Hal Robson-Kanu Facts for Kids

This page is about the Welsh footballer. For the American auto racer, see Hal Robson.

Quick facts for kids
Hal Robson-Kanu
Personal information
Robson-Kanu playing for Wales in 2016
Full name	Thomas Henry Alex Robson-Kanu
Date of birth	(1989-05-21) 21 May 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Acton, London, England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Winger, forward
Youth career
1999–2004	Arsenal
2004–2007	Reading
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2016	Reading	198	(24)
2008	→ Southend United (loan)	22	(5)
2009	→ Swindon Town (loan)	20	(4)
2016–2021	West Bromwich Albion	143	(21)
Total		383	(54)
International career^‡
2007–2008	England U19	2	(0)
2009	England U20	1	(0)
2010	Wales U21	4	(2)
2010–2021	Wales	46	(5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:37, 27 May 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 March 2021

Thomas Henry Alex "Hal" Robson-Kanu (born May 21, 1989) is a former professional footballer. He played as a forward and sometimes as a winger. Hal was born in England but played for the Wales national team.

He started his football journey at Arsenal as a schoolboy. Later, he joined Reading and made his first team debut in 2009. He helped Reading win the Championship in the 2011–12 season. After leaving Reading in 2016, he joined West Bromwich Albion. He played for them for five years before leaving in May 2021.

Internationally, Hal first played for England's youth teams. In 2010, he decided to play for Wales, the country of his grandmother. He became famous for scoring a special goal against Belgium in the UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-finals. Wales reached the semi-finals of that tournament.

Club Career Highlights
- Playing for Reading
  - Early Years and Loans
  - Becoming a Regular Player
- Time at West Bromwich Albion
International Career
Outside Football
Honours
Images for kids
See also

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Reading

Early Years and Loans

Hal Robson-Kanu was born in Acton, London. He began playing football at Arsenal when he was 10 years old. At 15, he left Arsenal and joined Reading. He signed his first professional contract with Reading in July 2007.

To gain experience, Hal went on loan to other clubs. In January 2008, he joined Southend United. He scored his first professional goal against Nottingham Forest. He scored three goals in eight games for Southend. He returned to Southend for a second loan spell later in 2008, scoring two more goals.

In January 2009, he went on loan to Swindon Town. He played 20 games for Swindon and impressed his coach. During this time, he also signed a new contract with Reading until 2011.

Becoming a Regular Player

In the 2009–10 season, Hal's former youth coach, Brendan Rodgers, became Reading's manager. Hal made his first official debut for Reading in a game against Nottingham Forest. He mostly came on as a substitute that season.

The next season, Hal became a more important player. He scored his first goal for Reading in the League Cup in August 2010. A month later, he scored his first league goal against Barnsley. He scored six goals in 34 games that season. Reading reached the play-off final but lost to Swansea. After his contract ended, he signed a new three-year deal with Reading in July 2011.

Hal continued to play regularly for Reading. In the 2012–13 season, Reading returned to the Premier League. Hal scored seven goals that season, his best record yet. He was even nominated for Reading's Player of the Season award. He signed another contract in July 2013, keeping him at Reading until June 2016. Reading announced that he would leave the club when his contract ended in June 2016. He played 228 games for Reading, scoring 30 goals.

Robson-Kanu playing for Reading in 2013

Time at West Bromwich Albion

On August 31, 2016, Hal Robson-Kanu signed a two-year contract with Premier League team West Bromwich Albion. He made his first start for them on December 31, 2016, in a 2–1 win against Southampton. In that game, he scored a goal and helped set up another.

In July 2017, Hal signed a new three-year contract with West Brom. In a game against Burnley, he came on as a substitute, scored a goal, and then was sent off. This was a rare event in Premier League history.

After West Brom was relegated from the Premier League in 2018, Hal continued to play for them. He scored twice and assisted once in a 5–2 win against Coventry City. He scored his first league goal of the 2018–19 Championship season in a 4–3 win against Norwich City. He scored 10 goals in the 2019–20 season, helping West Brom get promoted back to the Premier League.

On May 17, 2021, Hal scored his first Premier League goal of the 2020–21 season. On May 27, 2021, it was announced that he would leave West Bromwich Albion after five years. He played 154 games for the club and scored 24 goals.

International Career

Robson-Kanu preparing to come on for Wales against Austria in October 2016

Hal Robson-Kanu was born in England. His father is Nigerian, and his mother is English with Welsh family. He first played for England's youth teams, including the under-19 and under-20 squads.

In 2010, he decided to play for Wales because his grandmother was born in Caerphilly, Wales. He first played for the Wales under-21s in May 2010. Just five days later, he made his debut for the senior team against Croatia. He scored his first goal for Wales on March 22, 2013, in a World Cup qualifying win against Scotland.

Hal played nine games in Wales' successful journey to qualify for UEFA Euro 2016. He scored a goal against Cyprus in October 2014. In the Euro 2016 tournament in France, he came on as a substitute against Slovakia and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory.

He also started as a forward in Wales' amazing 3–1 quarter-final win against Belgium. In that game, he scored a fantastic goal after tricking three defenders with a special move called a "Cruyff turn." This goal was even nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of the year. Wales' journey ended in the semi-finals, where they lost to Portugal.

Hal played nine more games for Wales, scoring once, as they tried to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On August 29, 2018, he announced he was retiring from international football. However, he later changed his mind and was called up for games in October 2020. In March 2021, he was sent home from the Wales squad for breaking COVID-19 rules. He was not included in the squad for UEFA Euro 2020.

Outside Football

In August 2018, Hal Robson-Kanu started his own company called The Turmeric Co. This company sells drinks made from turmeric and other natural ingredients. Hal believes that using turmeric helped him recover from a serious knee injury and saved his football career.