One of the tallest footballers ever to play in the English Premier League and as part of the country's national team is Peter Crouch. The growth of the striker is 201 centimeters, but not one of them became famous athlete. Throughout his career, the player has been a member of a number of teams in England. Now he is a footballer of Stoke City. A brief biography of the forward is presented below.
The first steps in professional sports
The future successful striker was born on January 30, 1981 in the English city of Maxlesfield. When he was a child, the whole family moved to the British capital. Here Peter made his first steps in football, enrolling in the Tottenham Academy for Children. It should be noted that for some time the boy was simultaneously engaged in tennis, in which he achieved good results. Anyway, he still decided to connect his future with football. After he failed to gain a foothold in the “spurs”, in the summer of 2000, the guy became a player in the Queens Park Rangers club, who paid 60 thousand pounds for him. According to the results of the debut season here, Peter Crouch scored 10 assists, which, however, did not help the team maintain a residence permit in the elite division.
Wandering around England
After relegating from the Premier League, the club was forced to sell one of its leaders to Portsmouth, who offered 1.25 million pounds for the forward. Here, the football player spent one season, in which he took part in 37 matches and scored 18 goals. Such progress could not go unnoticed, therefore it is not surprising that the player started the next championship as part of a more eminent club - Aston Villas. Birmingham paid 9.8 million euros for the striker. After an excellent start, the striker began to decline, so he was sent on loan to Norwich City.
Returning, Peter Crouch did not receive the proper amount of playing time. At the end of the season, Southampton paid EUR 3 million for his transfer, and the player himself signed a four-year contract with the club. Here the striker again began to play at the same level and during the season 16 times upset the goalkeepers of the rivals. Be that as it may, in 2005 the “saints” flew into the minor league.
"Liverpool"
As in the case of the “CRC”, the football player Peter Crouch remained in the elite due to the transfer to another team. In the offseason, Liverpool acquired a striker for 10.5 million euros. Initially, many experts were very skeptical of this transition, because the attacker managed to score the first goal only in the fifteenth round of the national championship. In that match against Wigan, the player distinguished himself with a double, thereby demonstrating his adaptation and willingness to ensure the result for his team. Next, the striker scored in three games in a row. Critics have subsided, not only because of its effectiveness, but also due to the excellent ability to play one-touch efficiently and give assists.
The 2006/2007 season was even more successful for the football player. In all tournaments, he took part in 50 fights, in which he scored 19 assists. Among them, 6 goals were scored in the Champions League, where Liverpool lost only in the final. Peter Crouch played one of the most memorable matches with the Reds against Arsenal, because then he managed to arrange a hat-trick. The next season for the striker in the club's T-shirt was not so productive, however, at that time he took the first roles in his national team.
Latest clubs
In 2008, for a total of £ 9 million, the player returned to Portsmouth, which had once again played in the Premier League. Throughout the season, Peter played 41 games and scored 16 goals. At the same time, the football player was distinguished by a large number of assists. As a result, in the summer of next year, Tottenham bought the forward. Thanks to his only goal against Manchester City at the end of the season, the Londoners got the right to participate in the qualifying matches of the Champions League. After his hat-trick in the butt games, the team got into the group stage of the most prestigious European football tournament. In 2011, the Englishman became a player in Stoke City, which he now plays in. It should be noted that the signing of the striker at that time was a record in the history of the “potters”.
England team
Peter Crouch made his international debut as part of the youth English team. Three years later, mentor Sven Goran Ericsson of the country's national team called the forward to tour North America. During him, in a friendly match with Colombia, Peter played his first match in her T-shirt. In total, for England, the footballer took part in 42 matches, in which he scored 22 goals.
Interesting Facts
The athlete officially legalized his relationship with the model Abby Clancy in the summer of 20011. The wife of Peter Crouch gave birth to the wife of two daughters - Sofia and Liberty.
The football player is known for the unusual manner of celebrating goals. Most often, he does this, portraying a kind of robot dance, which fans really like.
The athlete boasts an excellent sense of humor. Thanks to unusual answers to questions from journalists during the interview, he is rightfully considered one of the most fun British athletes.