Nigel Reo-Coker facts for kids
Reo-Coker in 2008
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 May 1984 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Southwark, England | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Wimbledon | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Wimbledon | 58 | (6) | ||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | West Ham United | 120 | (11) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Aston Villa | 102 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Bolton Wanderers | 37 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Ipswich Town | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 44 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Chivas USA | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Montreal Impact | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Start | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2018 | Milton Keynes Dons | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 413 | (22) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 2003 | England U19 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2005 | England U20 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | England U21 | 23 | (1) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:57, 28 June 2018 (UTC) | |||||||||||||
Nigel Reo-Coker (born on May 14, 1984) is a former English footballer. He played as a midfielder for many teams. After his playing career, he became a football commentator and expert for CBS Sports.
Nigel started his football journey in the youth teams at Wimbledon. He also played for well-known clubs like West Ham United, Aston Villa, and Bolton Wanderers. Later, he played for teams in North America, including Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Montreal Impact.
Contents
Early Life and Childhood
Nigel Reo-Coker was born in Southwark, London. For the first six years of his life, he lived in Sierra Leone. His parents, Ransford and Agnes, worked there. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a nurse.
In 1990, his parents separated. Nigel and his sisters, Natalie and Vanessa, moved back to south London with their mother. Nigel went to Riddlesdown High School in Purley, London.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Wimbledon
Nigel Reo-Coker was noticed by Wimbledon when he was twelve years old. He was playing for the Croydon area team at the time. He moved up through the youth ranks at Wimbledon. He even became the captain of the first team.
While at Wimbledon, he also played for the England Under-21s. He played 64 games for Wimbledon and scored six goals.
Time at West Ham United
In January 2004, Nigel joined West Ham United. He believed the club could return to the Premier League. He made his first appearance for West Ham on January 31, 2004. His first goal for the club was against his old team, Wimbledon.
He quickly became a key player and was made the club captain. In his first full season, West Ham reached the play-off final but lost. The next season, he helped the team win promotion to the Premier League in 2005.
In May 2006, he led West Ham to the FA Cup final. At 21, he became the youngest FA Cup final captain ever. West Ham had a tough season in 2006–07. Nigel helped the team avoid relegation on the very last day. This was his final game for West Ham. He played 142 games for West Ham, scoring 11 goals.
Moving to Aston Villa
Nigel joined Aston Villa on July 5, 2007. He signed a four-year contract. He said he joined Villa because they wanted to play in Europe. He scored his first goal for Villa in a League Cup game in August 2007.
In January 2008, he captained Aston Villa in a game against Liverpool. He scored his first Premier League goal for Villa against Tottenham. He also scored in the UEFA Cup. Sometimes, he played as a right-back or right-winger when other players were unavailable.
Nigel captained Aston Villa to win the 2009 Peace Cup. He became a regular starter again after Gareth Barry left. In October 2010, he was named captain again when Stiliyan Petrov was injured. Nigel left Aston Villa in May 2011 when his contract ended. He played 123 games for Villa, scoring 3 goals.
Time at Bolton Wanderers
In July 2011, Nigel joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer. He signed a two-year contract. He made his debut in August 2011. He scored his first goal for Bolton in December 2011.
Bolton was relegated from the Premier League in 2012. Nigel then left the club. He played 42 games for Bolton, scoring three goals.
Short Spell at Ipswich Town
Nigel joined Ipswich Town in October 2012. He called Ipswich a "sleeping giant" in the Championship. He played twelve games for them before leaving in January 2013.
Playing in Major League Soccer (MLS)
In February 2013, Nigel moved to North America to play for MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He quickly became known for his strong tackles. He scored his first MLS goal in October 2013.
In August 2014, he was traded to Chivas USA. After Chivas USA closed down, he was picked by Montreal Impact in December 2014. His contract with Montreal ended in January 2016.
Later Career
After leaving MLS, Nigel had trials with other clubs. In May 2017, he joined IK Start in Norway. He played two games before his contract ended in June 2017.
In March 2018, he joined Milton Keynes Dons on a short-term deal. He did not play any games for them and later retired from football.
International Career
Playing for England's Youth Teams
Nigel was first chosen for the England Under-21 squad in October 2003. In March 2007, he became the first Englishman to captain a team at the new Wembley Stadium. This was during an Under-21 game against Italy.
In May 2006, he was a standby player for England's 2006 World Cup squad. However, he had to withdraw due to back problems. He captained the England U21s in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. His last game for the team was the semi-final against the Netherlands, which England lost in a penalty shootout.
Eligibility for Sierra Leone
Nigel Reo-Coker has family roots in Sierra Leone. In 2010, the Sierra Leone Football Association wanted him to play for their national team. They believed his leadership would be a great help.
However, Nigel decided not to play for Sierra Leone. He wanted to focus on his club career and hoped to play for England again in the future.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wimbledon | 2001–02 | First Division | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2002–03 | First Division | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 2 | |||
| 2003–04 | First Division | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 4 | |||
| Total | 58 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 64 | 6 | ||||
| West Ham United | 2003–04 | First Division | 15 | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 18 | 2 | |||
| 2004–05 | Championship | 39 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 47 | 3 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 31 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 5 | |||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| Total | 120 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 142 | 11 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2007–08 | Premier League | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| Total | 102 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 1 | — | 123 | 3 | |||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2011–12 | Premier League | 37 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 3 | ||
| Ipswich Town | 2012–13 | Championship | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2013 | MLS | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 35 | 1 | ||
| 2014 | MLS | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 44 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 49 | 1 | ||||
| Chivas USA | 2014 | MLS | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Montreal Impact | 2015 | MLS | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 40 | 0 | ||
| Start | 2017 | OBOS-ligaen | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2017–18 | League One | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 413 | 22 | 34 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 483 | 24 | ||
Honours and Achievements
Nigel Reo-Coker achieved several notable things during his career:
West Ham United
- He helped West Ham win the Football League Championship play-offs in 2004–05. This meant they were promoted to the Premier League.
- He was part of the team that reached the FA Cup final in 2005–06. They finished as runners-up.
Montreal Impact
- With Montreal Impact, he was a runner-up in the CONCACAF Champions League in 2014–15.
See also
In Spanish: Nigel Reo-Coker para niños
