Jamie Redknapp

Jamie Frank Redknapp (born 25 June 1973) is an English former professional footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005.

He is a pundit at Sky Sports and an editorial sports columnist at the Daily Mail.

A technically skillful and creative midfielder, who was also an accurate and powerful free-kick taker, Redknapp played for AFC Bournemouth, Southampton, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, captaining the latter two.

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.

At this time, Redknapp had also become one of the mass-marketed poster boy icons of the newly developing Premier League where, alongside other photogenic young players like Manchester United players Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe, he was used in commercials, advertising spots and for the league's promotional purposes in merchandising and sales, with the result being that football stars had become idols on par with rock stars and pop stars, by and around the mid to late 1990s.

He made 13 appearances for the club before attracting the attention of Liverpool, who signed him on 15 January 1991.

Kenny Dalglish had paid £350,000 for Redknapp, who was still only 17 at the time.

He was one of the most expensively signed teenagers in English football around this time.

Redknapp was one of the last players to be signed by manager Kenny Dalglish before his surprising resignation on 22 February 1991 and later became the youngest Liverpool player to appear in European competition, at 18 years 120 days when making his Liverpool debut against Auxerre in the UEFA Cup on 23 October 1991, by which time Liverpool were being managed by Graeme Souness.

This record was broken by Phil Charnock thirteen months later.

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 in a 1–1 draw with Southampton at the Dell.

Following Dalglish's departure, Redknapp was part of a transitional Liverpool team under Graeme Souness.

He spent most of his first 2 1⁄2 years as a substitute or in the reserves, missing the 1992 FA Cup final triumph and only becoming a regular first-team player in the 1993–94 season, at the expense of Mark Walters.

He also gained 17 England caps between 1995 and 1999, and was a member of England’s squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 1996.

His 11 years at Liverpool were the most prolific, playing more than 237 league games for the club, including a spell as captain, and being involved in winning the 1995 Football League Cup final.

In a career that was blighted by a succession of injuries, Redknapp was as famous for his media profile off the field as much as on it.

He married the pop singer Louise in 1998.

Redknapp comes from a well-known footballing family.

His father is the football manager Harry Redknapp.

He is also a cousin of Frank Lampard, and a nephew of former West Ham United coach Frank Lampard Sr.

Redknapp was born in Barton on Sea, Hampshire and started his career at Tottenham Hotspur as a youth player but turned down their offer of a contract, deciding to play for AFC Bournemouth under his father, manager Harry Redknapp.

He went on to play for Liverpool where Redknapp would be remembered for his best performances.

After that Redknapp returned and played 2 1⁄2 seasons for Tottenham Hotspur then finally joined Southampton, where he played under his father for a second time.

Redknapp was also capped 17 times by England, scoring one goal.

Redknapp's contributions peaked during the 1998–99 season as he created numerous chances and scored 10 goals 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.

His contributions helped the club back into the top three of the Premier League 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 United States.

As a result, Redknapp was unable to participate in the whole of the club's cup treble campaign which yielded the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.

Although injured, as the club captain he was called up by his teammates 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.

Redknapp's return did not last long as he was again struck by injury.

On 27 October 2001 he played and scored in a 2–0 win over Charlton Athletic at The Valley, and then 3 days later he played what would prove to be his last game for the Merseyside club against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

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.

He made his debut at the beginning of the following campaign when he played on 17 August 2002 in the 2–2 league draw with his former club Liverpool's rival Everton at Goodison Park.

Redknapp's pass into the path of Matthew Etherington allowed Etherington to score his first Premier League goal.

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 played 49 times for Spurs scoring 4 goals in his 2 1⁄2 years with the club before becoming his father Harry's first signing for Southampton on 4 January 2005.

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 Stadium.

He had played 308 times for the Reds and scored 41 goals, becoming a favourite amongst Liverpool fans, who included him at number 40 in the 2006 poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.