Zat Knight facts for kids
Knight training with Aston Villa in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Zatyiah Knight | ||
| Date of birth | 2 May 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Solihull, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1999 | Rushall Olympic | ||
| 1999–2007 | Fulham | 150 | (3) |
| 2000 | → Peterborough United (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Aston Villa | 40 | (4) |
| 2009–2014 | Bolton Wanderers | 168 | (4) |
| 2014–2015 | Colorado Rapids | 4 | (0) |
| 2015 | Reading | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 372 | (11) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002 | England U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2005 | England | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Zatyiah Knight (born 2 May 1980) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a centre back, which is a defensive position in football.
Knight played for several big clubs during his career. He spent a lot of time at Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, and Fulham. These teams played in the top leagues in England, the Premier League and the Championship. He finished his playing career at Reading. Zat Knight also represented England at both the under-21 and senior international levels.
Contents
Zat Knight's Club Career Highlights
Playing for Fulham
Zat Knight was born in Newtown, Birmingham. Fulham signed him from Rushall Olympic on 19 February 1999. At the time, Knight was not a professional player, so Fulham did not have to pay a transfer fee. However, Fulham's owner sent Rushall Olympic 30 tracksuits as a thank you.
After five years at Fulham, Knight signed a new contract. This kept him at the club until 2008. He became an important player under manager Chris Coleman. Knight scored four goals for Fulham during his time there. Two goals were in the 2004–05 season, and two were in 2006–07. One of his goals was in a FA Cup match against Watford. Another was a Premier League goal against Norwich City in a big 6–0 win. His last goal for Fulham was against Bolton Wanderers.
Knight was one of Fulham's most consistent players in the 2006–07 season. Because of his good performance, he was sometimes given the captain's armband. This happened when the regular captain, Luís Boa Morte, was injured. At the start of the 2007–08 season, Knight signed another two-year contract with Fulham. He had been linked with moves to other clubs, but he wanted to stay and try to win trophies with Fulham.
Time at Aston Villa
On 29 August 2007, Knight signed a four-year contract with Aston Villa. This was special for him because he had supported Aston Villa since he was a boy. The transfer fee was about £3.5 million. His last match for Fulham was a 2–1 loss against Villa. In that game, a shot from Ashley Young deflected off Knight and went into the net, which was counted as Young's goal.
Knight scored a goal with his head on his debut for Villa. This was in a 2–0 win against Chelsea on 2 September 2007. His next goal for Villa came the following season, on 26 December 2008. Villa was losing 2–1 against Arsenal at Villa Park. Knight scored the equalizing goal in the 91st minute, making the final score 2–2.
Moving to Bolton Wanderers
On 25 July 2009, Knight signed a three-year contract with another Premier League club, Bolton Wanderers. The fee was reportedly around £4 million. Knight played his first game for Bolton on 15 August 2009, in a 1–0 loss to Sunderland. He scored his first goal for Bolton against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 27 February 2010. This goal helped Bolton win 1–0 and move out of the relegation zone.
Knight's contract with Bolton ended in the summer of 2012. However, on 9 July 2012, Bolton announced that he had signed a new two-year contract. Knight often wore the captain's armband for Bolton when the usual captain, Kevin Davies, was not playing. When Davies left the club after the 2012–13 season, Knight was named the new captain for the 2013–14 season. Later, Jay Spearing took over the captaincy. On 8 March 2014, Knight scored his first goal in three and a half years. It was Bolton's third goal in their 5–1 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road. At the end of that season, he left the club.
Playing for Colorado Rapids and Reading
On 1 October 2014, Knight signed with Major League Soccer team Colorado Rapids in the United States. He played in all four of their remaining matches of the season. The team did not make it to the play-offs. On 2 February 2015, his contract with the Rapids ended by agreement.
After leaving the Colorado Rapids, Knight had a trial with Watford. Then, on 12 March 2015, he signed with Reading, another club in the Championship. He played two matches for Reading. He was released by Reading on 21 May 2015, which marked the end of his professional playing career.
International Career with England
Zat Knight played for the England senior team. He made his debut on 28 May 2005. He came on as a substitute in a friendly match against the United States. He earned his second cap (appearance) for England in another friendly match against Colombia on 31 May 2005.
Career Statistics Summary
Zat Knight played a total of 372 league matches in his career, scoring 9 goals. Across all competitions, he played 440 matches and scored 10 goals. He also played 2 matches for the England national team.
Honours and Achievements
- Fulham
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002 (This was a European football competition.)
See also
In Spanish: Zat Knight para niños
