Les Ferdinand facts for kids
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Ferdinand watching a Queens Park Rangers match in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leslie Ferdinand | ||
| Date of birth | 8 December 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Acton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Viking Sports | |||
| Southall | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1986 | Southall | ||
| 1986–1987 | Hayes | 33 | (19) |
| 1987–1995 | Queens Park Rangers | 163 | (80) |
| 1988 | → Brentford (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | → Beşiktaş (loan) | 24 | (14) |
| 1995–1997 | Newcastle United | 68 | (41) |
| 1997–2003 | Tottenham Hotspur | 118 | (33) |
| 2003 | West Ham United | 14 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | Leicester City | 29 | (12) |
| 2004–2005 | Bolton Wanderers | 12 | (1) |
| 2005 | Reading | 12 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Watford | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 443 | (184) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998 | England B | 1 | (1) |
| 1993–1998 | England | 17 | (5) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015 | Queens Park Rangers (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Leslie Ferdinand (born on December 8, 1966) is a famous English football coach and former professional footballer. He was known as a powerful striker.
Les Ferdinand played for many top clubs in the Premier League, including Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played in Turkey for Beşiktaş. Before becoming a professional, he played for smaller, non-league teams. He played 17 times for the England national team. He was part of the England squads for Euro 96 and the World Cup 98. Les Ferdinand is one of the top goal scorers in Premier League history, with 149 goals. He also helped his teammates score with 49 assists.
After he stopped playing, Ferdinand became a football expert on TV. He also worked as a coach for Tottenham Hotspur and later for Queens Park Rangers. At QPR, he became the head of football operations and then the director of football. In 2015, he was a temporary manager for the team.
Contents
About Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand was born in Acton, which is in London. He has famous relatives who also play football, like Rio and Anton Ferdinand. Another cousin, Kane Ferdinand, plays for Maidenhead United.
In 1997, his autobiography, Sir Les, was published. This book shared stories from his life and career.
In 2005, Les Ferdinand was given an award called a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award recognizes his achievements and contributions.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
Les Ferdinand began his football journey in non-league teams. He played for Viking Sports and then Southall. He played his first league game for Southall in August 1984. He helped Southall reach the FA Vase final in 1986. After that, he moved to Hayes, where he scored 20 goals. His talent was noticed by Queens Park Rangers, and he joined them for £50,000.
Time at Queens Park Rangers
Ferdinand made his debut for QPR in April 1987. He was 20 years old. He played a few games in his first seasons. In 1988, he went on loan to a Turkish team called Beşiktaş. He did very well there, scoring 14 goals in 24 games. He also won his first trophy, the Turkish Cup, with Beşiktaş.
When he returned to QPR in 1989, he started to play more. In the 1991–92 season, he scored 10 goals. This helped QPR become one of the founding teams of the new FA Premier League. In the 1992–93 season, he became a top striker, scoring 20 goals. QPR finished fifth that year, which was the highest position for any London team.
Les Ferdinand continued his great form in the 1993–94 season, scoring 16 goals. He signed a new contract with QPR. In the 1994–95 season, he scored 24 goals in the Premier League. Many people thought he would soon move to a bigger club.
Success at Newcastle United
In 1995, Ferdinand moved to Newcastle for £6 million. This was a very successful time for him. In his first season, he scored 29 goals. He helped Newcastle almost win the Premier League title in the 1995–96 season. They were leading by 12 points at one point but were caught by Manchester United.
In both of his seasons at Newcastle, Ferdinand finished as a runner-up in the Premier League. He scored 50 goals in just 84 games for Newcastle. He formed a strong partnership with fellow striker Alan Shearer. Newcastle fans loved him and called him 'Sir Les'. He was inducted into the Newcastle United Foundation Hall of Fame in 2017.
Playing for Tottenham Hotspur
In 1997, Ferdinand joined Tottenham Hotspur, the team he supported as a child. He moved for £6 million. Injuries affected his first season, but he helped Spurs avoid being relegated from the Premier League. Ferdinand helped Spurs win the Football League Cup in 1999, beating Leicester City 1-0 in the final at Wembley.
He scored more goals in the next two seasons, getting 10 goals in 2000–01 and 15 goals in 2001–02. On December 15, 2001, Ferdinand scored the 10,000th goal in Premier League history in a 4-0 win against Fulham. He played in another League Cup final in 2002, but Spurs lost to Blackburn Rovers.
Later Career Teams
In 2003, Ferdinand moved to West Ham United. He scored his first goal for them against his old club, Tottenham. However, West Ham was relegated from the Premier League. He then joined Leicester City for free. Even at 37 years old, he scored 14 Premier League goals for Leicester.
After Leicester was relegated, he joined Bolton Wanderers. He scored a memorable last-minute goal against Manchester United. He left Bolton in January 2005 and signed with Reading. He scored one league goal for Reading.
In 2005–06, Ferdinand joined Watford but did not play any official games. He retired from football shortly before his 40th birthday.
Playing for England
Les Ferdinand played his first game for the England national team in February 1993 against San Marino. He scored a goal in England's 6-0 victory at Wembley. He was part of the England squads for Euro 96 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He played 17 times for England and scored five goals.
Coaching and Management
On November 5, 2008, Les Ferdinand joined the coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur. He worked as a coach for the strikers. He left Tottenham in 2014. In October 2014, Ferdinand became the head of football operations at Queens Park Rangers. He was then made the director of football in February 2015.
On June 16, 2023, it was announced that Ferdinand had stepped down as director of football at QPR. He felt it was the right time to move on after eight years with the club.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 1986–87 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 1987–88 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1989–90 | First Division | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1990–91 | First Division | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 8 | |
| 1991–92 | First Division | 23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 12 | |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 37 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 42 | 24 | ||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 36 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 40 | 18 | ||
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 37 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 42 | 26 | ||
| Total | 163 | 80 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 184 | 90 | ||
| Brentford (loan) | 1987–88 | Third Division | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Beşiktaş (loan) | 1988–89 | Süper Lig | 24 | 14 | 5 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | 30 | 18 | |
| Newcastle United | 1995–96 | Premier League | 37 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | – | 44 | 29 | |
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 31 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 21 | |
| Total | 68 | 41 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 84 | 50 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1997–98 | Premier League | 21 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 24 | 5 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 24 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 35 | 5 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 28 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 35 | 10 | ||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 25 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | — | 33 | 15 | ||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | ||
| Total | 118 | 33 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 39 | ||
| West Ham United | 2002–03 | Premier League | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 2 | ||
| Leicester City | 2003–04 | Premier League | 29 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 13 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2004–05 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 14 | 2 | ||
| Reading | 2004–05 | Championship | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Watford | 2005–06 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 443 | 184 | 37 | 11 | 36 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 523 | 215 | ||
Awards and Recognition
Beşiktaş
- Turkish Cup: 1988–89 (Winner)
Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League Cup: 1998–99 (Winner); runner-up: 2001–02
Individual Awards
- PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1995–96 (Best Player)
- PFA Team of the Year: 1995–96 Premier League (Chosen for the best team)
- North-East FWA Player of the Year: 1996
- Scorer of the 10,000th Premier League goal – Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 – 2001–02)
- Leicester City Player of the Year: 2003–04
- Newcastle United Hall of Fame Inductee
See also
In Spanish: Les Ferdinand para niños
- List of English association football families
