 Carew withAston Villa in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Alieu Carew[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-09-05)5 September 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Lørenskog,Akershus, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1997 | Lørenskog | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1999 | Vålerenga | 43 | (19) |
| 1999–2000 | Rosenborg | 17 | (19) |
| 2000–2004 | Valencia | 84 | (20) |
| 2003–2004 | →Roma (loan) | 20 | (6) |
| 2004–2005 | Beşiktaş | 24 | (13) |
| 2005–2007 | Lyon | 35 | (9) |
| 2007–2011 | Aston Villa | 113 | (37) |
| 2011 | →Stoke City (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | West Ham United | 19 | (2) |
| Total | 365 | (126) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995 | Norway U15 | 7 | (5) |
| 1996 | Norway U16 | 2 | (2) |
| 1996–1997 | Norway U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 1997 | Norway U18 | 5 | (5) |
| 1997–2000 | Norway U21 | 24 | (8) |
| 1998–2011 | Norway | 91 | (24) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Alieu Carew (born 5 September 1979) is a Norwegian actor and former professionalfootballer who played as astriker. He wascapped 91 times and scored 24 goals for theNorway national team.[3]
Carew began his career with his local clubLørenskog, a minor club in the Akershus region. He was already considered a highly talented youngster and had gained some media attention[citation needed] before he was acquired byVålerenga in 1997, and in the same year Carew was a part of the team that gained promotion toTippeligaen and won theNorwegian Football Cup.[4] During his two-year period at the club he played 58 matches and scored 30 goals, while his profile rose even more due to his combination of strength and goal-scoring ability.
During the summer of 1999, Carew joined Norwegian football's most successful club of the past decade and Champions League mainstaysRosenborg in a deal worth 23 000 000kroner.[5]
After a string of impressive displays in the Champions League, Carew moved to Spanish clubValencia in an €8.5 million transfer, where he managed to win theLa Liga title once in 2002. Carew was also part of the Valencia side that lost on penalties in the2001 UEFA Champions League Final toBayern Munich, though he scored his own penalty attempt. His goals in the campaign were crucial, including a 75th-minute header in a 1–0 home win againstArsenal in the second leg of the quarter-final, which saw Valencia advance to the semi-final. In the 2002–03 Champions League campaign, Carew was once again responsible for Arsenal's exit from the competition. With Valencia needing a win in their final game of the second group phase at home against Arsenal to progress to the quarter finals, Carew scored twice in a 2–1 victory. He then spent the 2003–04 season on loan at Italian sideRoma where he scored 7 goals in 26 games.Carew then moved to Turkey in 2004 to play withBeşiktaş.[6] After the 2004–05 season, he was snapped up byLyon for €7.6 million.[7] While Carew was playing in Europe he was constantly linked with a move to the English Premiership and several failed attempts were made to sign him. He failed a medical atFulham in 2002[8] andWest Bromwich Albion had a bid rejected by Valencia.[9]
On 22 January 2007, Carew signed forAston Villa in an exchange deal withLyon forMilan Baroš.[10] Carew penned a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Birmingham-based club. Carew went on to receive the No. 10 jersey left vacant by Baroš' departure.
Carew made his debut in the 3–1 defeat toNewcastle United,[11] but went on to score his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory againstWest Ham United just three days later.[12] Villa managerMartin O'Neill praised Carew's performance after the match.[13]
Carew began the season as Villa's first-choice forward and much was expected of him by the Villa fans. However, despite some promising performances, it took Carew nearly two months to score his opener for the season againstEverton in a 2–0 victory.[14] He also suffered an injury in the same game and was out of action for six weeks with ahamstring problem.[15] He scored on his second match back in the Villa side in a 3–0 away win againstMiddlesbrough in November. He then followed this up with a headed goal againstBlackburn Rovers in a 4–0 victory as Aston Villa began to climb thePremiership table. December brought just one goal for Carew, a 30-yard run and shot againstManchester City, but he was instrumental in several of the goals Villa scored.
Carew scored two goals againstReading on 12 January and was unlucky not to be awardedMan of the Match which went toMartin Laursen. He scored his firsthat-trick for seven years and his first ever for Aston Villa againstNewcastle United on 9 February in a 4–1 win.[16]Gareth Barry allowed him to do so by kindly relinquishing his usual penalty taking duties so Carew could score his third.[17] On 12 April 2008, Carew scored for Aston Villa againstDerby County atPride Park in thePremier League, in the 26th minute and Villa went on to win the game 6–0. On 20 April 2008, Carew scored twice againstBirmingham City in theBirmingham derby at Villa Park, which Villa went on to win 5–1. He continued his scoring run with a header the following week, in a crunch game at Everton'sGoodison Park, which finished 2–2. It would be his 13th and final goal of the season, crowning him as Villa's top scorer for the 2007–08 season.[18]
Carew scored his first goal of the 2008–09 campaign by scoring the first goal in Aston Villa's 2–2 draw overOdense in theIntertoto Cup. On 14 August 2008, Carew signed a 12-month extension to his contract, thus taking him through to 2011 with his current deal.[19]
Carew scored the opening goal in Villa's 4–2 win overManchester City at Villa Park. He then scored his second league goal againstStoke City as they went on to lose the match 3–2 whenMamady Sidibe scored a late winner.[20] He quickly added his 3rd of the season in the 2–1 defeat of local rivalsWest Bromwich Albion; and withGabriel Agbonlahor on the scoresheet again the pair began to form a formidable partnership. They both scored again and assisted each other's goals in a 4–0 victory in the Premier League atWigan Athletic on 26 October 2008. Carew scored the winning goal in theUEFA Cup for Villa in aGroup F match away toSlavia Prague on 6 November 2008, Villa midfielderSteve Sidwell struck the ball towards goal but it hit Carew and went in, therefore the goal was credited to Carew; it turned out to be the winning goal and continued Villa's 100% record in the competition's group stages and the 1–0 victory saw Villa go to the top of the group. Carew made the headlines in late October due to his personal behaviour. He was fined two weeks wages byMartin O'Neill for being in apub near aBirminghamlap dancing club the night before Villa's UEFA cup group stage match withAjax.[21][22]
Soon after the controversy, Carew sustained a back injury that kept him out of the side for several months.[23] During this time, Villa boss Martin O'Neill signedEngland international strikerEmile Heskey to fill the gap left by Carew's absence. Heskey appeared to have taken Carew's place in the starting line-up for a number of weeks. However, his own injury woes and Carew's good form on return meant the Norwegian regained his place in the side. Carew played his first game after his injury on 31 January 2009 in a goalless draw with Wigan Athletic.[24] In the last 32 of the UEFA Cup, Carew earned Villa a first leg draw withCSKA Moscow, after going 1–0 down toVágner Love's goal. On 1 March 2009, Carew came off the bench to score a lob-shot volley in the 2–2 draw against Stoke City in the Premier League, which was later voted the team's goal of the season.[25] He scored an equalising goal in the away fixture againstManchester United atOld Trafford before also netting the first goal in the home tie against Everton as Villa fought back from 2–0 and 3–1 down to draw 3–3. Further goals againstHull City andMiddlesbrough took his league total to an impressive 11 goals from just 25 appearances.
Due to the persistence of fellow strikersHeskey andAgbonlahor, Carew initially struggled to hold down a regular spot in the starting eleven at the beginning of the 2009–10 campaign. Nevertheless, while being used as a substitute Carew still managed to score several important goals for Aston Villa. On 7 March 2010, manager Martin O'Neill chose to include Carew in the starting eleven in anFA Cup game againstReading. He took the opportunity characteristically and scored a hat-trick as Aston Villa came from two goals behind to defeat Reading 4–2 in theFA Cup quarter final. This made Carew the competition's top scoring striker, raising questions as to why the Norwegian was rarely included in Villa's starting eleven.[26] Carew began to feature in the Villa team once more as the season progressed; goals againstWolverhampton Wanderers,Sunderland andChelsea helped the Norwegian go neck and neck withGabriel Agbonlahor as the club's joint top scorers for2009–10.
Due to an injury toGabriel Agbonlahor, Carew started the new campaign upfront with support fromAshley Young. However, due to both injury concerns of his own and a loss of form, his place in the team was taken byEmile Heskey limiting him to cameo appearances from the bench. As the season progressed, Carew's first team appearances became less frequent. Later that month, he allegedly missed a Villa game due to heavy snow disrupting his travel.[27]
Carew spoke out about his limited chances under the new system under managerGérard Houllier to a Norwegian TV station. Despite ongoing rumors in the press about a dispute between the formerLyon pair, Houllier revealed that Carew had been left out of the Aston Villa squad to work on his fitness.[28] However, when Villa signedDarren Bent for £18 million, Carew's first team opportunities were further reduced.[29]
On 27 May 2011, Aston Villa announced that Carew was one of a number of players released by the club after their contracts expired.[3]
Carew joined Stoke City on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season on 21 January 2011.[30][31] Following his move Carew stated that he was looking forward to a new challenge and also revealed that he rejected offers from other clubs.[32] His arrival was welcomed by the Stoke players includingAndy Wilkinson.[33]
"I'm looking forward to the challenge and I am happy to be here. Although I had other offers, I saw Stoke as the best team and the strongest team, so this is a great chance for me to join a side fighting in the top half of the table. The important thing now is to make the most of this opportunity"
— Carew on his decision to join Stoke on loan.[34]
Carew made his debut for City the following day atFulham where he came on as a substitute.[35] He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 3–2 win againstSunderland on 5 February 2011.[36] He followed this up by scoring in theFA Cup againstBrighton & Hove Albion.[37] However a back injury slowed his progress in a Stoke shirt.[38] After his release from Villa,Tony Pulis did not offer Carew a contract with Stoke.[39]
On 6 August 2011Football League Championship sideWest Ham United announced the signing of Carew as a free agent.[40] He scored his first goal for West Ham in a 2–2 draw withCrystal Palace on 1 October 2011.[41] On 23 May 2012, Carew was released with five other players includingJulien Faubert,Frank Nouble,Papa Bouba Diop,Abdoulaye Faye andOlly Lee. After the 2011–12 season, Carew did not get a new contract with West Ham.[42]
In August 2012, Carew was in talks with his old club Vålerenga, but Vålerenga did not accept his demand of a wage of 600,000 kr per match.[43] In connection with Carew's possible transfer to Vålerenga,Kjetil Siem toldDagbladet that he had signed an unofficial contract with Carew in 2005, when Siem was Director of Football in Vålerenga, that Carew would return to Vålerenga in 2012.[44] He went on trial with Serie A teamInternazionale in February 2013, but was not offered a contract as Inter were concerned over his fitness.[45] In October 2013 Carew stated that he had retired.[46]
John Carew played 91 times forNorway, scoring 24 goals, and was part of theirEuro 2000 squad. He made his full international debut on 18 November 1998, and was the first black player to represent Norway.[47]
In 2014, Carew starred in his first feature film, a Canadian horror calledDead of Winter. His second film, a Norwegian-made thriller calledHøvdinger, was released on 17 July 2015.[48]
In 2018, Carew starred in the successful Norwegian TV-series,Heimebane, playing as Michael Ellingsen, an aging star footballer for a local Norwegian club.[48]
In 2019, Carew played the role of Jungle Warrior in the Disney'sdark fantasyadventure film,Maleficent: Mistress of Evil alongsideAngelina Jolie,Elle Fanning andChiwetel Ejiofor.[48]
In 2023, Carew played the role of an earlySpotify investor in the TV seriesThe Playlist.
In June 2020, Carew's apartment inSkillebekk, Norway was searched by the authorities investigating his tax arrangements.[49] In 2021, Carew formally requested that the authorities register him as living in Norway; the tax authorities had requested his arrest a short time before that.[50]
Alower court trial began in October 2022, with Carew accused of several counts of tax evasion amountingNorwegian kroner 5.4 million[51] between 2014 and 2019.[52][53] The trial lasted two weeks.[53]
For the period of the alleged evasion, Carew claimed that he did not live in Norway (if one lives in Norway for more than 183 days in a year, then Norwegian law says that one has to pay taxes to Norway). The trial showed that Carew's debit card was, in 2014, used between 900 and 1000 times in Norway—mostly at golf courses. The prosecution showed spreadsheets which marked every day in which the government claimed that he had been in Norway, the spreadsheets indicated 259 days in 2015 and 299 days, 282 days and 289 days in other years.[54] Further testimony showed that Carew, after his time playing for Lyon, told French tax authorities that in 2005 and 2006 he was living in Norway, when in fact he had moved from Norway in 2000 and not moved back.[55] Carew's apartment in London was rented-out in the long-term in 2017, according to the prosecution. Furthermore, Carew's work that year was mainly in Norway.[56]
Carew pleaded guilty to acting "grossly negligently" in regards to his taxes, but not with intent to defraud. On 16 November 2022, Carew was sentenced to 14 months in prison and a 537,268 Norwegian Kroner fine.[57][58] (The maximum prison sentence for the tax evasion charges is six years—the prosecuting authority asked for two years.)[59][60] In December 2022, media said that Carew will not appeal the verdict.[61] In June 2023, media said that Carew is working as a permanent employee for the Norwegian Football Federation, or NFF; also, the justice system mandated that he [continue to] wearElectronic tagging [until his sentence has been served].[62]
| Year | Title | Role | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dead of Winter | Robert | Main role | [63] |
| 2015 | Høvdinger | Igor | Main role | [64] |
| 2018–2019 | Heimebane | Michael Ellingsen | TV series, 18 episodes | [65] |
| 2019 | Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | Jungle Warrior Fey | Supporting role | [66] |
| 2022 | Olsenbanden – Siste skrik! | Benny Fransen | Main role | [67] |
| 2022 | The Playlist | Anton | TV miniseries, 1 episode | [68] |
| 2024 | Purk | Marko | TV miniseries, 1 episode | [69] |
| 2024 | Young Woman and the Sea | English Channel Swimmer #2 | Supporting role | [70] |
Carew was born inLørenskog, Norway to aGambianJola[71] father and a Norwegian mother.
John Carew has a son born in 2004 who lives with his mother in Norway.[72]
Carew is noted for being a practicingChristian and often makes donations tocharity.[73][74] He also contributes to organizations like Soccer Against Crime,MOT and Ungdom mot Vold (Youth Against Violence) and was awarded theKniksen award as Kniksen of the year in both 2005 and 2007. Since joiningAston Villa, Carew is noted for visiting children in hospitals aroundBirmingham and supporting Villa's initiative to donate from the payroll towards hospital running costs.
Carew's sister,Elisabeth Carew, is an R&B singer.[75]
In December 2010 Carew was a victim of fraud after he paid £100,000 for a Porsche Cayenne Gemballa which never arrived.[76]In 2012 Carew was declared bankrupt following a petition byHM Revenue and Customs.[77]The Bankruptcy Order was annulled on 4 July 2012.[78]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vålerenga | 1997[79] | Norwegian First Division | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | 14 | 10 | |||
| 1998[79][80] | Tippeligaen | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 3 | — | 22 | 10 | |||
| 1999[79][80][citation needed] | Tippeligaen | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 4[c] | 2 | — | 22 | 10 | |||
| Total | 43 | 19 | 7 | 6 | – | 8 | 5 | — | 58 | 30 | ||||
| Rosenborg | 1999[79][81] | Tippeligaen | 7 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 4 | — | 17 | 14 | ||
| 2000[81][79][82] | Tippeligaen | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 14 | 10 | |||
| Total | 17 | 19 | 2 | 0 | – | 12 | 5 | — | 31 | 24 | ||||
| Valencia | 2000–01[83] | La Liga | 37 | 11 | 2 | 0 | — | 18[d] | 3 | — | 57 | 14 | ||
| 2001–02[83] | La Liga | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 8[e] | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2002–03[83] | La Liga | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 13[d] | 5 | 1[f] | 0 | 47 | 13 | ||
| Total | 84 | 20 | 4 | 0 | — | 39 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 128 | 28 | |||
| Roma (loan) | 2003–04[citation needed] | Serie A | 20 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 6[e] | 1 | — | 29 | 8 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2004–05[84][citation needed] | Süper Lig | 24 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 1 | — | 28 | 14 | ||
| Lyon | 2005–06[citation needed] | Ligue 1 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10[d] | 4 | 1[g] | 3 | 40 | 15 |
| 2006–07[citation needed] | Ligue 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| Total | 35 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 53 | 17 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2006–07[85] | Premier League | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||
| 2007–08[85] | Premier League | 32 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 13 | |||
| 2008–09[85] | Premier League | 27 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[e] | 3 | — | 34 | 15 | ||
| 2009–10[85] | Premier League | 33 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1[h] | 1 | — | 42 | 17 | ||
| 2010–11[85] | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 113 | 37 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | — | 131 | 48 | |||
| Stoke City (loan) | 2010–11[85] | Premier League | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||
| West Ham United | 2011–12[85] | Championship | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 365 | 126 | 31 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 85 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 492 | 173 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 1998 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2001 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2002 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 91 | 24 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 January 1999 | HaShalom Stadium,Umm al-Fahm, Israel |  Estonia | 3–0 | 3–3 | Friendly | [87] |
| 2 | 4 February 2000 | La Manga Club Football Stadium,Cartagena, Spain |  Sweden | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | [88] |
| 3 | 3 June 2000 | Ullevaal Stadion,Oslo, Norway |  Italy | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [89] |
| 4 | 28 February 2001 | Windsor Park,Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | [90] |
| 5 | 24 March 2001 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Poland | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | [91] |
| 6 | 6 June 2001 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Belarus | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | [92] |
| 7 | 5 September 2001 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Wales | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | [93] |
| 8 | 6 October 2001 | Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium,Yerevan, Armenia |  Armenia | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | [94] |
| 9 | 4–1 | ||||||
| 10 | 7 September 2002 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Denmark | 2–2 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying | [95] |
| 11 | 4 September 2004 | Stadio Renzo Barbera,Palermo, Italy | Italy | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [96] |
| 12 | 13 October 2004 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Slovenia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [97] |
| 13 | 3 September 2005 | Stadion Z'dežele,Celje, Slovenia | Slovenia | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [98] |
| 14 | 15 November 2006 | Red Star Stadium,Belgrade, Serbia |  Serbia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | [99] |
| 15 | 24 March 2007 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–2 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | [100] |
| 16 | 6 June 2007 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Hungary | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | [101] |
| 17 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 18 | 22 August 2007 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Argentina | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | [102] |
| 19 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 20 | 12 September 2007 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Greece | 1–1 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | [103] |
| 21 | 26 March 2008 | Podgorica City Stadium,Podgorica, Montenegro |  Montenegro | 1–3 | 1–3 | Friendly | [104] |
| 22 | 14 November 2009 | Stade de Genève,Lancy, Switzerland |  Switzerland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [105] |
| 23 | 8 October 2010 | Larnaca, Cyprus |  Cyprus | 2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | [106] |
| 24 | 11 October 2011 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | Cyprus | 2–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | [107] |
Vålerenga
Valencia[84]
Lyon[84]
Aston Villa
Stoke City
West Ham United
Individual
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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