenomenon. He scored in the 85th minute on his first appearance at Blackpool on January 25th, earning the visitors a point. Sharp was suspended in the match at Brighton on 8 February for a foul on Gordon Greer. Sharp came back from suspension and scored against Huddersfield Town a month later. Sharp was unable to help Doncaster remain in the division after being relegated to League One.

Sharp returned to Yorkshire and joined Leeds United on a two-year contract on August 13, 2014. Southampton's transfer fee was estimated at £600,000.

He made his Leeds debut on August 16th, scoring a late winner in a 1–0 win over Middlesbrough, giving Dave Hockaday his first victory as Leeds Head Coach. Sharp scored his second goal for Leeds in a 1–1 draw against his former club Nottingham Forest on December 20th. Leeds beat West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town 2–1 on Monday, with Sharp scoring a 90th-minute winner in a 2–1 victory. Sharp scored for Leeds in a 3–2 loss to Watford on February 28, 2015.

Leeds United sent Sharp home from their summer training camp in Austria in anticipation of a transfer back to Sheffield United on July 23, 2015, after being barred from their pre-season friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Sharp returned to Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee on July 25th. Sharp averaged more than one goal every two matches for United in the 2015–16 season, scoring 21 goals in 39 games.

Sharp was named team captain following Chris Wilder's arrival as the new Blades boss on May 12, 2016. In a 2–0 home win over Oldham Athletic on December 26, Sharp scored his 50th career goal for Sheffield United.

Sharp scored twice during United's 3–0 win over MK Dons in April 2017, bringing his career goals total number to 201. Sharp penned a new two-year deal at his boyhood team in the summer of 2017, after they had failed to qualify back to the Championships.

Sharp scored his 220th goal on January 1st century on January 1st, becoming the top goalcorer in English league football during the 21st century, beating the record set by Rickie Lambert. On January 12, a new contract extension was activated after playing his 23rd game of the season and retaining him at the club until 2020. Sharp scored his 100th goal in all competitions for Sheffield United on Sunday when he scored his second goal against Aston Villa in a 3–3 draw. He was invited to the 2018-19 Championship Team of the Season in March 2019. Sharp saw United promoted to the Premier League for the first time since 2007.

Sharp scored in Sheffield United's return to the Premier League on August 10th, his first goal in the English top flight, after his 88th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw.

Sharp signed a new two-year deal on June 10th, extending his stay at the club until the summer of 2022.

Sharp scored his 100th league goal for Sheffield United on January 12th through a penalty in a 1–0 home league victory over Newcastle United on January 12, 2021. The Blades won their first league victory of the season and their first league victory since July 2020.

Sheffield United were knocked out of the 2022 Championship play-off semi-finals by Nottingham Forest on May 17th. Sharp, who had not participated in the game, was headbutted and knocked to the ground during a pitch invasion by Forest supporters at the end of the match. A wound needed stitches. A man was arrested and charged with the assault later that day. A 30 year-old man was charged with assault occasioning real bodily harm and marching onto the playing field at a football match the next day. He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning real bodily harm at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on May 19 and was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison. Sharp was also ordered to pay £500 in court fees and £128 in court charges, and was issued a two-year football ban. Following the attack, Nottingham Forest fans raised over £15,000 to a Just Giving fundraiser to protest their attacker's indignation and register their sympathy for their former player. Following consultation with Sharp's rep, Martin House Children's Hospice was chosen as the charity to receive the funds.

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