Dalian Atkinson
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| Dalian Atkinson | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dalian Robert Atkinson | |
| Date of birth | March 21, 1968 | |
| Place of birth | Shrewsbury, England | |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |
| Playing position | Striker (retired) | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1985–1989 1989–1990 1990–1991 1991–1995 1995–1996 1996 1996–1997 1998–1999 2001 2001 |
Ipswich Town Sheffield Wednesday Real Sociedad Aston Villa Fenerbahçe S.K. → Metz (loan) Manchester City Al-Ittihad → Daejeon Citizen (loan) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
60 (18) 38 (10) 26 (12) 85 (23) 21 (10) 8 (2) 3 (1) 5 (0) |
| National team | ||
| 1990 | England B | 1 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Dalian Robert Atkinson (born 21 March 1968 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire) is an English former footballer who played as a striker.
Atkinson is probably most often remembered for his magnificent solo goal against Wimbledon which won a BBC Match of the Day Goal of the Season competition. He is also fondly remembered by Aston Villa fans for his inspirational performance and crucial goal in the 1994 League Cup final win against Manchester United. Atkinson first came to prominence at Ipswich Town as a teenager, impressing seasoned experts with his speed and daring. He then moved on to Sheffield Wednesday where he formed a fine front partnership with David Hirst.
When signed by Aston Villa he became one half of another impressive partnership, the so-called D-Men (AKA Deadly Duo), alongside Dean Saunders, when Saunders arrived from Liverpool. The partnership was broken in 1995 when both players were sold to Turkish clubs - Saunders to Galatasaray and Atkinson to Fenerbahçe S.K. However, despite an encouraging start, Atkinson failed to settle in Turkey and had loan spells with FC Metz and Manchester City before leaving in 1997 and winding down his career with spells in Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
