Trevor Sinclair
Encyclopedia
Trevor Lloyd Sinclair is an English former professional footballer. Sinclair was a versatile winger, able to play on both the left and right flanks who played in the Premier League and made twelve appearances for the England national team
.
He retired in 2008, after a nineteen-year professional career, after being released by Football League Championship
side Cardiff City
.
where he played from 1989 to 1993. When he made his debut for Blackpool, on 19 August 1989, he became the club's youngest ever player, at 16 years, five months, breaking Colin Greenall
's record set nine years earlier. Sinclair's record was in turn broken by Matty Kay
in November 2005.
He made 112 league appearances for the Seasiders, scoring 15 goals.
for £600,000 which broke Blackpool's record transfer sale, with whom he won the October 1995 Premier League Player of the Month.
In 1997 he won the BBC
's Match of the Day
"Goal of the Season
" competition with a bicycle kick from outside the penalty area whilst playing for QPR in an FA Cup
match against Barnsley
.
In five years at QPR, he made 168 league appearances, scoring 16 goals.
for a combined fee of £2.7 million; £2.3 million plus West Ham players Iain Dowie
and Keith Rowland
moving to Q.P.R as part of the deal. He scored 7 goals in the remaining 14 games to help West Ham achieve an 8th place finish in the Premier League. A regular over the next two seasons a serious knee injury ruled him out of the final 4 months of the 1999/2000 season. His absence coincided with a loss of form for the team, and by the end of the season Harry Redknapp
had been sacked, and both Rio Ferdinand
and Frank Lampard
had been sold.
Sinclair recovered in time for the 2001 season and featured 34 times, often on the left wing, as he successfully won his bid to play at the World Cup for England in that position.
2002/03 was Sinclairs' final season with West Ham. Despite several strong displays from himself, the team struggled with the absence of Paolo Di Canio
and Frederic Kanoute
and was relegated at the end of the decision. Forced to cut costs West Ham accepted a £3.3m bid for the player from Manchester City.
In total Sinclair spent five years at Upton Park
, playing in a variety of positions including wingback, left and right wing and as a striker when called upon. He made 177 league appearances and scored 37 goals including two goals on his West Ham debut, on 31 January 1998, in a 2–2 home draw against Everton
.
in 2003 for £3.3 million, and went on to score City's first goal at the new City of Manchester Stadium
in a UEFA Cup tie against Welsh side TNS.
At the beginning of his career at Manchester City, he played on the left wing, where he had performed for England at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. However, the departure of Shaun Wright-Phillips
presented the opportunity for Sinclair to play on his preferred right wing.
Sinclair was released by Manchester City at the end of the 2006–07 season
.
. He began the season as a first team player, scoring his first Cardiff goal on 24 September in a 4–2 win in the Carling Cup
over West Bromwich Albion
. Early on in the season, he suffered from a build up of fluid in his knee and underwent two operations on the injury which ruled him out until mid-February. He made his return on 16 February 2008 coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 FA Cup
victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers
.
On 12 April 2008, Sinclair faced his first club, Blackpool, for the first time since leaving them fifteen years earlier. He scored Cardiff's second goal in a 3–1 win; however, he refused to celebrate his goal. On 17 May he made an 86th-minute substitute appearance in the 2008 FA Cup Final
at Wembley Stadium
, which Cardiff lost 1–0 to . However, four days later it was announced that his contract with the Bluebirds would not be renewed for the forthcoming season and he was released.
in April 2006. Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Sinclair is in the 1990s.
, four of which came in the 2002 World Cup, in which he was a last-minute replacement for the injured Danny Murphy. In turn, he replaced Owen Hargreaves
, who was injured early in the competition, in the team and was widely regarded as one of England's best players in the tournament, doing a job on England's then "problem left hand side".
in Bury
, Greater Manchester
. It was in 1991, during his time at Blackpool, that Sinclair introduced his then trademark dreadlocks
. In 1998 Sinclair was convicted of causing criminal damage to a car, following a night of drinking in an Essex
nightclub. He is retired and currently lives in Dubai with his wife and children.
.
West Ham United
Cardiff City
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
He retired in 2008, after a nineteen-year professional career, after being released by Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
.
Blackpool
Sinclair began his career at BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
where he played from 1989 to 1993. When he made his debut for Blackpool, on 19 August 1989, he became the club's youngest ever player, at 16 years, five months, breaking Colin Greenall
Colin Greenall
Colin Greenall is an English former professional footballer who made over 600 Football League appearances between 1980 and 1999...
's record set nine years earlier. Sinclair's record was in turn broken by Matty Kay
Matty Kay
Matthew "Matty" Kay is an English footballer who plays for AFC Fylde as a midfielder.-Career:Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Kay made his debut for Blackpool against Scunthorpe United on 13 November 2005, in front of the Sky Sports cameras, setting a new club record as the youngest player, at 16...
in November 2005.
He made 112 league appearances for the Seasiders, scoring 15 goals.
Queens Park Rangers
In 1993 Sinclair moved to Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
for £600,000 which broke Blackpool's record transfer sale, with whom he won the October 1995 Premier League Player of the Month.
In 1997 he won the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
"Goal of the Season
Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
" competition with a bicycle kick from outside the penalty area whilst playing for QPR in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
.
In five years at QPR, he made 168 league appearances, scoring 16 goals.
West Ham United
In January 1998 Sinclair moved to West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
for a combined fee of £2.7 million; £2.3 million plus West Ham players Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
and Keith Rowland
Keith Rowland
Keith Rowland is a former footballer who played as a defender with Bournemouth, Coventry City, West Ham United, QPR, Luton Town, Chesterfield Barnet, Hornchurch, Redbridge and Welling United....
moving to Q.P.R as part of the deal. He scored 7 goals in the remaining 14 games to help West Ham achieve an 8th place finish in the Premier League. A regular over the next two seasons a serious knee injury ruled him out of the final 4 months of the 1999/2000 season. His absence coincided with a loss of form for the team, and by the end of the season Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
had been sacked, and both Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
and Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
had been sold.
Sinclair recovered in time for the 2001 season and featured 34 times, often on the left wing, as he successfully won his bid to play at the World Cup for England in that position.
2002/03 was Sinclairs' final season with West Ham. Despite several strong displays from himself, the team struggled with the absence of Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio is a Italian former professional footballer and current manager of League Two side Swindon Town. Di Canio made over 500 league appearances and scored over 100 league goals as a player....
and Frederic Kanoute
Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Oumar Kanouté is a French-born Malian footballer who currently plays for Sevilla FC in the Spanish La Liga. On 2 February 2008, Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year and is the first foreign-born player to win it.-Lyon:Born in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône, Kanouté's...
and was relegated at the end of the decision. Forced to cut costs West Ham accepted a £3.3m bid for the player from Manchester City.
In total Sinclair spent five years at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
, playing in a variety of positions including wingback, left and right wing and as a striker when called upon. He made 177 league appearances and scored 37 goals including two goals on his West Ham debut, on 31 January 1998, in a 2–2 home draw against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
.
Manchester City
Sinclair joined Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in 2003 for £3.3 million, and went on to score City's first goal at the new City of Manchester Stadium
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
in a UEFA Cup tie against Welsh side TNS.
At the beginning of his career at Manchester City, he played on the left wing, where he had performed for England at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. However, the departure of Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers and the England national team. He is the adopted son of former England international, Ian Wright and the half-brother of fellow professional football player Bradley Wright-Phillips...
presented the opportunity for Sinclair to play on his preferred right wing.
Sinclair was released by Manchester City at the end of the 2006–07 season
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
.
Cardiff City
On 10 July 2007 he joined Championship club, Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
. He began the season as a first team player, scoring his first Cardiff goal on 24 September in a 4–2 win in the Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
over West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
. Early on in the season, he suffered from a build up of fluid in his knee and underwent two operations on the injury which ruled him out until mid-February. He made his return on 16 February 2008 coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
.
On 12 April 2008, Sinclair faced his first club, Blackpool, for the first time since leaving them fifteen years earlier. He scored Cardiff's second goal in a 3–1 win; however, he refused to celebrate his goal. On 17 May he made an 86th-minute substitute appearance in the 2008 FA Cup Final
2008 FA Cup Final
The 2008 FA Cup Final was a football match held at Wembley Stadium on 17 May 2008 and was the final match of the 2007–08 FA Cup competition. The match was the 127th FA Cup Final, and the second to be held at the new Wembley Stadium since its redevelopment. The match was contested by Portsmouth and...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, which Cardiff lost 1–0 to . However, four days later it was announced that his contract with the Bluebirds would not be renewed for the forthcoming season and he was released.
Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame
Sinclair was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Bloomfield Road, when it was officially opened by former Blackpool player Jimmy ArmfieldJimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...
in April 2006. Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Sinclair is in the 1990s.
International career
Sinclair earned 12 caps for EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, four of which came in the 2002 World Cup, in which he was a last-minute replacement for the injured Danny Murphy. In turn, he replaced Owen Hargreaves
Owen Hargreaves
Owen Lee Hargreaves is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Premier League club Manchester City and the English national football team....
, who was injured early in the competition, in the team and was widely regarded as one of England's best players in the tournament, doing a job on England's then "problem left hand side".
Personal life
Sinclair was educated at Castlebrook High SchoolCastlebrook High School
Castlebrook High School is a comprehensive school located in Unsworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
in Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. It was in 1991, during his time at Blackpool, that Sinclair introduced his then trademark dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
. In 1998 Sinclair was convicted of causing criminal damage to a car, following a night of drinking in an Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
nightclub. He is retired and currently lives in Dubai with his wife and children.
Broadcasting Career
Sinclair hosts the football talk show called Final Score, that reviews the weeks action from the Barclays Premier League, on Abu Dhabi Sports ChannelAbu Dhabi Sports Channel
Abu Dhabi Al Riadhia is an Arabic television station It broadcasts from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates and is owned by Abu Dhabi Media Company...
.
Honours
Blackpool- Division FourFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
play-off winner: 1991–92
West Ham United
- UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
winner: 1999–20001999-2000 in English football-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
Cardiff City
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
runner-up: 2007–08FA Cup 2007-08The 2007–08 FA Cup was the 127th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. A record 731 clubs' entries were accepted for the competition....