Jamie Redknapp
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| Jamie Redknapp | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jamie Frank Redknapp | |
| Date of birth | June 25 1973 | |
| Place of birth | Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, England | |
| Height | ft in ( m) | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1989–1991 1991–2002 2002–2005 2005 |
Bournemouth Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur Southampton Total |
13 (0) 239 (31) 48 (4) 16 (0) 316 (35) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1994 1995–1999 |
England B England |
1
(0) 17 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Jamie Frank Redknapp (born June 25, 1973 in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire) is a well-known former English footballer of the 1990s and early 2000s and current football pundit with Sky Sports.
He played as a midfielder in a promising career that was also dogged by injury. Redknapp was one of the most popular players of his generation although it is widely accepted that his good looks, celebrity spouse and modelling commitments often overshadowed his football talent. His cousin is Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and Jamie's father is Portsmouth's manager Harry Redknapp, his mother is Sandra Harris.
Club career
Redknapp started his career at A.F.C. Bournemouth under his father, manager Harry Redknapp, before going on to play for Liverpool where Redknapp will be remembered for his best performances. After that Redknapp played two and a half seasons for Tottenham Hotspur then finally joined Southampton to reunite with his father for a second time. Redknapp was also capped 17 times with England, scoring one goal.
A.F.C. Bournemouth
Redknapp started out on the road to professional football as a schoolboy at Tottenham Hotspur but began his professional career, at the age of 16, in 1989 at Bournemouth, then managed by his father, Harry. He made 13 appearances for the club before attracting the attention of Liverpool whom he joined on 15 January 1991. Kenny Dalglish signed the 17-year-old Redknapp for £350,000, making him, at the time, one of the costliest teenagers in English football.
Liverpool
Redknapp was the last player to be signed by manager Kenny Dalglish before his surprising resignation the following month and later became the youngest Liverpool player to appear in European competition, at 18 years 120 days when making his Reds' debut against Auxerre in the UEFA Cup on 23 October 1991. Unfortunately, it wasn't a winning start for Redknapp as the Reds lost 2-0 to the French side. However, at Anfield Liverpool beat Auxerre 3-0 to progress to the 3rd round of the tournament, Redknapp being an unused sub for the game.
Redknapp's first goal for Liverpool came in his league debut on 7 December 1991 when he featured as a 63rd minute substitute for Jan Mølby against Southampton at the Dell. His 74th-minute tap in earned the Reds a 1-1 draw after they had been struggling and trailing to a 54th-minute Alan Shearer goal.
However, following Dalglish's departure, Redknapp or 'Redders' as he came to be known, was part of a transitional Liverpool team under Graeme Souness. He spent most of his first two-and-a-half years on the substitute's bench and in the reserves, only becoming a regular first-team player in the 1993-94 season at the expense of Mark Walters. At the time (1993), Redknapp had also become one of the mass-marketed poster boy icons of the newly developing FA Premier League where, alongside other photogenic young players like Manchester United players Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe, he was used ceaselessly in commercials, advertising spots and for the league's promotional purposes in merchandising and sales. It was not uncommon to see Redknapp's face on the cover of any given football magazine like 'Shoot!' or 'Match', various Lad's mags, and even fashion magazines like GQ or Loaded.
On the pitch, Redknapp established himself as a key midfielder during the time Roy Evans managed at Anfield. He was one of a number of young players coming through the team, such as Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler, but was criticised together with them and others like Stan Collymore and Jason McAteer as "Spice Boys" - a derogatory term that implied that team were underachieving playboys epitomising the lad culture in the game. Redknapp, in particular, came to be the face of the team and was singled out because of his off-field lifestyle; often being described along with David James as a player more concerned with the catwalk and modelling shoots for fashion labels like Top Man and Armani than his football prowess. Many felt he was failing to achieve, considering his talents, although he did win a League Cup winner's medal in 1995, an FA Cup runners-up medal in 1996, and come in close contention for the FA Premiership.
Redknapp's game revolved around being a central midfielder who distributed the ball around the pitch with a huge range of passing skills, as well as having a keen eye for set pieces and long-range shooting abilities. Redknapp scored many spectacular goals in his time at Anfield and his contributions peaked during the 1998-99 season as he created numerous chances and scored 10 goals to help lift the club as it was undergoing a continental revolution under new boss Gérard Houllier. Redknapp became vice- and then full club captain by 1999-2000 following the departures of John Barnes, Steve McManaman and Paul Ince.
Redknapp again led by example as the side blended talented youth players like Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard with continental players like Patrik Berger and Sami Hyypiä. His contributions helped the club back into the top three of the FA Premiership but a knee injury curtailed his involvement in the 2000-01 season and in a bid to cure long-standing injury troubles he underwent knee surgery under renowned knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman in the America. As a result, Redknapp was unable to participate in the club's historic cup treble campaign which yielded the FA Cup, Worthington League Cup and UEFA Cup. Such was his popularity that, although injured, as the club captain he was called up by his team-mates to receive the FA Cup with vice-captain Robbie Fowler at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He made his comeback from injury during the pre-season tour before the 2001-02 season and received an amazing reception during the Far East tour of Singapore and Thailand, where his popularity is second only to David Beckham.
Just when it looked like he was back, he was struck by injury again and, although he fought back once more, the end of his Liverpool career was in sight. On 27 October 2001 he played and scored in a 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic at The Valley, in a game that would prove to be his last for the Merseyside club. He had played 308 times for the Reds and scored 41 goals, becoming a favourite amongst the Anfield faithful.
Tottenham Hotspur
Redknapp was allowed to join Glenn Hoddle's Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer on 18 April 2002 with just a couple of fixtures remaining of the 2001-02 season. However, he didn't make his debut until the beginning of the following campaign when he played on 17 August 2002 in the 2-2 league draw with his former club's derby rivals Everton at Goodison Park. Redknapp's pass into the path of Matthew Etherington allowed Etherington to score his first ever Premiership goal; it was also the game that saw the debut of Everton's Wayne Rooney.
Redknapp scored his first goal for the club a week later on 26 August 2002 in the 1-0 league win over Aston Villa at White Hart Lane; Redknapp alertly controlled a punched clearance from Villa keeper Peter Enckelman and from around 30 yards hit a dipping shot back into an unguarded net.
Redknapp played 49 times for Spurs scoring 4 goals in his two-and-a-half years with the club before becoming his father, Harry's, first signing for Southampton on 4 January 2005.
Southampton
The 31 year-old joined Southampton's fight against relegation on a free transfer and made his debut on 5 January 2005 in the 3-3 league draw with Fulham at St Mary's. Redknapp's only goal for the club came three days later in the 3-1 FA Cup 3rd round victory over Northampton Town at Sixfields.
Unfortunately, as he was rarely fully fit during his brief spell at the Saints, Redknapp wasn't able to prevent them from being relegated to the Championship after a 27 year stint in England's top flight.
At the end of the season, on 19 June 2005, he decided to retire from the game due to his constant injury problems and on the advice of his medical specialists.
England career
Terry Venables gave Redknapp his international debut on 6 September 1995 in the 0-0 international friendly with Colombia at Wembley. The game is probably best remembered for his cross that produced Rene Higuita's infamous 'scorpion kick' save.
His one and only international goal came on 10 October 1999 in the 2-1 friendly victory Belgium at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Redknapp's 67th minute strike was one to remember, venomously striking the ball with his weaker left foot from 25 yards out.
Redknapp was capped 17 times for England. After playing a small part in Euro 96, injury ruled him out of both World Cup 98 and Euro 2000. A regular choice when fit, were it not for his frequent injuries he would have played a significantly larger number of games for England. His three injuries in international matches came in games against countries that began with the letter S, Switzerland in 1995, Scotland during Euro 96, and South Africa in 1997.
Personal life
On 29 June 1998, Redknapp married former Eternal singer Louise Nurding. She went through a difficult time conceiving their first child and had to have an operation due to endometriosis before being able to become pregnant. On 27 July 2004 at 9.10 am BST Louise gave birth to a boy named Charley William Redknapp at London's Portland Hospital. The boy's name was in honour of Louise's grandfather who died on the day she found out that she was pregnant with Charley[1]. Jamie has one younger brother Mark who is a male model[2].
Post retirement
Since his retirement, Redknapp has entered the field of punditry, mainly with Sky Sports. He has been much maligned for some of his comments and he bears the brunt of many jokes about his punditry skills. Many consider him to not be up to the standard of Sky and feel he has been chosen for his looks and personality, rather than his knowledge of the game. On 6 June 2007 he was the victim of a prank Richard Keys played on him - Sky Sports HD had unwittingly continued to air events from the studio after the programme had gone "off-air". Redknapp was seen preparing a video clip for an awards night that included the player Spy Derman which he failed to pick up on.
Redknapp has also stated that he is obtaining his coaching badges in preparation for a possible future career as a manager. His father Harry Redknapp has been reported to be offering him a coaching place at Portsmouth when he gets his badges, but would require Jamie to quit his job with Sky Sports.
In 2005, Redknapp launched a bi-monthly magazine with his wife, Louise, and former team-mate Tim Sherwood titled Icon, aimed at professional footballers and their families.[3]
In May 2006, Redknapp wore the England shirt again playing for the pro/celeb Soccer Aid team and scored the only goal against an England masters team.
- On 21 September 2007, Chelsea FC approached Jamie to become Avram Grant's assistant, as Chelsea FC's owner billionaire Roman Abramovich looked to shake up Stamford Bridge's leadership[4].
- On 6 October 2007, Jamie made his debut as a captain on A Question of Sport, replacing Ally McCoist.
He is set to feature in England against The Rest of the World, along with other legends, such as Ian Wright. The England side will be captained by Terry Venables.
Quotes
On his (and Louise's) comparisons to David Beckham (and Posh Spice): "He may be a better footballer than I am but I certainly won't say she's a better singer than she is." (Source: ESPN Player Focus, 2004)
On his injuries: "People ask me why I keep getting injured but I have just had to accept it is one of those things that happen. It's a horrible feeling - there's nothing worse for any player than to be thinking at the back of your mind that there's something wrong with you. I haven't counted, obviously, but I reckon I've probably lost over a year and a half of my career through injury so far".[citation needed]
Cristiano isn't the best player you will ever see, but tonight he has shown he is probably the best player you will ever see. This was stated after a match played at Old Trafford in the 2006-07 season.[citation needed]
On Peter Schmeichel, following Kasper Schmeichels debut for Man City - "I think Peter Schmeichel will be like a father-figure for Kasper."[citation needed]
Jamie: "Holy hell, are my new boxers made of wool? Because my weasel's getting heatstroke" When asked if Frank Lampard is better than Steven Gerrard.[citation needed]
Jamie: "Yeah i think Chelsea deserved to win. They were the better team." Cuts to interview with Jose Mourinho, Ad Break followed by interview with Martin O'Neill. Richard Keys: "So Jamie, do you agree with either manager?" Jamie: "I disagree with Jose. I don't think Chelsea did deserve to win. Only two shots on target all game isn't enough so no I don't think they deserved to win."[citation needed]
Jamie: (On Gareth Barry) "He has a particularly good habit of passing to his own team mates."[citation needed]
Jamie: (On West Ham's possible relegation) "If they go down it will be something that will stay with them for the rest of their
lives. Well, at least through the summer."
Accolades
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Ince |
Liverpool F.C.
Captain 1999-2002 |
Succeeded by Sami Hyypiä |
A true gentleman of the sport he is still held in high regard by the Anfield faithful, this was verified when he was voted in at position 40 in the 2006 poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop which was conducted by the official Liverpool Football Club web site. More than 110,000 Reds worldwide voted for their 10 favourite players of all time.
References
- ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/archive/2004/12/24/baby-joy-of-stars-jamie-and-louise-89520-15009519/
- ^ http://hjem.get2net.dk/Liverpool_FC/redknapp.htm#personal
- ^ Honigsbaum, Mark. "Former star's glossy look at footballers' lives", Guardian Unlimited, November 28, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-06-08.
- ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/09/21/they-like-the-look-of-jamie-89520-19823724/
External links
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