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Emile Heskey
Personal information
Heskey playing for England in 2009
Full name	Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey
Date of birth	(1978-01-11) 11 January 1978 (age 47)
Place of birth	Leicester, England
Height	6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Leicester City Women (head of football development)
Youth career
1987–1994	Leicester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1994–2000	Leicester City	154	(40)
2000–2004	Liverpool	150	(39)
2004–2006	Birmingham City	68	(14)
2006–2009	Wigan Athletic	82	(15)
2009–2012	Aston Villa	92	(9)
2012–2014	Newcastle Jets	42	(10)
2014–2016	Bolton Wanderers	45	(3)
Total		633	(130)
National team
1994	England U16	4	(0)
1995–1996	England U18	8	(5)
1996–2000	England U21	17	(6)
1998	England B	1	(1)
1999–2010	England	62	(7)
Teams managed
2021	Leicester City Women (interim)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is a famous English former footballer. He played as a striker and was known for his strength and teamwork. He played over 500 games in the Football League and Premier League during his 18-year career. He also played for the England team many times. After playing, he became the head of football development for Leicester City Women.

Emile Heskey started his career at Leicester City in 1995. He helped them win the League Cup twice. In 2000, he moved to Liverpool for a record fee for the club at that time. At Liverpool, he won many trophies, including the FA Cup in 2001. He later played for Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, and Aston Villa. He also played for Newcastle Jets in Australia before finishing his career with Bolton Wanderers.

Heskey played for England at different youth levels before joining the senior team in 1999. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was known for his strong partnership with fellow striker Michael Owen. He retired from international football in 2010, having played 62 games for his country.

Early Life and Start in Football

Emile Heskey was born in Leicester, England. His family came from Antigua. From a young age, he loved football. He played for a local youth team called Ratby Groby Juniors.

When he was nine, he joined Leicester City's football academy. He worked his way up through their youth system.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Leicester City

Heskey in Leicester City colours during an event at the club's ground in 2006

Emile Heskey made his first team debut for Leicester City in 1995 when he was just 17. Leicester was relegated that season, but he signed his first professional contract soon after. He became a regular player in the 1995–96 season. He scored his first goal against Norwich City. He helped Leicester get promoted back to the Premier League in 1996.

In the 1996–97 season, Heskey scored 10 goals. He scored in the 1997 League Cup Final against Middlesbrough, which Leicester won. He was also a runner-up for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. He won the League Cup again with Leicester in 2000, beating Tranmere Rovers.

Time at Liverpool

Heskey during Jamie Carragher's testimonial match in 2010

On 10 March 2000, Heskey joined Liverpool for £11 million. This was a record transfer fee for Liverpool at the time. He made his debut against Sunderland and scored his first goal for Liverpool against Coventry City.

The 2000–01 season was very successful for Heskey and Liverpool. He scored 22 goals. The club won a treble of trophies: the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the UEFA Cup. He also helped Liverpool win the 2001 FA Charity Shield and the 2001 UEFA Super Cup. He played a key role in these victories.

Moving to Birmingham City

In May 2004, Heskey signed with Birmingham City. He quickly became an important player for them. He scored his first goal for Birmingham against Manchester City. At the end of the 2004–05 season, he was named Birmingham's Player of the Season. He was also their top goalscorer with 11 goals.

Playing for Wigan Athletic

Heskey playing for Wigan Athletic in 2008

Heskey joined Wigan Athletic in July 2006 for £5.5 million. He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 1–0 win over Reading. In the 2006–07 season, he scored 8 goals and helped Wigan avoid relegation. He scored his 100th Premier League goal in November 2008 against Portsmouth.

Time at Aston Villa

Heskey playing for Aston Villa in 2009

In January 2009, Heskey moved to Aston Villa. He scored on his debut against Portsmouth. He played in the 2010 League Cup Final where Aston Villa lost to Manchester United. He stayed with Villa for three and a half years, scoring important goals in local derby matches. He left Aston Villa in May 2012.

Adventure in Australia

Heskey playing for Newcastle Jets in 2012

On 21 September 2012, Heskey signed with the Australian A-League club Newcastle Jets. He was their special "marquee player," meaning he was a big name signing. He scored his first A-League goal against Sydney FC. He quickly became a top scorer for the team. After two years, he returned to England.

Finishing Career at Bolton Wanderers

After a successful trial, Heskey joined Championship club Bolton Wanderers in December 2014. He scored on his debut against Blackburn, helping Bolton win 2–1. He played for Bolton until his contract ended in 2016, and then he retired from playing football.

Life After Playing Football

After retiring, Emile Heskey started coaching. In 2017, he joined Egerton as a coach. In 2020, he began working towards a UEFA Management course. He also took on a role with Leicester City Women.

In 2021, he became the head of women's football development at Leicester City Women. He even took over as interim manager for one game, which his team won on penalties. In 2023, he was appointed as a coach for the England U18s.

International Career

Youth Teams

Heskey played for England at different youth levels. He played for the England U16 team in 1994. He then played for the U18s, scoring two goals on his debut against Latvia. He also played for the U21 team, making 17 appearances and scoring six goals.

Senior England Team

Emile Heskey made his debut for the senior England team in April 1999 against Hungary. He was part of the England squad for UEFA Euro 2000.

2002 FIFA World Cup

In September 2001, Heskey scored a goal in England's famous 5–1 win away against Germany in a World Cup qualifying match. He was chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad. He scored against Denmark in England's 3–0 victory, which helped England reach the quarter-finals.

UEFA Euro 2004

Heskey was part of the England squad for UEFA Euro 2004. He played in the match against France.

Return to the England Squad

After a break from international duty, Heskey was called back to the England squad in September 2007 for Euro 2008 qualifiers. He played an important role in the England attack. He was praised for his strong performances. He formed a good partnership with Wayne Rooney.

2010 FIFA World Cup

Heskey was selected for England's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He started in England's first match against the United States and set up Steven Gerrard's goal.

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

How He Played

Emile Heskey was a powerful striker. He was known for his physical strength and ability to win aerial challenges. He was also a very intelligent and hard-working player. His main strength was holding up the ball and drawing defenders away. This created space for other players to score.

He was seen as an unselfish player who linked up well with teammates. He often created chances for others, especially when playing alongside another striker. While he didn't score a huge number of goals, he provided many assists. He once said that he gets pleasure from assisting goals. He was also versatile and could play on the left wing.

Personal Life

Emile Heskey is married to Chantelle. They have three children together. He also has three children from a previous relationship. His sons, Jaden and Reigan, are also youth team players for Manchester City. Jaden scored a goal for Manchester City's youth team in a game against Manchester United in 2023.

Career Statistics

Club

Heskey playing for Bolton Wanderers in 2015

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leicester City	1994–95	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	1995–96	First Division	30	7	0	0	2	0	—		3	0	35	7
	1996–97	Premier League	35	10	3	0	9	2	—		—		47	12
	1997–98	Premier League	35	10	2	0	0	0	2	0	—		39	10
	1998–99	Premier League	30	6	2	0	8	3	—		—		40	9
	1999–2000	Premier League	23	7	4	0	8	1	—		—		35	8
	Total		154	40	11	0	27	6	2	0	3	0	197	46
Liverpool	1999–2000	Premier League	12	3	—		—		—		—		12	3
	2000–01	Premier League	36	14	5	5	4	0	11	3	—		56	22
	2001–02	Premier League	35	9	2	0	1	0	17	5	1	0	56	14
	2002–03	Premier League	32	6	3	0	5	0	11	3	1	0	52	9
	2003–04	Premier League	35	7	4	1	2	2	6	2	—		47	12
	Total		150	39	14	6	12	2	45	13	2	0	223	60
Birmingham City	2004–05	Premier League	34	10	2	1	2	0	—		—		38	11
	2005–06	Premier League	34	4	3	0	3	1	—		—		40	5
	Total		68	14	5	1	5	1	—		—		78	16
Wigan Athletic	2006–07	Premier League	34	8	1	0	1	0	—		—		36	8
	2007–08	Premier League	28	4	2	0	0	0	—		—		30	4
	2008–09	Premier League	20	3	0	0	2	0	—		—		22	3
	Total		82	15	3	0	3	0	—		—		88	15
Aston Villa	2008–09	Premier League	14	2	0	0	—		0	0	—		14	2
	2009–10	Premier League	31	3	4	0	5	2	2	0	—		42	5
	2010–11	Premier League	19	3	2	0	2	2	2	1	—		25	6
	2011–12	Premier League	28	1	1	0	0	0	—		—		29	1
	Total		92	9	7	0	7	4	4	1	—		110	14
Newcastle Jets	2012–13	A-League	23	9	—		—		—		—		23	9
	2013–14	A-League	19	1	—		—		—		—		19	1
	Total		42	10	—		—		—		—		42	10
Bolton Wanderers	2014–15	Championship	16	1	2	0	—		—		—		18	1
	2015–16	Championship	29	2	0	0	1	0	—		—		30	2
	Total		45	3	2	0	1	0	—		—		48	3
Career total			633	130	42	7	55	13	51	14	5	0	786	164

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
England	1999	4	0
	2000	7	1
	2001	9	2
	2002	11	1
	2003	7	1
	2004	5	0
	2007	2	0
	2008	5	0
	2009	7	2
	2010	5	0
Total		62	7

England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Heskey goal.

List of international goals scored by Emile Heskey
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	3 June 2000	National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	7	Malta	2–1	2–1	Friendly
2	28 February 2001	Villa Park, Birmingham, England	12	Spain	2–0	3–0	Friendly
3	1 September 2001	Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany	17	Germany	5–1	5–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	15 June 2002	Niigata Stadium, Niigata, Japan	28	Denmark	3–0	3–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
5	22 May 2003	Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa	33	South Africa	2–1	2–1	Friendly
6	28 March 2009	Wembley Stadium, London, England	52	Slovakia	1–0	4–0	Friendly
7	6 June 2009	Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan	53	Kazakhstan	2–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification