Alan Smith - TheSportsDB.com

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Name
Alan Smith

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(0 users)

Complete

60%

Born
1980 (44 years old)

Birth Place

Rothwell, England

Position
Central Midfield

Status

Ethnicity

Team Number

Height
180 cm

Weight
81 kg

Outfitter

Kit

Side

Agent

Market Value
Free

Wage Year

Player Manager ID
108642

Player Cutout

Full Body Render

Sport

Soccer

Team
_Retired Soccer

2nd Team

League
_No League Soccer

Creative Commons Artwork
No

Description
Available in:

Alan Smith (born 28 October 1980) is an English football coach and former professional footballer. Smith first came to prominence as both a striker and a right winger, however later became a holding midfielder.

Smith began his career with hometown club Leeds United and became a mainstay in their Premier League teams between 1998 and 2004. Initially playing as a striker during his Elland Road days he scored 38 goals in 172 games. In 2004 following the clubs relegation he joined rivals Manchester United however, after moving to the club he broke his leg and dislocated his ankle in a match against Liverpool, whereupon manager Sir Alex Ferguson converted him to a holding midfielder, a role in which he continued after his transfer to Newcastle United. He later moved to Milton Keynes Dons for several seasons before signing for Notts County. He had a short spell as caretaker manager of County in 2017, but later reverted to the role of player-coach after the appointment of Kevin Nolan as manager.

He has also represented the England national team, winning 19 caps. Smith was known for his aggressive mentality on the pitch and his high-pressing style of football and earned a reputation as a hard-tackling player and is noted for his high work rate.

An England youth international at multiple levels, Smith was called into the England squad for the friendly against Italy in November 2000, but later withdrew in order to rest. He eventually earned his first cap in May 2001 in a friendly against Mexico, but did not make the final cut for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and continued representing the under-21s. Smith scored on his full debut against Portugal in September 2002, being set up by Leeds teammate Lee Bowyer. In a Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia in October 2002, he received his first international red card from a second yellow card after a tackle on Aleksandar Vasoski.

In August 2005, Smith drew some criticism after withdrawing from the England squad to play Denmark (a game England lost 4–1) in order to play for the Manchester United reserves. After a prolonged absence from international football, Smith was called up for an England B match on 26 May 2007, against Albania. He scored the first goal of the game which ended in a 3–1 win. The next day he was named in the senior team to face Brazil, on 1 June 2007.

As of December 2020, Smith lives in the Orlando, Florida area working with male and female youngsters as a coach at the XL Soccer World Academy.

In South Korea one's "Leeds days" (리즈 시절, Lijeu sijeol) is a common way to refer to one's prime or heyday; originally in reference to the relative decline in Smith's fortunes after his transfer to a Manchester United team which also featured Korean Park Ji-sung.