Robbie Fowler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Robbie Fowler

Fowler in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Robert Bernard Fowler
Date of birth	(1975-04-09) 9 April 1975 (age 50)
Place of birth	Toxteth, Liverpool, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1984–1993	Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–2001	Liverpool	236	(120)
2001–2003	Leeds United	30	(14)
2003–2006	Manchester City	80	(21)
2006–2007	Liverpool	30	(8)
2007–2008	Cardiff City	13	(4)
2008	Blackburn Rovers	3	(0)
2009–2010	North Queensland Fury	26	(9)
2010–2011	Perth Glory	28	(9)
2011–2012	Muangthong United	13	(8)
Total		459	(193)
International career
1993–1995	England U21	8	(3)
1994	England B	1	(1)
1996–2002	England	26	(7)
Managerial career
2011–2012	Muangthong United
2019–2020	Brisbane Roar
2020–2021	East Bengal
2023	Al-Qadsiah
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Bernard Fowler (born 9 April 1975) is an English football coach and a famous former player. As a player, he was a striker, which means his main job was to score goals. He is the ninth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League.

Fowler is most famous for his time playing for Liverpool. He scored 183 goals for the club, and the fans at Anfield gave him the nickname "God" because he was so good at scoring. After leaving Liverpool, he played for Leeds United and Manchester City, before making a popular return to Liverpool in 2006.

Later in his career, he played for clubs in Australia and Thailand. He was also chosen to play for the England national team 26 times, scoring 7 goals. He was part of England's team for big tournaments like Euro 1996 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After he stopped playing, he became a football manager.

Early Life

Robbie Fowler was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, England. When he was a boy, he was a big fan of Everton, Liverpool's local rivals. He loved football so much that he once scored 16 goals in a single game for his schoolboy team, which won 26–0.

Club Career

Liverpool

Even though he was an Everton fan, Fowler's professional career started at Liverpool. He joined their youth team in 1991 and signed his first professional contract on his 17th birthday in 1992.

Fowler made his first-team debut on 22 September 1993, in a League Cup match against Fulham, and he scored a goal. In the second match against Fulham at Anfield, he did something amazing: he scored all five goals in a 5-0 win. He quickly became a star, scoring 12 goals in his first 13 games. He finished his first season with 18 goals.

Success and Fame

In the 1994–95 season, Fowler played in all 57 of Liverpool's matches. He helped the team win the 1995 League Cup. That season, he also set a record for the fastest hat-trick (three goals in one game) in the Premier League. He scored three goals against Arsenal in just four minutes and 33 seconds. This record lasted for 20 years.

For his amazing performances, he was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year in both 1995 and 1996. Many people thought he was the best goalscorer in England during the mid-1990s. For three seasons in a row, he scored more than 30 goals each season. His partnership with teammate Steve McManaman was famous for creating many scoring chances.

In 1997, Fowler won a UEFA Fair Play award. In a match against Arsenal, the referee gave Liverpool a penalty, thinking the Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman had fouled Fowler. Fowler told the referee it wasn't a foul, but the referee didn't change his mind. Fowler then took the penalty kick gently, and Seaman saved it.

The "Spice Boys"

In the mid-1990s, Fowler and some of his Liverpool teammates like Jamie Redknapp and Steve McManaman were nicknamed the "Spice Boys" by the newspapers. This was because they were young, famous, and seen as being very stylish.

Fowler also showed his support for striking dock workers in Liverpool during a goal celebration in 1997. He lifted his shirt to show a t-shirt that supported the "doCKers". He was fined by UEFA for this political message.

Winning the Cup Treble

The 2000–01 season was Fowler's most successful. Even though he wasn't always a starting player, he helped Liverpool win three trophies in one season: the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Cup. This is known as a cup treble.

In the League Cup final, he was the captain and scored a goal. Liverpool won on penalties. He also came on as a substitute in the 2001 FA Cup Final and the 2001 UEFA Cup Final, helping his team win both. It was a historic season for the club.

Leaving Liverpool

Despite his success, Fowler's relationship with the manager, Gérard Houllier, became difficult. He also faced competition from other strikers like Michael Owen and Emile Heskey. In November 2001, Fowler left Liverpool and moved to Leeds United for £12 million. Many fans were sad to see him go.

Leeds United

Fowler scored 12 goals in his first season with Leeds, helping them qualify for the UEFA Cup. He was also part of the England squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, he struggled with a hip injury, and Leeds began to have serious money problems. After scoring 15 goals in 33 games for Leeds, he was transferred again.

Manchester City

In January 2003, Fowler joined Manchester City. He had some injury problems but still showed his goal-scoring talent. In the 2004–05 season, he scored his 150th Premier League goal. On the last day of the season, he missed a penalty that would have sent Manchester City into the UEFA Cup. Still, he was the team's joint top scorer that year.

Return to Liverpool

Fowler playing for Liverpool in 2007

On 27 January 2006, in a move that delighted fans, Fowler returned to Liverpool on a free transfer. The fans welcomed him back with banners that said, "God – number eleven, welcome back to heaven."

He scored important goals and his form earned him a new one-year contract. In his final season, he helped Liverpool reach the 2007 Champions League Final, although he did not play in the final match. He left the club for the second time as a true Liverpool legend, having scored 183 goals in 369 games over his two spells.

Later Career

After leaving Liverpool, Fowler played for Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers in England.

In 2009, he moved to Australia to play for North Queensland Fury in the A-League. He was the team's first captain and top scorer. The next year, he joined another Australian club, Perth Glory, where he was also the top scorer.

His final club as a player was Muangthong United in Thailand. He even served as the team's player-manager for a short time before retiring as a player in 2012.

International Career

Fowler played for the England national team 26 times and scored 7 goals. He made his debut in 1996 and was part of the squad for Euro 1996, where England reached the semi-finals.

An injury kept him out of the 1998 World Cup, but he returned to play for England in the years that followed. He was also in the squads for Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His last appearance for England was in a World Cup match against Denmark in 2002.

Managerial Career

After his playing career ended, Fowler became a football manager.

• Muangthong United: He had his first experience as a player-manager in Thailand in 2011.
• Brisbane Roar: In 2019, he was appointed head coach of the Australian club Brisbane Roar. He had a successful period there, winning the Coach of the Month award twice.
• East Bengal: In 2020, he became the manager of Indian Super League side East Bengal.
• Al-Qadsiah: In 2023, he managed Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia. He left the club even though his team was unbeaten in the league.

Personal Life

Fowler is married to his wife Kerrie, and they have four children. He has invested in racehorses with his friend and former teammate Steve McManaman. He has also written two books about his life in football.

Fowler often takes part in charity events, including celebrity golf tournaments and charity football matches. He has played in matches to raise money for charity and to honour the victims of the Hillsborough Disaster.

Images for kids

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  Fowler playing for North Queensland Fury in 2009

• 

  Fowler during Steven Gerrard's testimonial match on 3 August 2013

Career statistics

Club

Sources:

International

Sources:

Honours

Liverpool

• FA Cup: 2000–01
• Football League Cup: 1994–95, 2000–01
• UEFA Cup: 2000–01
• UEFA Super Cup: 2001
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2006–07

Cardiff City

• FA Cup runner-up: 2007–08

England U18

• UEFA European U-18 Championship: 1993

England U21

• Toulon Tournament: 1994

Individual

• Premier League Player of the Month: December 1995, January 1996
• PFA Young Player of the Year: 1995, 1996
• UEFA Fair Play Award: 1997
• Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2001
• North Queensland Fury Player of the Year: 2010
• North Queensland Fury Golden Boot: 2010
• North Queensland Fury Players' Player of the Year: 2010
• Perth Glory Golden Boot: 2011

See also

In Spanish: Robbie Fowler para niños