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Peter Crouch

Birthdate: 30 January 1981 Birthplace: Macclesfield, England Other clubs: Tottenham Hotspur (1997-2000), Dulwich Hamlet (loan 2000), IFK Hässleholm (loan 2000), Queens Park Rangers (2000-01), Portsmouth (2001-02), Aston Villa (2002-04), Norwich City (loan 2003), Southampton (2004-05), Portsmouth (2 / 2008-09), Tottenham Hotspur (2 / 2009-11), Stoke City (2011-) Bought from: Southampton Signed for LFC: £7m, 20.07.2005 International debut: 31.05.2005 vs. Colombia International caps: 42/22 (27/14 at LFC) - 17.11.2010

Liverpool debut: 26.07.2005 Last appearance: 26.04.2008 Debut goal: 03.12.2005 Last goal: 26.04.2008 Contract expiry: 11.07.2008 Win ratio: 58.96% W:79 D:27 L:28 Games/goals ratio: 3.19 Honours: FA Cup 2006 Total games/goals opposite LFC: 24 / 4 LFC league games/goals: 85 / 22 Total LFC games/goals: 134 / 42

Player profile

A towering 6 ft. 7 ins. (201 cm.) forward who started his career as a trainee at Tottenham in 1998. Following two loan spells at Dulwich Hamlet and in Sweden he was sold for £60,000 to QPR in the Second Division where he scored 12 goals in 47 games. He left for Portsmouth in the First Division only a year later and blossomed under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, scoring 18 League goals in his eight months at the club. Premier League's Aston Villa forked out £5 million in March 2002 for his services. However, Crouch failed to impress at Villa and after 43 games and six goals he was sold to Southampton in July 2004 for £2 million. Crouch finally took to life in the Premier League, scoring 12 goals in 27 but couldn't prevent Southampton's relegation. His performances didn't go unnoticed by Sven Göran Eriksson who handed him his international debut. Rafa Benítez fought a powerful campaign with Liverpool's hierarchy to get his player. Crouch famously had considerable trouble in scoring his first goal for the Reds. He finally broke the deadlock with a fluke goal against Wigan on 3 December 2005 when he had played 1,229 minutes without scoring. He added a second against Wigan and scored five more goals in December. After netting the winning goal against WBA on New Year's Eve, he didn't score for another eight games until he knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup fifth round with a powerful header.


Crouch gained more confidence in his scoring ability in his second season at Liverpool, but curiously Rafa started him in only 30 games, compared to 42 the previous season. "Crouchinho" has unusual skill for such a tall player and scored two acrobatic goals against Galatasaray and Bolton and a sensational hat-trick against Arsenal in the League on 31 March 2007, scoring with his head, right foot and left foot. Crouch's Anfield future was constantly questioned as the 2007/08 season unfolded with his manager electing to start him in only nine League games, coming on as a substitute a further 12 times. This was a regular, yet, strange occurrence because Crouch was unlikely to make as big an impact from the bench. He still managed to score eleven goals during the season, including the first and last in the 8-0 mauling of Besiktas in the Champions League. It was inevitable that most discussions about Crouch revolved around his height and in that respect he was something of a 'specialist' striker. Fernando Torres' arrival at Liverpool meant that the popular humourist was no longer first choice and Redknapp brought Crouch back to Portsmouth in July 2008. Crouch's second spell on the south coast with Pompey could not be considered a failure as he scored 16 goals in 48 first-team matches. Redknapp left to become Tottenham's new boss and he signed Crouch in July 2009 for £9 million. 

Crouch enjoyed an excellent 2009/10 season with Tottenham, appearing in all 38 Premier League matches but only scoring eight times, including the priceless goal away to Manchester City near the end of the season that ensured Spurs would finish fourth in the table. Crouch continued to be a regular in the England squad under Fabio Capello, just as he had been under his predecessor, Steve McLaren, but despite being so prolific for the international side he was given only two appearances as a late substitute in England's disastrous 2010 World Cup. Curiously, Crouch hasn't featured for England since he scored in a 2-1 defeat to France on 17 November 2010, having scored a total of 22 goals in 42 internationals. Crouch played in 34 Premier League matches for Tottenham in 2010/11 and was very prolific in Europe, scoring seven goals in ten matches. Crouch scored a hat-trick against Young Boys to ensure that Spurs reached the group stage of the Champions League for the first time as well as netting the winner against Milan in Italy in the last 16, but was sent off for two bookable offences early in the first leg of the quarter-final against Real in Madrid. Crouch embarked on yet another adventure when he moved to Stoke on the last day of the 2011 summer transfer window. In his first season at the Britannia Stadium he scored ten times in 32 Premier League matches and scored the “Goal of the Season” against Manchester City on 24 March 2012 juggling the ball before releasing an unstoppable shot from outside the penalty area. Crouch’s “spidery limbs” have done themselves proud at the highest level against all odds.

Crouch only missed four Premier League matches during his second season with Stoke City and added eight goals to his career total, one of which was in the FA Cup competition. In 2013/14 he continued to be a regular in the Stoke team, appearing in 34 of the 38 Premier League matches and scoring eight times. He added two more goals in four domestic cup-ties. On the last day of 2014/15 he scored the last goal of Stoke's 6-1 win over Liverpool, setting a Premier League record of 47 headed goals surpassing Alan Shearer. It was his tenth goal of the season,justifying Mark Hughes's decision a few months earlier to offer him a two year contract extension. 2015-26 was frustrating for him however as he fell down the pecking order and made only four league starts. His two goals came in the cups and although he asked to be considered for a move away in January Hughes retained his services as Stoke fought on three fronts.

Related Articles

Crouch hands out his 2007 awards

By Jimmy Rice at liverpoolfc.tv.More

Crouch draws strength from highs and lows of a career yet to peak

An interview in The Guardian from 6th of October 2007.More

Nervy Liverpool survive Galatasaray onslaught

Match report by Dominic Fifield for The Guardian on Liverpool - Galatasaray on 27th of September. More

The rise and rise and rise of Peter Crouch

From the Mirror on the origins of "Crouchinho".More

Jamie Redknapp on Peter Crouch

Redknapp in the Daily Mail - An excellent feature on "Crouchinho".More

An undesirable record for Crouch

Peter Crouch finally scored after failing to find the target in 18 games. How does he compare with other forwards in Liverpool's history?More

Crouch propels Liverpool to the final

Match report from The Guardian on Deportivo Saprissa - Liverpool from 15.12.2005.More

Daily Post report

Liverpool 3, Portsmouth 0 from Daily Post Nov 21 2005. By Ian Doyle At Anfield More

Crouch must learn art of positional play to heighten his powers

Interesting article by Niall Quinn in October 2005 explaining how best to utilize Crouch's strengths for Liverpool.More

Baltic breeze

BBC report on Kaunas 1-3 Liverpool on 26 July 2005.More

Related Quotes

"Peter has been superb for us since the first day he came. He was playing really well even when he wasn't scoring, he was doing well for the team and I wonder where all the critics are now who were on his back. They are probably hiding or just shaking their heads as they watch him now, they are no doubt asking themselves why they said what they did. It was only a matter of time before he scored. He's definitely England quality. I know the England fans were on his back a little bit which was sad to hear. But he is proving to everyone that he is England class and I'm sure he has a bright international future. I certainly hope he has."

Steven Gerrard on the criticism in Crouch’s early career at Liverpool

"He's marvellous, it's great for me to have him as a team-mate, to play with him up front. He runs all the time, he makes himself available, he wins headers and he's creating opportunities for me to capitalise on. I am pleased to be playing alongside him because he does a huge amount of work."

Morientes on Crouch in Dec 2005

"I had a big slice of luck with the first one obviously. It was on target but went a bit higher than I planned. If it goes to the dubious goals committee I'll be telling them that it's definitely mine. I am a buoyant person by nature but if I'm honest this goal drought as been getting me down at times. I've been getting a bit of stick lately but it's great to get the goals today and hopefully I can go on from here and score more."

Crouch's reaction after his first goals for Liverpool

"When you are playing at a high-profile club like Liverpool and also at international level, there are a lot of chances for people to see what you can do. I'm playing Champions League football, we're challenging for things at club level and I am playing international football. Sometimes, I do feel as though I need to do a little bit more than others but that's something I have to live with. As long as I'm doing well and scoring goals, I don't think people can criticise."

Crouch in 2006 after having scored 27 goals in 48 games for club and country.

"There was a lot of fun, a lot of stuff being thrown, a lot of shouting, but it's not often you get to the final of the Champions League and the boys were enjoying themselves, that's for sure. George Gillett came into the dressing room but I don't think he saw much because his glasses kept steaming up. We tried to throw him in the bath at one point, so he's had a real welcome to English football!"

Crouch lifts the lid on the post-match celebrations at Anfield after the 2007 semi-final win in the Champions League

"Crouch has the stature to lead the line, his very existence sets an unusual problem for defenders, and the combination of his spidery limbs, surprisingly delicate control and patient approach allow him to hold the ball up quite effectively."

Richard Williams in The Guardian

"Had I not become a footballer, I think I would have been a virgin."

Peter Crouch's honest answer in a Soccer AM interview