 Thompson in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Anthony Thompson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-09-12)12 September 1977 (age 48) | ||
| Place of birth | Birkenhead, Merseyside, England | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1996 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2000 | Liverpool | 48 | (5) |
| 1997–1998 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2000–2002 | Coventry City | 69 | (17) |
| 2002–2006 | Blackburn Rovers | 65 | (7) |
| 2006 | Wigan Athletic | 10 | (2) |
| 2006–2007 | Portsmouth | 14 | (0) |
| 2007 | Bolton Wanderers | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 230 | (32) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1999 | England U21 | 7 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David Anthony Thompson (born 12 September 1977) is an English football pundit currently working for theBBC. Thompson played as a midfielder, though he had to retire aged 29 through an osteochondral defect of the left knee sustained at age 25. He is currently[when?] a UEFA A and B licensed coach working towards his professional licence. In August 2021, he became a director of football atEuropa in theGibraltar National League.[2]
During his career Thompson played forLiverpool,Coventry City,Blackburn Rovers,Wigan Athletic,Portsmouth andBolton Wanderers. Overall, he made well over 250 senior league appearances and international appearances until a persistent injury forced his early retirement in late 2007.
Born inBirkenhead, Merseyside, Thompson's Liverpool debut came on 19 August 1996, as an 87th-minute substitute in a 2–0 victory againstArsenal. He only played one more game before being loaned toSwindon Town for two and a half months in November 1997. His good form at Swindon led him to be selected more frequently for Liverpool, these performances paying off as he scored the winning goal againstCrystal Palace later in the season. His1997–98 and1998–99 seasons were steady, and the1999–00 season would see him back into the team on a regular basis.
In the summer of 2000 he moved to Coventry City for a fee of 3.5 million pounds his first game a 3–1 defeat toMiddlesbrough in which he was sent off in the 71st minute. Coventry were relegated during the2000–01 season, and he sought a move back to thePremiership. However, he stayed at Coventry throughout the 2001–02 season scoring 17 goals and assisting many more collecting the player of the year and fans player of the year award and also leading goal scorer award.
Blackburn Rovers signed Thompson for an initial fee of £1.5 million in August 2002. His rise in division and impressive start gave him immediate international recognition, asSven-Göran Eriksson named him in theEngland squads againstSlovakia andMacedonia in October,[3] although ultimately he was never capped for the senior side.
Thompson suffered a knee injury which needed surgery in February 2003, sidelining him for five months. After a comeback in2003–04, the problems returned with his knee swelling up after every game. The club's medical staff sent him to the world's top knee specialist DrRichard Steadman inColorado.[4] Three separate bouts of surgery failed to provide a permanent solution as, despite a muscle strengthening programme directed byBayern Munich doctorHans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, the injuries persisted during his comebacks.[5]
Blackburn allowed Thompson to leave on a free transfer toWigan Athletic on 19 January 2006 on a six-month deal. His form was excellent for Wigan, scoring two goals and recording five assists in 10 games, helping them to their highest everPremier League finish.
He left Wigan to joinHarry Redknapp atPortsmouth and made 14 appearances in a successful start, before joiningBolton Wanderers andSam Allardyce, who were in third place in the Premier League at the time. Bolton signed him just two hours before the transfer window shut on 31 January 2007 on a short-term deal. Thompson made his debut for Bolton as a substitute in the 2–1 victory againstFulham on 11 February, and subsequently made his first start for the club against his former employer Wigan Athletic on 7 April. He played six more matches for the rest of the 2006–07 season, before rejecting a pay as you play deal at Bolton.
In November 2007, Thompson started a trial withChampionship clubSheffield United but failed to win a deal and, on 28 November 2007, announced his retirement at the age of 30 as a result of the chronic knee problem.[6][7]
Thompson worked for BBC Radio Merseyside as a football pundit. He is now a regular on theFootball Daily podcast produced by BBC Radio 5 Live.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 1996–97 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 3 | ||
| Total | 48 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 5 | ||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 1997–98 | First Division | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Coventry City | 2000–01 | Premier League | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 28 | 3 | |
| 2001–02 | First Division | 37 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 40 | 13 | ||
| 2002–03 | First Division | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 66 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 72 | 16 | |||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2002–03 | Premier League | 23 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3[a] | 1 | 32 | 6 |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| Total | 64 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 84 | 10 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2005–06 | Premier League | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| Portsmouth | 2006–07 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2006–07 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 218 | 27 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 255 | 33 | ||
