Glen Johnson

Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (né Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back.

Johnson was a product of the West Ham United youth system managed by Tony Carr from the age of nine, becoming a 15-year-old first year scholar in 2000.

He signed a three-year professional contract with the club on 1 August 2001, close to his 17th birthday.

In the 2001–02 season, he made regular appearances for West Ham reserves, but was unable to break into the first team.

He eventually signed an initial four-week loan deal with local rivals Millwall on 17 October 2002, making his First Division debut in an away loss against Norwich City on 19 October.

His loan was twice extended by a month, before he was recalled early to Upton Park after having spent seven weeks at The Den, his final appearance in a Millwall shirt coming in another away defeat to Crystal Palace on 7 November.

He made 15 League appearances and one FA Cup appearance in 2002–03, becoming a more significant member of the West Ham team as the year went on.

Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was signed by Chelsea for a £6 million fee after West Ham's relegation in 2003.

Johnson was capped 54 times by the England national team from 2003 to 2014.

Johnson's Premier League and West Ham debut came on 22 January 2003 in another away defeat to a London club, this time against Charlton Athletic, when he came on for midfielder Édouard Cissé.

He even signed a new four-year deal to remain in east London on 18 March 2003, appearing keen to help keep the club in the top flight.

However, his last outing in a Hammers shirt was to come on the final day of the season, 11 May 2003, in a 2–2 draw away at Birmingham City which condemned the Hammers to relegation to the First Division.

Two months after West Ham United's relegation, Johnson joined London rivals Chelsea, signing on 15 July for a fee of £6 million.

The first purchase under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, he made his debut on 13 August in an away win against Žilina in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, and his first Chelsea goal came in the corresponding home leg two weeks later.

His league debut came on 17 August in an Anfield win against Liverpool, but he had to wait until 9 November for his first league goal, netting the opener of a 5–0 victory over Newcastle United.

He made 19 league appearances in 2003–04 as Chelsea finished as runners-up.

In Chelsea's FA Cup fifth-round match against Newcastle United in the following season, goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was sent off late in the match, and with no substitutions remaining, Johnson went in goal.

Although he did not concede, Newcastle were already 1–0 up and went through at the expense of Chelsea.

He helped Chelsea win the 2004–05 Premier League title and the 2005 League Cup Final.

He picked up a winner's medal when he came on as a second-half substitute for Chelsea in the 2005 League Cup Final, a match which Chelsea won 3–2 against Liverpool after extra time.

He also made 16 appearances, enough for a medal, as they won the Premier League title in this season, but he was to miss out on a medal for their success in the next season after managing only four appearances in the league.

In June 2006, Johnson joined Portsmouth on loan for the 2006–07 season.

Following a successful season on loan at Fratton Park, Johnson joined Portsmouth permanently for a fee of around £4 million.

Johnson joined Portsmouth on a season-long loan in June 2006.

On his return to Chelsea, Johnson started the 2007 FA Community Shield, which Chelsea lost to Manchester United, and the opening Premier League match of the season at home to Birmingham City.

On 31 August 2007, Johnson signed for Portsmouth on a four-year contract for a fee believed to be £4 million.

He was handed a start in the first match after his transfer, a 3–1 defeat at Arsenal, and became the club's regular right back.

On 20 October, Johnson scored his first goal in over three years, against Wigan Athletic in a 2–0 win, after dribbling from the halfway line.

Johnson played 99 times for Portsmouth and played in the 2008 FA Cup Final as Portsmouth beat Cardiff City 1–0.

He helped reach the 2008 FA Cup Final against Cardiff City where Johnson played in a 1–0 victory.

Johnson moved to Liverpool in the summer of 2009 for a £17.5 million fee.

He was selected in England's squads for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and UEFA Euro 2012.

Known as Glen Stephens at the time of his birth, he took his mother's surname following the separation of his parents.

His parents Wendy Johnson and John Stephens named him after former England midfielder Glenn Hoddle.

He was born in Greenwich, London, and grew up in Dartford, Kent, where he attended Temple Hill Primary School and then Leigh CTC School.

He was raised by his mother and grew up with his younger brother and older half-sister.

At one stage of his childhood, he lived in a hostel as his mother had nowhere to live.

Johnson credits his mother with helping him develop a football career, saying, "She had a tough time, bringing up three kids as a single parent with no help apart from the goodwill of close friends, and there were times when we had nowhere to stay. At one point we were homeless and staying in a hostel, but once mum got herself on her feet after a few hard years, and passed her driving test so she could take me to football every week, that gave us a fresh start."

Johnson spent six seasons at Anfield making 200 appearances which included victory in the 2012 League Cup Final.

He joined Stoke City in July 2015 on a free transfer, and made 64 appearances over three seasons before retiring.