Clinton Morrison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Clinton Morrison

Morrison playing for Exeter City in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Clinton Hubert Morrison
Birth name	Clinton Hubert Chambers
Date of birth	(1979-05-14) 14 May 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Tooting, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
–1996	Tottenham Hotspur
1996–1998	Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2002	Crystal Palace	157	(61)
2002–2005	Birmingham City	87	(14)
2005–2008	Crystal Palace	124	(41)
2008–2010	Coventry City	91	(21)
2010–2012	Sheffield Wednesday	54	(7)
2011	→ Milton Keynes Dons (loan)	6	(3)
2012	→ Brentford (loan)	8	(0)
2012–2014	Colchester United	65	(4)
2014	Long Eaton United	3	(1)
2014–2016	Exeter City	45	(1)
2016	Redditch United	3	(1)
2016–2017	Mickleover Sports	28	(2)
Total		671	(156)
International career
2000	Republic of Ireland U21	2	(0)
2001–2006	Republic of Ireland	36	(9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Clinton Hubert Morrison (born 14 May 1979) is a former professional footballer who is now a popular sports pundit.

As a player, he was a forward, which means his main job was to score goals. He is famous for playing in the Premier League, England's top football division, for both Crystal Palace and Birmingham City. He also played for many other clubs, including Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Even though he was born in England, he chose to play for the Republic of Ireland because his grandmother was from Dublin. He played 36 times for Ireland, scoring 9 goals, and was part of their team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Today, you can often see him on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, where he shares his expert opinions on football games.

Club Career

First Time at Crystal Palace

Born in Tooting, London, Morrison started his journey at Crystal Palace in 1997. He had a fantastic start to his career. In his very first game for the club on 10 May 1998, he came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal against Sheffield Wednesday.

Morrison quickly became a star player and the main striker for Crystal Palace. He was the team's top scorer for four seasons in a row. During a tough time when the club had money problems, Morrison even agreed to play for free because he loved the club so much. In his first period at Palace, he scored an amazing 71 goals in 180 games.

Moving to Birmingham City

In 2002, Morrison moved to Birmingham City for £4.25 million. This gave him the chance to play in the Premier League, the highest level of English football. He scored his first goal for Birmingham against Liverpool.

One of his most memorable goals was in a 3-0 victory against local rivals Aston Villa. It was Birmingham's first win against them in 16 years. During his three years at Birmingham, he played 97 games and scored 16 goals.

Return to Crystal Palace

In 2005, Morrison returned to his beloved Crystal Palace for a fee of £2 million. He said he was excited to play alongside Andrew Johnson, the very player he was swapped for when he first left.

His second time at the club was also a great success. On 10 November 2007, he scored his 100th goal for Crystal Palace in a match against Queens Park Rangers. This made him only the eighth player in the club's history to reach this milestone. By the time he left in 2008, he had scored a total of 113 goals for Palace, making him one of their all-time top goalscorers.

Coventry City

In 2008, Morrison joined Coventry City. He chose to wear the number 19 shirt but had a plus sign (+) printed between the numbers, so it looked like "1+9". He did this because 1+9 equals 10, which was his favorite number at Crystal Palace.

He became the team's captain and was their top scorer in his first season. In two years at Coventry, he scored 23 goals in 101 appearances.

Later Playing Years

After leaving Coventry in 2010, Morrison played for several other clubs. He signed for Sheffield Wednesday and scored on his debut. He also had short loan spells at Milton Keynes Dons and Brentford. A loan in football is when a player temporarily plays for a different club.

From 2012 to 2014, he played for Colchester United, helping them stay in their league. He finished his professional career with spells at Exeter City, Redditch United, and finally Mickleover Sports, where he later became a coach.

International Career

Although born in England, Morrison was able to play for the Republic of Ireland because his grandmother was Irish. He was proud to represent Ireland and made his first appearance in 2001. In his debut match against Croatia, he scored a goal.

He was chosen for Ireland's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, which is one of the biggest honors for a footballer. He became an important player for the team, scoring key goals in qualifying matches for other big tournaments. In total, he played 36 times for Ireland and scored 9 goals.

During one international match in 2004, Morrison reported that an opposing player made an unkind, racist comment to him. Morrison stood up for himself, bringing attention to the problem of racism in football.

Life After Football

After retiring from playing, Clinton Morrison began a new career in the media. He uses his knowledge of the game as a pundit, which is an expert who gives opinions on TV and radio.

He is a regular on the popular TV show Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. He also provides commentary for live matches on BBC 5 Live radio.

Personal Life

Growing up, Morrison was a fan of Tottenham Hotspur and his hero was the famous striker Ian Wright. He was raised by his mother, who he says was a huge influence on his life and supported his football dreams.

Morrison has spoken out against racism in football and has helped mentor younger players. He now lives in Long Eaton and has two sons. One of his sons is also a talented footballer and is part of the Nottingham Forest Academy.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Morrison goal.

List of international goals scored by Clinton Morrison

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	15 August 2001	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Croatia	2–0	2–2	Friendly match
2	27 March 2002	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Denmark	3–0	3–0	Friendly match
3	7 September 2002	Dinamo Stadium, Moscow	Russia	2–3	2–4	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifier
4	12 February 2003	Hampden Park, Glasgow	Scotland	2–0	2–0	Friendly match
5	19 August 2003	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Australia	2–1	2–1	Friendly match
6	4 September 2004	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Cyprus	1–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
7	8 September 2004	St. Jakob Park, Basel	Switzerland	1–0	1–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
8	26 March 2005	Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan	Israel	1–0	1–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
9	29 March 2005	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	China	1–0	1–0	Friendly match

See also

In Spanish: Clinton Morrison para niños

• List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland