Dwight Yorke
Nicknamed ‘The Smiling Assassin’ Dwight was born in Trinidad and Tobago, and went on to become one of the Premier Leagues great characters. He famously won the 1999 Champions League and three successive Premiership titles in a four-year spell at Manchester United.
Dwight was first selected to play for the Trinidad and Tobago national side in 1989, and was captain of the team in the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany, in total he gained around 70 caps scoring over 20 goals.
His professional career began with Aston Villa in 1989 and he was a part of the team that clinched the League Cup in 1994 and 1996. During his 9 year tenure with the Villa, he made 231 appearances and scored 97 goals. He played a crucial role as a striker for Aston Villa and emerged as the club’s top-scorer (1994-95, 1995-96, and 1996-97). He also won the Player of the Year award for the 1996-97 season.
Dwight then signed for Manchester United for a fee of £12.6 million in August 1998. He played a pivotal role and emerged as the top league goal scorer for the 1998-1999 season. During his time at Old Trafford, as well as winning the consecutive Premier League titles and Champions League, he also lifted the FA Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and was a UEFA Super Cup runner-up title in 1999.
He moved onto Blackburn Rovers in 2002 for a fee of £2 million and was the top-scorer for the season, before switching to Birmingham City in 2004, where scoring on his debut made him an instant favourite among the club’s fans. He was then signed by Sydney FC in 2005 where he was made captain. He led the team to victory in the inaugural A-League Grand Final match versus Central Coast Mariners in March 2006 with a Man of The Match performance. Dwight’s image and name were used by the Football Federations Australia (FFA) to promote the A-League’s second season.
In August 2006, Dwight signed for Sunderland for £200,000, and was part of the side that lifted the Football League Championship in the 2006-07 season.
Dwight has many awards and recognitions to his credit including, the Trinidad & Tobago Footballer of the Year (2005, 2006), the Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary’s Award (2005), the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee Sports Personality of the Year (1998) and Humming Bird Medal Silver (1993). He also won the English Premier League Golden Boot Award for scoring 18 goals in the 1998-99 season.
The Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, was named in his honour, and he was made a Sports Ambassador for his country, owing to his great display in the 2006 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. Apart from playing football, Dwight has a great passion for cricket.