Jason Koumas facts for kids
Koumas warming up for Wigan Athletic in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 25 September 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Wrexham, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1997 | Liverpool | ||
| 1997–1998 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2002 | Tranmere Rovers | 127 | (25) |
| 2002–2007 | West Bromwich Albion | 123 | (23) |
| 2005–2006 | → Cardiff City (loan) | 44 | (12) |
| 2007–2011 | Wigan Athletic | 54 | (2) |
| 2010–2011 | → Cardiff City (loan) | 23 | (2) |
| 2013–2015 | Tranmere Rovers | 51 | (4) |
| Total | 422 | (68) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001–2009 | Wales | 34 | (10) |
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Jason Koumas (born 25 September 1979) is a former professional footballer from Wales. He played as a midfielder for several teams, including Tranmere Rovers, Cardiff City, West Bromwich Albion, and Wigan Athletic. He also proudly represented the Wales national team.
Jason was recognized for his skills and was chosen for the Football League Championship team of the season twice, in 2005–06 and 2006–07.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
Jason Koumas was born in Wrexham, Wales. His mother was English, and his father was Greek-Cypriot. He started playing football for local youth teams when he was very young. At age nine, he joined the Liverpool Academy. He played alongside famous players like Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen and was considered a very promising talent.
However, Jason decided not to sign a youth contract with Liverpool. He chose to join Tranmere Rovers instead, reportedly because he wanted to play in central midfield, which Liverpool's coaches didn't always let him do.
Playing for Tranmere Rovers
Jason made his first professional appearance for Tranmere Rovers during the 1998–99 season. Over the next four years, he played very well, showing off his great potential. He was even named in the PFA Division Two Team of the Year for 2001–02.
One of his most memorable moments was scoring a goal when Tranmere beat their rivals Everton 3–0 in the FA Cup in 2001. In August 2002, West Bromwich Albion manager Gary Megson noticed his talent and signed him for £2.25 million.
Time at West Bromwich Albion
Jason had a great first season in the Premier League with West Brom. He scored amazing solo goals against big teams like Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers. He even won the club's Player of the Season award! Sadly, West Brom was relegated back to the Football League that year.
But Jason helped West Brom get promoted back to the Premier League in the 2003–04 season. He was named the First Division Player of the Month in November 2003, scoring three goals, including two in a 3–0 win against Nottingham Forest. In April 2004, he scored a crucial last-minute goal against Sunderland, which helped West Brom return to the Premier League. He finished the season with ten league goals and was named in the First Division PFA Team of the Year.
After signing a new contract in 2004, Jason had some disagreements with the new coach, Bryan Robson. This led to him being put on the transfer list.
Loan to Cardiff City
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Jason was loaned to Cardiff City. This move was a big success! He scored on his debut against Leeds United after coming on as a substitute. He continued to play brilliantly, scoring 13 goals in 44 games from midfield. This included a hat-trick against Luton. Jason became a fan favorite at Cardiff and won their Player of the Year award. He was also named in the Championship's PFA Team of the Season.
Cardiff City tried to buy Jason permanently, but they couldn't agree on a price with West Brom. During these talks, Jason really wanted to join Cardiff and didn't train with West Brom. However, on 23 August, he decided to sign a new three-year deal with West Bromwich Albion.
Back at West Brom
His career at West Brom got a fresh start under new manager Tony Mowbray. Jason became a regular player again and had many excellent performances during the 2006–07 season. He won the Powerade Championship player of the month award for December 2006. In March 2007, he was named the Championship Player of the Year at the Football League Awards. He also earned a spot in the Championship PFA Team of the Year in April. Even with all these personal awards, West Brom didn't get promoted that season after losing to Derby in the play-off final.
Moving to Wigan Athletic
In July 2007, West Brom agreed to sell Jason to Wigan Athletic for £5.3 million. Jason completed his move to Wigan on 10 July. Tranmere Rovers also received some money from this transfer because of a special agreement they had.
He played his first game for Wigan on 11 August 2007, in a 2–1 loss to Everton. The next month, he scored his first goal for his new club, which was also his 300th career league appearance. He scored an 80th-minute penalty to help Wigan draw 1–1 with Fulham.
During his three years at Wigan, Jason faced some challenges, including injuries and not always getting to play. He was linked with a return to West Brom or a loan to other clubs, but it didn't happen. Wigan released him at the end of the 2010–11 season after he returned from a loan spell at Cardiff City.
Second Loan to Cardiff City
On 5 August 2010, Jason agreed to join Cardiff City again on a loan deal for the season. He officially joined the club a few days later. Jason made his second debut for Cardiff City in a 4–0 home win against Doncaster Rovers.
His second time at Cardiff was affected by injuries. In a crucial game against Doncaster, with the score tied 1–1, Jason came on as a substitute in the 87th minute. Within three minutes, he scored an amazing goal from a 25-yard free-kick! He then scored another goal to make it 3–1.
Back to Tranmere Rovers and Retirement
After leaving Wigan in 2011, Jason didn't play for a while. In July 2013, he asked to train with his old club, Tranmere Rovers, to get back into football. After a successful trial, he signed a one-year contract on 1 August. He signed another one-year extension in May 2014.
Jason Koumas officially announced his retirement from football on 10 July 2015.
International Career
Jason was born in Wrexham, Wales, and had a Greek Cypriot father and an English mother. This meant he could choose to play for Cyprus, England, or Wales. He chose to play for Wales.
He played 34 times for his country, making his international debut against Ukraine in 2001. He was part of the Wales team that almost qualified for Euro 2004, but they lost to Russia in the play-offs.
Sometimes, Jason had issues with attending training for the national team. However, he made a strong return in October 2006, scoring three goals in two matches, including two against Liechtenstein.
Jason captained Wales for the first time on 1 June 2008, in a game they lost 2–0 to the Netherlands. He retired from international football on 6 September 2009, having scored ten goals in 34 games. His last game for Wales was a 2–0 loss to Finland on 28 March 2009.
Personal Life
Jason Koumas's son, Lewis, also joined the Liverpool Academy. Lewis made his professional debut for Liverpool in February 2024, following in his father's footsteps.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tranmere Rovers | 1998–99 | First Division | 23 | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 27 | 4 | ||
| 1999–2000 | First Division | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | First Division | 39 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 47 | 11 | ||
| 2001–02 | Second Division | 38 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 43 | 13 | ||
| 2002–03 | Second Division | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 127 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 32 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2002–03 | Premier League | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 4 | |
| 2003–04 | First Division | 42 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 46 | 10 | ||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Championship | 39 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 9 | |
| Total | 123 | 23 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 141 | 23 | ||
| Cardiff City (loan) | 2005–06 | Championship | 44 | 12 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 47 | 13 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2007–08 | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Total | 54 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 2 | ||
| Cardiff City (loan) | 2010–11 | Championship | 23 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| Tranmere Rovers | 2013–14 | League One | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | |
| 2014–15 | League Two | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 422 | 68 | 24 | 6 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 483 | 77 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 2001 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 10 | |
Honours
Tranmere Rovers
- Football League Cup runner-up: 1999–2000
West Bromwich Albion
- Football League First Division runner-up: 2003–04
Individual
- PFA Team of the Year: 2001–02 Second Division, 2003–04 First Division, 2005–06 Championship, 2006–07 Championship
- Football League Championship Player of the Year: 2006–07
