Stern John facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stern John
CM

John in 2004
Personal information
Full name	Stern John
Date of birth	(1976-10-30) 30 October 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Saint Lucia (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996	Malta Carib Alcons	7	(1)
1997	Carolina Dynamo	5	(0)
1997	New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers	26	(16)
1998–1999	Columbus Crew	55	(44)
1999–2002	Nottingham Forest	72	(18)
2002–2004	Birmingham City	77	(16)
2004–2007	Coventry City	78	(26)
2005	→ Derby County (loan)	7	(0)
2007	Sunderland	16	(5)
2007–2009	Southampton	47	(19)
2008–2009	→ Bristol City (loan)	24	(2)
2009–2010	Crystal Palace	16	(2)
2009–2010	→ Ipswich Town (loan)	7	(1)
2011–2012	North East Stars
2012	Solihull Moors
2014	WASA FC
2017–2018	Central F.C.
Total		437	(150)
National team
1995–2011	Trinidad and Tobago	115	(70)
Teams managed
2017–2020	Central F.C.
2020–2022	Anguilla
2022–	Saint Lucia
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:38, 11 February 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Stern John (born 30 October 1976) is a famous Trinidadian football player and manager. He is currently the manager for the Saint Lucia team. Before this, he managed Anguilla from 2020 to 2022. Stern John played for many football clubs in the United States and England. Some of these clubs include Columbus Crew, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City, and Sunderland.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting in the U.S.

Stern John was born in Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago. He grew up in a family where many people played sports, including football and cricket. Until he was 16, he played for the Trinidad and Tobago youth cricket team. Then, he decided to focus only on football.

In 1995, John moved to the United States. He went to Mercer County Community College in New Jersey. The college's coach, Charlie Inverso, had found him in Trinidad. John helped the Mercer County Vikings win the 1995 NJCAA soccer championship. He scored 27 goals that season, including one in the final game.

John started his professional career in April 1997. He played for the Carolina Dynamo in the A-League. A month later, he moved to the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers. There, he scored 16 goals in 21 games. He was even named Rookie of the Year!

Joining Columbus Crew

After playing well in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, John tried out for the Columbus Crew. His second cousin, Ansil Elcock, who also played for Trinidad and Tobago, suggested him to the coach. John joined the team and played his first game on 29 March 1998.

He scored his first goal for Columbus Crew in his fifth game. It was a big win, 5–1, and he scored three goals in that match! John finished his first season as the top scorer in the league. He scored 26 goals in 27 games and was named to the MLS Best XI. He was the first player in MLS to score three hat-tricks in one season. He scored 16 goals in just 12 games!

In 1999, he scored 18 goals. European clubs became interested in him, but he stayed with Columbus. He ended his MLS career with 44 goals in 55 games.

Playing in England

After his time with Columbus, John moved to England. He joined Nottingham Forest in 1999. He scored 18 goals in 49 games for the team.

In February 2002, he moved to Birmingham City. He helped them get promoted to the Premier League. He even scored one of the penalties in the play-off final shootout! He scored nine goals in 60 Premier League games for Birmingham. Fans loved him for his important goals, like his last-minute goal against Millwall.

On 14 September 2004, John joined Coventry City. In his first season, he scored 12 goals. He was the team's second-highest scorer.

In 2005, he was loaned to Derby County for three months. Then, he returned to Coventry.

On 29 January 2007, John moved to Sunderland. He scored his first goals for Sunderland in a 4–0 win against Southend United.

Later in 2007, he joined Southampton. He quickly started scoring goals, with nine goals in his first 15 games. He even scored three goals in one game against Hull City! He finished the 2007–08 season as one of the top scorers in the Championship league. He scored 19 goals for Southampton that season.

In October 2008, John was loaned to Bristol City. He scored his first goal for them in a game against Reading.

On 29 July 2009, John signed with Crystal Palace. He later went on a one-month loan to Ipswich Town. He scored his first goal for Ipswich in January 2010. After returning to Crystal Palace, he scored his first goal for them in March 2010.

Later Career

In August 2012, John returned to English football. He signed with Solihull Moors. He later went back to Trinidad and Tobago.

In January 2014, he came out of retirement to play for WASA FC. He even scored in his first game back!

In 2016, John came out of retirement again. He became a player-coach for Central F.C. in the TT Pro League.

International Career

Stern John played for the Trinidad and Tobago national team. He made his first international appearance on 15 February 1995. He scored a goal in that very first game!

He is the team's all-time leading scorer, with 70 goals in 115 games. When he retired in 2011, he was the 7th highest international goalscorer in the world. He is also the top goal scorer in the CONCACAF region.

John was a very important player when his country qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in all three of Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup games in Germany. He was named the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Player of the Year in 2002. He is the second most capped player for Trinidad and Tobago, meaning he has played the second-highest number of games for his country. He also scored in 12 international matches in a row from 1998 to 1999!

Coaching Career

On 9 November 2020, Stern John became the new manager for the Anguilla national team.

Then, on 23 May 2022, the Saint Lucia Football Association announced that John would be the head coach for the Saint Lucia national team.

Personal Life

Because he was part of the team that played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Stern John received the Chaconia Medal (Gold Class). This is the second highest award given by the country of Trinidad and Tobago.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Source:

Scores and results list Trinidad and Tobago's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each John goal.

List of international goals scored by Stern John

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition
1	15 February 1995	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Finland	2–1	Friendly
2	6 March 1996	Miami, United States	Haiti	2–0	Friendly
3	2 June 1996	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Martinique	2–1	1996 Caribbean Cup
4	23 June 1996	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Dominican Republic	8–0	1998 World Cup qualifier
5
6
7	18 December 1997	Fort-de-France, Martinique	Martinique	2–3	Friendly
8	4 January 1998	Bridgetown, Barbados	Barbados	1–0	Friendly
9	1 February 1998	Oakland, United States	Honduras	3–1	1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
10
11	22 July 1998	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Antigua and Barbuda	3–2	1998 Caribbean Cup
12	24 July 1998	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Martinique	2–1	1998 Caribbean Cup
13
14	26 July 1998	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Dominica	8–0	1998 Caribbean Cup
15
16
17
18	29 July 1998	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Haiti	4–1	1998 Caribbean Cup
19
20	31 July 1998	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Jamaica	1–2	1998 Caribbean Cup
21	28 March 1999	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Jamaica	2–0	Friendly
22	6 May 1999	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	South Africa	2–0	Friendly
23	3 June 1999	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Jamaica	1–0	1999 Caribbean Cup
24	11 June 1999	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Haiti	6–1	1999 Caribbean Cup
25	13 June 1999	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Cuba	2–1	1999 Caribbean Cup
26	8 September 1999	Miami, United States	Colombia	4–3	Friendly
27
28
29	17 November 1999	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Honduras	2–3	Friendly
30
31	25 February 2001	Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands	Cayman Islands	3–0	Friendly
32	15 May 2001	Malabar, Trinidad and Tobago	Barbados	5–0	2001 Caribbean Cup
33
34	22 May 2001	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Cuba	2–0	2001 Caribbean Cup
35	16 June 2001	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Honduras	2–4	2002 World Cup qualifier
36	23 June 2001	Prospect, Bermuda	Bermuda	5–0	Friendly
37
38	30 June 2001	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Jamaica	1–2	2002 World Cup qualifier
39	7 October 2001	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Honduras	1–0	2002 World Cup qualifier
40	20 January 2002	Miami, United States	Costa Rica	1–1	2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
41	26 March 2003	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Antigua and Barbuda	2–0	2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier
42	28 March 2003	Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago	Guadeloupe	1–0	2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier
43	30 March 2003	Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago	Cuba	1–3	2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier
44	3 July 2003	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Venezuela	2–2	Friendly
45
46	31 March 2004	Cairo, Egypt	Egypt	1–2	Friendly
47	23 May 2004	West Bromwich, England	Iraq	2–0	Friendly
48
49	30 May 2004	Edinburgh, Scotland	Scotland	1–4	Friendly
50	13 June 2004	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Dominican Republic	4–0	2006 World Cup qualifier
51
52	4 September 2004	Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis	Saint Kitts and Nevis	2–1	2006 World Cup qualifier
53	8 September 2004	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Mexico	1–3	2006 World Cup qualifier
54	13 June 2004	Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago	Saint Kitts and Nevis	5–1	2006 World Cup qualifier
55
56	3 February 2005	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Haiti	2–1	Friendly
57	25 May 2005	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Bermuda	4–0	Friendly
58	27 May 2005	Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago	Bermuda	1–0	Friendly
59	4 June 2005	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Panama	2–0	2006 World Cup qualifier
60	3 September 2005	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Guatemala	3–2	2006 World Cup qualifier
61
62	8 October 2005	Panama City, Panama	Panama	1–0	2006 World Cup qualifier
63	12 October 2005	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Mexico	2–1	2006 World Cup qualifier
64
65	27 May 2006	Graz, Austria	Wales	1–2	Friendly
66	7 October 2006	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	5–0	Friendly
67
68	15 June 2008	Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago	Bermuda	1–2	2010 World Cup qualifier
69	22 June 2008	Hamilton, Bermuda	Bermuda	2–0	2010 World Cup qualifier
70	21 August 2011	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	India	3–0	Friendly

Awards and Achievements

Columbus Crew

• U.S. Open Cup runner-up: 1998

Birmingham City

• Football League First Division play-offs: 2001–02

Sunderland

• Football League Championship: 2006–07

Trinidad and Tobago

• Caribbean Cup: 1996, 1999, 2001

Individual Awards

• MLS Golden Boot: 1998 (This means he was the top scorer in the league!)
• MLS Best XI: 1998 (He was chosen as one of the best players in the league.)
• MLS All-Star, 1998, 1999
• Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Player of the Year: 2002

Medals

• Chaconia Medal Gold Class: 2006 (This is a very high award from his home country!)

See Also

In Spanish: Stern John para niños

• List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals