Emile Heskey

At 46 years old, Emile Heskey has this physical status:

Club career

Heskey was a keen footballer in his youth and played for Ratby Groby Juniors, Leicester's local youth team. He stood out among his peers and was accepted a place in Leicester City's football academy at the age of nine. He made his first-team debut at the age of 17, while also a first-year student in a Premier League match against Queens Park Rangers on March 8, 1995, progressing through their youth system. Following the conclusion of the 1994–95 season, Leicester was relegated to the First Division, and he began his professional association with the club on October 3, 1995. In the 1995–96 season, he was a first-team regular, appearing in 30 league games. Heskey scored his first goal, which came in a 1–0 win over Norwich City in a season where he had seven goals. He helped Leicester gain promotion back to Premier League, winning the 1996 First Division play-off Final after beating Crystal Palace 2–1.

Heskey scored 10 goals in 35 appearances, his first appearance in the Premier League, and equalized himself against Middlesbrough in 1997, which Leicester defeated in a replay. For the PFA Young Player of the Year award, Heskey came runner-up to David Beckham. Heskey's next season piqued attention from Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur as he scored ten Premier League goals, making him Leicester's top scorer this season. Heskey's 1998–99 season saw him score only six top-flight goals, but he was chastised for lacking enough goals and going to the ground too quickly. Nonetheless, he forged an efficient strike partnership with Tony Cottee, who profited from Heskey's unselfish style of play, which boss Martin O'Neill maintained that the team remained in the Premier League during this season. Heskey began for Leicester in the 1999 League Cup Final, in which they were defeated 1–0 by Tottenham Hotspur. With a 2–1 victory over Tranmere Rovers in the 2000 final, he went on to win the League Cup for the second time.

Heskey joined Liverpool on March 10 in a long-anticipated £11 million transfer fee that at the time tied the highest transfer fee paid by the Merseyside club. Gérard Houllier, Liverpool's manager, looked forward to working with him, but said "at his age, he is not the finished product." Heskey was inexperienced and was not a natural goalcorer, according to the media, and it was expensive and risky. However, England under-21 boss Peter Taylor, as well as England and Liverpool teammate Michael Owen, held him in high regard. Ian Rush, a veteran Liverpool striker, accepted the offer, noting that Heskey would "give Liverpool a different sense of perspective," giving the Liverpool strikeforce more power and complimenting Owen and Robbie Fowler's quick play. In a 3–0 victory over Coventry City on 1 April, Heskey made his debut in an Premier League match against Sunderland on March 11, 2000, scoring his first goal. With 12 appearances and 3 goals for Liverpool, he finished the 1999-2000 season.

He started the 2001 League Cup Final on Sunday, in which Liverpool defeated Birmingham City 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 extra-time draw. On May 12, 2001, he was in the FA Cup Finals, starting before Fowler, who won 2–1 against Arsenal. Heskey's four days later started the 2001 UEFA Cup Final, in which Liverpool defeated Deportivo Alavés 5–4 after extra time. Heskey scored 22 goals for Liverpool during the 2000-2001 FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup treble. In the 2001 FA Charity Shield, he started for Liverpool, defeating Manchester United 2–1. When Liverpool defeated Bayern Munich 3–2 in the 2001 UEFA Super Cup, he scored his second goal.

Liverpool's 2–1 loss to Arsenal in the 2002 FA Community Shield on August 11, 2002. Heskey started for Liverpool in the 2–1 loss to Arsenal in the 2002 FA Community Shield. In December 2002, Houllier was linked to a £12 million move to Tottenham Hotspur, but he denied it was part of his long-term objectives and remained at Liverpool. Heskey donated six figures to help a group led by Gary Lineker in their attempt to buy-out his former club, Leicester City, who were facing financial difficulties. In the 2003 League Cup Final, he was involved in Liverpool's 2–0 victory over Manchester United. In 51 appearances for Liverpool, he scored 9 goals in 51 games and was chastised for his poor goal-to-game ratio, with Houllier claiming that his future at the club was secure.

During a match against Newcastle United in January 2004, he sustained a hamstring injury that kept him out of action for three weeks. Heskey's 2003–04 season saw him face Milan Baro for a spot in the Liverpool starting line-up. After a back injury forced Baro out for months and ended the season with 12 goals, he regained his position in the team.

Heskey joined Birmingham City on a five-year deal for an initial £3.5 million fee, which may have increased to £6.25 million, making him Birmingham's most costly player. He sustained an ankle injury in a pre-season friendly against CA Osasuna, putting his Premier League debut against Portsmouth in jeopardy. He was eventually able to play against Portsmouth on August 14th, but the match was a 1–1 draw. In the eighth minute against Manchester City, his first goal came with a header, which was enough to win by 1-1 on August 24. Despite Birmingham's poor 2004-05 season, Heskey was named as the club's Player of the Season, Player of the Season, and Most Man of the Match awards.

On 19 April 2006, he sustained an ankle injury against Blackburn Rovers, and after failing a late fitness test, he played in a 0–0 draw against Everton on April 22. Heskey's 2005–06 season in Birmingham, during which he scored just four goals in 34 league appearances, culminated in relegation to the Championship. Heskey's appearances were patchy during the season and Birmingham fans abused him. Birmingham managing director Karren Brady said that Birmingham's relegation meant that the last £1.5 million of the maximum £6.25 million fee for signing Heskey from Liverpool would not be payable.

Heskey was signed by Wigan Athletic, a Premier League club, on July 7, 2006, for a £5.5 million fee. On August 19, 2006, he made his Newcastle United debut against Newcastle United, where his new team lost 2–1. Heskey scored his first goal for Wigan in a 1–0 Premier League win over Reading on August 26. Heskey scored his first goal for the club in his 500th appearance in the league. In 36 appearances in the 2006–07 season, he scored 8 goals in 36 appearances, avoiding relegation due to a goal difference over Sheffield United, against whom Heskey played well on May 13, 2007.

In September 2007, Heskey suffered with a suspected broken metatarsal, and he returned to Wigan with a 2–0 loss to Arsenal in November. During Wigan's 5–3 victory over Blackburn in December 2007, he sustained an ankle injury. Heskey scored a 90th minute equalizing goal against Chelsea on April 14, destroying Chelsea's hopes of winning the Premier League. In the upcoming match, he scored Wigan's equalizer against Tottenham Hotspur, giving them a 1–1 draw, his last goal of the 2007–08 season.

In Wigan's fourth match, a 5–0 victory over Hull City at the KC Stadium, his first goal of the 2008–09 season. In October 2008, he suggested that he would leave Wigan to play in the Champions League, but Wigan boss Steve Bruce tried to persuade him to sign a new deal with the club. "It would be lovely," Heskey said in reaction to Liverpool's news of suspicion. We'll see how it goes," the pilot says. On November 1, 2008, he scored his 100th goal in the Premier League against Portsmouth, which resulted in a 2–1 victory for Wigan. Heskey could be transferred to Wigan in January 2009 as a result, according to Dave Whelan, the Wigan chairman, although he would go on for free in the summer, after he had been debating a new deal. Bruce, on the other hand, said he would only accept an invitation for Heskey if it was "outrageous." He later stated that he was secure in keeping Heskey at the club. Heskey sustained a hamstring injury during a match against Bolton Wanderers in December 2008, resulting in him missing the FA Cup third round tie against Tottenham Hotspur. He later announced that he will stay at Wigan and see out his deal until the summer of 2009.

On a three-and-a-half years contract, Heskey signed for Aston Villa on January 23, 2009 for a £3.5 million fee. He made his debut against Portsmouth four days later on Saturday and scored from 20 yards, marking the first time he had scored on a club debut. He scored one more goal before the season's end, with the first goal a 1–1 draw with West Ham United. With 14 appearances and two goals for Villa during the 2008-09 season, he ended the season in 2008.

In a Peace Cup pre-season friendly match against Málaga in July 2009, he suffered from concussion minutes after minutes. Heskey was reported to have suggested leaving Villa during the January 2010 transfer window to help ensure he would be chosen for the England team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, to which manager Martin O'Neill responded by saying, "There are players at this club with England aspirations." "I would not be overly worried about all this stuff right now." However, Heskey denied ever wishing to leave Villa. In February 2010, O'Neill told him to "get to a head of steam," despite the fact that Heskey's injuries prevented him from delivering his best form. He appeared for Villa in the 2010 League Cup Final, in which the team lost 2–1 to Manchester United. Heskey made 42 appearances and 5 goals in the 2009–2010 season.

He made his first appearance of the 2010-11 season at Rapid Vienna after starting with a 1–1 draw in the Europa League play-off first leg. The striker was off to a promising start in the 2010-11 season under Gérard Houllier, who previously managed Heskey at Liverpool, with winning goals in the local derbies against Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion.

Heskey barge into referee Mike Jones in Aston Villa's home match against Wigan on May 7, 2011; he did not give him a free kick for an alleged elbow injury by Antol's Alcaraz. Heskey was given a yellow card for his conduct, but he had to be disciplined by colleagues like Brad Friedel and captain Stiliyan Petrov. He was active in the remainder of the game but was forced to be retrained in the tunnel at the time. At halftime, Caretaker boss Gary McAllister opted to substitute Marc Albrighton for Marc Albrighton, and Heskey was not allowed to stay at the stadium for the remainder of the game. Heskey was not disciplined by either Villa or The Football Association for his outburst. Heskey was "lucky he didn't get sent off," he said later.

Heskey stayed with Villa for one season, in which he scored just once in an August 2011 win over Blackburn. After being told he would not be offered a new deal, he was released in May 2012.

Heskey joined Newcastle Jets, Australia's premier league, on September 21, 2012, making him the country's best player for the 2012-2013 season. He made his debut in the Jets' 2–0 home loss to Adelaide United, in which he was recalled in the 72nd minute for James Virgili. In a 3–2 away victory over Sydney FC on October 13, Heskey scored his first A-League goal. Heskey's goal against Sydney FC, followed by a goal against F3 Derby opponents, F3 Derby Rivals, two goals against Melbourne Victory, and one goal against the Western Sydney Wanderers brought his total score up to five goals in five starts, raising his total number to fifth in the league. The match against Melbourne featured "Heskey Cam," which allowed the viewer to track Heskey's movements throughout the game. Heskey, who played for the Jets from 2012–2013 with 9 goals in 23 appearances and receiving a nodulation for the Player of the Year award, has since signed a new deal in April 2013. Heskey, who played in 19 appearances from 2013-2014, left the Jets to pursue a move to an English club.

Heskey signed with Bolton Wanderers in a short-term deal on December 24, 2014, following a fruitful trial. He made his debut two days later as a half-time replacement for Robert Hall with Bolton 1–0 down at home to Blackburn, but Bolton went on to win 2–1. Eir Gujohnsen, a 36-year-old forward for the club, had set up his goal by the end of the month. Heskey was released by Bolton after his deal came to an end in the 2015-16 season. He resigned from playing after being recalled.

Post-playing career

Heskey joined Egerton, a coach, in 2017, alongside Jlloyd Samuel, Jim Cherneski, and Dean Gorré. Heskey revealed in May 2020 that he was on a UEFA Management degree and was planning to do an internship with Leicester City's women's department as part of it. In September, he was appointed to a position of ambassadorial and mentoring with Leicester City Women as they progressed to professional status, and Russ Fraser, the club's head of women's football, was given the job of supporting the club's head of women's football, with the academy's development. Fraser retired a year later, and Heskey succeeded him as the head of women's football development. Jonathan Morgan, Leicester Women's boss, was fired on November 2521 after the team's 2021-2022 FA WSL season ended with eight consecutive losses, and Heskey took over the position on an interim basis. Lydia Bedford had been named as the team's manager five days earlier, but Heskey was able to train for the team's upcoming League Cup tie against Manchester United. Following a 2–2 draw in regular time, his sole match in charge was decided on penalties.

International career

Heskey made his international debut with the England national under-16 team in a 1-0 victory over Portugal in their first match at the 1994 European Under-16 Championships on April 26. England got off to a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland two days later. All four of Heskey's under-16 caps were capped at this tournament, in which England was defeated by Ukraine in the quarterfinals, losing 7–6 on penalties after a 2–2 extra-time draw.

Heskey made his under-18s debut against Latvia in 1996 UEFA European Under-18 Championship qualifying, scoring both goals in a 2–0 victory in the second and 58th minutes. In the 18th minute of England's third-place match against Belgium, he appeared in all four matches for the team at the 1996 European Under-18 Championship, scoring in the 18th minute of the third match against Belgium, where England defeated 3–2 after extra time. He had eight appearances and five goals in his under-18 career.

Heskey began to play with the under-21 squad on October 8th, 1996, a year later, against the same team in a 1–1 draw. He made his under-21 debut on March 29, 2000 in a 3–0 victory over FR Yugoslavia in a 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-off, in which he scored six goals. In a 2–1 loss, he was captained by the England B team against Chile on February 10, 1998, scoring a 90th-minute goal in a 2–1 loss.

On November 18, 1998, Heskey was given his first call-up to the senior England squad for a friendly against the Czech Republic but did not participate. On April 28, 1999, he made his debut in a friendly against Hungary in Budapest, a 1–1 draw, and made his first appearance against Argentina at Wembley Stadium. He was in the England squad for UEFA Euro 2000, as shown by his performance. However, his two replacement performances in the tournament did not help England, as the team was eliminated in the group stage.

Heskey made it five" in England's 5–1 victory over Germany in a qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in September 2001. This was followed by his DJ goal celebration, which he also endorsed. Heskey was included in the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and was used as a back-up plan to play in England's left-wing role in the match against Sweden, but he did not do well out of his normal role. In England's 3–0 victory, which saw England advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament, he scored against Denmark. He appeared in the tournament in which England was defeated 2–1 by Brazil's eventual champions.

When England defeated them in a Euro 2004 qualifier in October 2002, he and teammate Ashley Cole were abused by some Slovakians, sparking the investigation into the allegations. Slovakia was eventually compelled to play their next home international behind closed doors. With the introduction of Wayne Rooney into the England squad, Heskey's place in the England squad had been scrutinized in 2003. Despite being chastised for his international success, he continued to play an integral part of the international team and took over captaincy from Michael Owen after he was recalled when England defeated Serbia and Montenegro 2–1 in Leicester in June 2003. Heskey was included in the England squad for UEFA Euro 2004, but he didn't do well and was the object of a lot of skepticism. He came as a replacement while England was leading 1–0 against France and fouled Claude Makélélé on the edge of the penalty area, giving France a free kick. England eventually lost 2–1.

After being dropped after the match against Ukraine in August 2004, Heskey was recalled into the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan. The possibility of a recall has waned ever since Peter Crouch's appearance in the England squad.

Heskey's international appearances under his new manager Steve McClaren were limited, although he was called back to the England squad in September 2007 as back up against Israel and Russia after expressing an interest in playing with Heskey. He started the match against Israel and was instrumental in the England disaster, and by playing for Wigan Athletic, he became the first England player to be capped for England. Heskey's next match against Russia was also played out, fighting Peter Crouch for a spot in the squad, during which he provided an assist for Owen's second goal. Emile Heskey was praised for his performances in both matches, with former England international Alan Shearer saying, "Never in a million years did I expect to be debating whether Emile Heskey should keep his place ahead of Wayne Rooney."

Heskey was called into Fabio Capello's first squad against Switzerland but had to leave due to a back injury. In a match that ended 2–2, he was called into the squad for a friendly against the Czech Republic in August 2008 and came as a 46th-minute replacement. He appeared in the following 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification victories against Andorra and Croatia. During the match against Croatia, Heskey was accused of racially assaulting, with monkey chanting from sections of the Croatian support, which led to an investigation by FIFA, which has suspended the Croatian Football Federation and fined the Croatian Football Federation £15,000.

In the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Belarus, he played his 50th match for England, after which he was credited with assisting Wayne Rooney's improved form in international matches, with the two teams forming a strong strike team and keeping Owen out of the team together. In February 2009, he started a friendly against Spain, which sparked outrage from Villa boss Martin O'Neill, who wanted to know why Capello played Heskey after suffering from an injury. In a 4–0 win at Wembley Stadium, Heskey scored his first goal for England in six years against Slovakia, scoring England's first goal in the first game. During this match, he suffered from a hamstring injury, forcing him to withdraw from the team. In a 2010 World Cup qualifier, he scored in a 4–0 win over Kazakhstan, his first competitive goal for England in seven years.

Heskey was selected in England's preliminary 30-man squad for the 2010 World Cup on May 11th, 2010 and was later selected for the final 23-man squad on June 1st. During a training session on June 4th, Heskey said he had injured England captain Rio Ferdinand, who had barred Ferdinand from the tournament. He started his England debut in England's first match, a 1–1 draw with the US, and assisted Steven Gerrard's goal.

Heskey retired from international football on July 15, 2010, having scored 7 goals in 62 appearances for England.

Source