Emile Heskey

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Emile Heskey
Personal information
Full name Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey
Date of birth 11 January 1978 (1978-01-11) (age 30)
Place of birth    Leicester, England
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Wigan Athletic
Number 9
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1994–2000
2000–2004
2004–2006
2006–		 Leicester City
Liverpool
Birmingham City
Wigan Athletic		 154 (40)
150 (39)
068 (14)
062 (12)[1][2]   
National team2


1998
1999–2007		 England U18
England U21
England B
England		 008 0(5)[3]
017 0(6)[4][5]
001 0(1)[6]
045 0(5)[7]

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 23:45, 7 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 21:05, 12 September 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey[3] (born 11 January 1978 in Leicester, England)[1] is an English footballer. Known for his strength,[8] he is a striker currently playing for Premier League side Wigan Athletic. He also has the versatility to play down the left flank.[9]

Heskey started his career with Leicester City in 1994. He then made a £11 million move to Liverpool in 2000, which was a record transfer fee paid by the club at that time. At the club, he won multiple honours, including an FA Cup win in 2001. He then moved to Birmingham City in 2004 and moved to current club Wigan Athletic in 2006.

Heskey is an England international. He made his international debut against Hungary in a 1-1 draw in 1999. He has gone on to attain 45 caps and score 5 goals for the team. He lost his place in the squad after Euro 2004, during which he failed to shine and was the subject of much criticism. After a long lay-off from international duty, Heskey was recalled to the England squad for Euro 2008 qualifiers in September 2007.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Leicester City

Heskey started his career at home-town club Leicester City, where he made his Premier league debut against Queens Park Rangers in 1995 at the age of 17.[10] He then became a first-team regular in the 1995–96 season, making 30 appearances for the club, helping them earn promotion to the Premier League. During this season, Heskey scored his first goal as a professional footballer, which came in a 1-0 victory of Norwich City, in a season he managed to score a total of seven goals.[11]

During the 1996–97, his first in the Premier League, Heskey managed to score 10 goals in 35 appearances in this league, and also scored the equaliser in the 1997 League Cup final against Middlesbrough, which was won by Leicester in the replay.[11] The following season saw interest from Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur for Heskey, as he again managed to net 10 Premier League goals. However, the 1997–98 season saw Heskey score only six top-flight goals, and had been criticised for not scoring enough goals and going to ground too easily.[10]

In the 1998–99 season, Heskey forged an effective strike partnership with Tony Cottee, who benefited from Heskey's unselfish style of play.[10] He went on to win the League Cup again in 2000 with a 2–1 win against Tranmere Rovers.[12]

[edit] Liverpool

Heskey joined Liverpool in March 2000 in a long-anticipated £11m move, which, at the time, set the record transfer fee for the Merseyside club.[13] Heskey made his home debut in the Premier League clash with Sunderland and played well, but the season finished with continuing doubts about his goalscoring prowess.[12] During the 2000–01 season Heskey put an end to those scoring worries by scoring 23 goals for Liverpool and rocketing himself up the England pecking order.[12]

"Some people like to criticise Emile, but I can produce plenty of facts and figures to back up how important he is to us, and how many goals we have scored that he has been involved in."
Gérard Houllier[14]

Heskey had been linked with a £12m move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2002, but Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier insisted Heskey was a part of his long-term plans.[14]

Heskey made a six-figure donation in 2002 to aid a consortium led by Gary Lineker in their bid to buy-out his former club, cash-strapped Leicester City.[15]

In the 2003–04 season Heskey faced increasing competition from Milan Baroš for a place in the Liverpool starting line-up.[12] Despite this, he scored 12 goals and secured a place in the England squad for the Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal.[16][12]

[edit] Birmingham City

At the end of the 2003–04 season, Heskey signed for Birmingham City for an initial fee of £3.5m, which could rise to £6.25m,[17] thus becoming Birmingham's most expensive player. He made his Birmingham debut against Portsmouth, which ended as a 1–1 draw.[12]

Despite Birmingham's mediocre 2004–05 season, Heskey won four club awards at the end of the season - Player's Player of the Season, Fan's Player of the Season, Top Goalscorer (11) and most Man of the Match Awards. Birmingham's poor 2005–06 season, during which Heskey scored only 4 goals in 34 league appearances, culminated in relegation to The Championship. During this season, Heskey gave inconsistent performances and fans had started to get on his back.[12]

[edit] Wigan Athletic

Heskey was signed by Wigan Athletic for £5.5m during the summer of 2006.[18] Heskey made his debut for Wigan against Newcastle United in August 2006, which his new club lost 2–1.[19] On his 500th league appearance Heskey scored his first goal for Wigan in a 1-0 Premiership victory over Reading on 26 August 2006.[20]

Throughout the 2006–07 season Heskey became a popular figure amongst the Wigan faithful. He showed great endeavour, although not always matched by goals. Nonetheless, his undoubted strength and presence proved vital and managed to score 8 goals, helping Wigan avoid relegation on goals difference from Sheffield United, against whom Heskey proved to be a handful for Wigan on 13 May 2007, where he nearly scored an overhead kick.[21] After this match, Heskey was described as "A man possessed", after playing at the heart of the Wigan defence, a position not suited to his play.[22] Heskey suffered a suspected broken metatarsal in September 2007.[23]

On 14 April 2008, Heskey scored a 90th minute equalising goal against Chelsea to severely dent their Premier League title hopes.

[edit] International

Heskey starred alongside Michael Owen in the England Under-18 team which finished third in the European Championships in France.[12] Heskey was capped once by the England B team, against Chile in February 1998, in which he scored a goal.[6] Heskey went on to gain recognition with the England U21 team.[24] He gained a total of 16 caps for the team, and scored three goals.[4][5]

Heskey was given his first call-up to the senior England team for a friendly against the Czech Republic in 1998, but did not play. Heskey made his debut for England in a friendly against Hungary in Budapest in a 1-1 draw in 1999 and made his first start against Argentina at Wembley Stadium in 2000.[7] That showing ensured he was in the England squad for the Euro 2000 tournament.[25] However, his two substitute performances in the tournament could not help England, as the team crashed out in the group stage.

Heskey was selected in the squad for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.[26] Heskey was used as a make-shift option to play in England's left-wing role in the game against Sweden, but this performance showed he is not natural in that position.[8] Heskey netted against Denmark in England's 3-0 victory, which saw England reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.[27]

Heskey's place in the England squad had been placed under scrutiny in 2003 with the emergence of Wayne Rooney into the England squad.[28] Despite being criticised for his lack of goals for England,[29] Heskey continued to be an integral part of the international squad and took over the captaincy from Michael Owen when England beat Serbia and Montenegro 2-1 in his hometown of Leicester in June 2003. Heskey was named in the England squad for Euro 2004, but failed to shine and was the subject of much criticism.[12] He came on as a sub when England were leading 1-0 against France. Within minutes he had given away a free kick (from which France equalised) and England lost 2-1. Heskey was recalled into the England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan in 2005, after having being dropped following the game against Ukraine in August 2004.[30] Since the emergence of Peter Crouch in the England squad, the possibility of a recall receded further, but Heskey was recalled to the England squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia in September 2007.[31] Heskey started the game against Israel and became Wigan Athletic's first ever England player as a consequence.[32] Heskey also started the next match against Russia, and proved to be an effective strike partner for his former club mate Michael Owen, and assisted Michael Owen's second goal against Russia, and nearly scored himself with a clever shot under the keeper. After these two matches, former England international Alan Shearer said, "Never in a million years did I expect to be discussing whether Emile Heskey should keep his place ahead of Wayne Rooney but the Wigan striker was outstanding over both games."[33] he was called into new manager Fabio Capello's first squad against Switzerland, but had to withdraw due to an injury.

[edit] Style of play

Heskey is a pacy forward, and a powerful target man with strength for both club and country.[8][34] He impressed the England set-up with his versatility, as he can also play down the left wing.[35] Heskey has been criticised for his lack of goals,[9] although his main contributions to the team lie in the way that he holds the ball up and draws defenders out, leaving space behind him for another player to score.[8]

[edit] Career honours

Leicester City
Liverpool

[edit] Career stats

[edit] Club performance

As of 3 September 2007.
Club Performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1994-95 Leicester City Premier League 1 0 - - - 1 0
1995-96 First Division 30 7 - 2 0 - 32 7
1996-97 Premier League 35 10 3 0 9 2 - 47 12
1997-98 35 10 2 0 - - 37 10
1998-99 30 6 2 0 8 3 - 40 9
1999-00 23 7 4 0 8 1 - 35 8
1999-00 Liverpool Premier League 12 3 - - - 12 3
2000-01 36 14 5 5 4 0 10 3 55 22
2001-02 35 9 2 0 1 0 16 4 54 13
2002-03 32 6 3 0 5 0 11 3 51 9
2003-04 35 7 4 1 2 2 6 2 47 12
2004-05 Birmingham City Premier League 34 10 2 1 2 0 - 38 11
2005-06 34 4 3 0 3 1 - 40 5
2006-07 Wigan Athletic Premier League 34 8 1 0 1 0 - 36 8
2007-08 24 3 2 0 - - 26 3
Total England 411 102 31 7 45 9 43 12 559 132
Career Total 411 102 31 7 45 9 43 12 559 132

[edit] International goals

As of 11 July 2007.[7] Scores and results list England's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2000-06-03 Ta'Qali, Malta Flag of Malta Malta 2-1 2-1 Friendly match
2 2001-02-28 Birmingham, England Flag of Spain Spain 2-0 3-0 Friendly match
3 2001-09-01 Munich, Germany Flag of Germany Germany 5-1 5-1 2002 FIFA World Cup Qual.
4 2002-06-15 Niigata, Japan Flag of Denmark Denmark 3-0 3-0 2002 FIFA World Cup
5 2003-05-22 Durban, South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 2-1 2-1 Friendly match

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Emile Heskey. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  2. ^ "Hesk strike chalked off!", Wigan Athletic FC, 2007-05-23. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  3. ^ a b Emile Heskey. Playerhistory. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  4. ^ a b England U21 Caps, 1976-present. The FA. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
  5. ^ a b England U21 Scorers, 1976-2005. The FA. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
  6. ^ a b England - International Results B-Team - Details. RSSSF. Retrieved on 2007-07-01.
  7. ^ a b c England Players. England Football Online. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  8. ^ a b c d "England", BBC Sport, 2002-06-09. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  9. ^ a b "21. Emile Heskey", BBC Sport, 2004-05-24. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  10. ^ a b c "Emile Heskey", Football-heroes. Retrieved on 2007-07-04. 
  11. ^ a b "Emile Heskey", Football-heroes. Retrieved on 2007-07-04. 
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i 11 Emile Heskey. ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  13. ^ "Heskey shrugs off record fee", BBC News, 2000-03-10. Retrieved on 2007-05-16. 
  14. ^ a b "Heskey staying at Liverpool", BBC Sport, 2002-12-06. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  15. ^ "Heskey digs deep for Leicester", BBC Sport, 2002-10-25. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  16. ^ "Liverpool 2003/2004 player appearances", Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-06-24. 
  17. ^ "Birmingham sign Heskey", BBC Sport, 2004-05-18. Retrieved on 2007-05-17. 
  18. ^ "Wigan seal £5.5m move for Heskey", BBC Sport, 2006-07-07. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  19. ^ "Newcastle 2-1 Wigan", BBC Sport, 2006-08-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-04. 
  20. ^ "Wigan 1-0 Reading", BBC Sport, 2006-08-26. Retrieved on 2007-05-15. 
  21. ^ "Sheff Utd 1-2 Wigan", BBC Sport, 2007-05-14. Retrieved on 2007-05-14. 
  22. ^ "Two for the price of one isn't always a bargain", Telegraph, 2007-05-23. Retrieved on 2007-06-29. 
  23. ^ "Heskey has suspected broken toe", BBC Sport, 2007-09-15. Retrieved on 2007-09-15. 
  24. ^ PAST PLAYER PROFILE. Liverpool FC. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
  25. ^ Emile Heskey. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  26. ^ England squad in full. CBBC Newsround. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  27. ^ "England brush Danes aside", BBC Sport, 2002-06-15. Retrieved on 2007-05-14. 
  28. ^ "Rooney puts pressure on Heskey", BBC Sport, 2003-03-13. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  29. ^ 21 - Emile Heskey. CBBC Newsround. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  30. ^ "Bruce ecstatic over Heskey recall", BBC Sport, 2005-03-21. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  31. ^ "Heskey recalled to England squad", BBC Sport, 2007-09-02. Retrieved on 2007-09-02. 
  32. ^ "England 3-0 Israel", BBC Sport, 2007-09-08. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  33. ^ "BBC pundits on England", BBC Sport, 2007-09-12. Retrieved on 2007-09-13. 
  34. ^ Player Profile. Premier League. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
  35. ^ Emile Heskey, Birmingham City. The FA. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Wigan Athletic F.C. – current squad

1 Kirkland • 2 Taylor • 3 Edman • 5 Palacios • 6 Sibierski • 8 Kilbane • 9 Heskey • 10 Koumas • 11 Brown • 12 Pollitt • 14 King • 16 Valencia • 17 Boyce • 18 Scharner • 19 Bramble • 21 Cywka • 23 Bent • 24 Skoko • 25 Melchiot • 26 Bouaouzan • 27 Kupisz • 28 Moore • 29 Montrose • 30 Saunders • 31 Figueroa • 32 Hagen • Manager: Bruce
v • d • e
England squad - UEFA Euro 2000
1 Seaman • 2 G. Neville • 3 P. Neville • 4 Campbell • 5 Adams • 6 Keown • 7 Beckham • 8 Scholes • 9 Shearer • 10 Owen • 11 McManaman • 12 Southgate • 13 Martyn • 14 Ince • 15 Barry • 16 Gerrard • 17 Wise • 18 Barmby • 19 Heskey • 20 Phillips • 21 Fowler • 22 Wright • Coach: Keegan
 Flag of England
v • d • e
England squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup
1 Seaman • 2 Mills • 3 A. Cole • 4 Sinclair • 5 Ferdinand • 6 Campbell • 7 Beckham • 8 Scholes • 9 Fowler • 10 Owen • 11 Heskey • 12 Brown • 13 Martyn • 14 Bridge • 15 Keown • 16 Southgate • 17 Sheringham • 18 Hargreaves • 19 J. Cole • 20 Vassell • 21 Butt • 22 James • 23 Dyer • Coach: Eriksson
 Flag of England
v • d • e
England squad - UEFA Euro 2004
1 James • 2 G. Neville • 3 A. Cole • 4 Gerrard • 5 Terry • 6 Campbell • 7 Beckham • 8 Scholes • 9 Rooney • 10 Owen • 11 Lampard • 12 Bridge • 13 Robinson • 14 P. Neville • 15 King • 16 Carragher • 17 Butt • 18 Hargreaves • 19 J. Cole • 20 Dyer • 21 Heskey • 22 Walker • 23 Vassell • Coach: Eriksson
 Flag of England