PETER CROUCH Profile

PETER CROUCH Position: Striker Date of Birth: 30/01/1981 Height: 6'7 Weight: 12st 6 1st team games: 104 1st team goals: 32 International caps: 21 International goals: 12 Former clubs: Tottenham, QPR, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Norwich, Southampton Birth Place: Macclesfield

England centre-forward Peter Crouch joined the Reds after the 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul. His professional career began seven years earlier at Tottenham Hotspur, though he never broke into the first team at White Hart Lane. Crouch's time in the reserves was interrupted only by brief loan spells at non-league Dulwich Hamlet and Swedish outfit IFK Hassleholm. In July 2000, the 6ft 7in striker was sold to Queens Park Rangers, where he had an instant impact. He scored 10 league goals in the 2000-01 season, though this wasn't enough to prevent his new side being relegated to Division Two. The cash-strapped Londoners sold their star striker to Portsmouth in July 2001, and again the move was a success. The Macclesfield-born forward netted 18 times in only 37 starts for Pompey, prompting yet another transfer - this time to Premiership side Aston Villa, who'd just appointed Graham Taylor as manager. Crouch signed on the dotted line in March 2002 and scored on his debut against Newcastle United to help repay some of his £5million fee. However, the following season saw him struggle to hold down a regular place. He was loaned to Norwich City from September to December 2003, during which he scored four goals in 15 games. Norwich went on to win the Championship and recognised Crouch's contribution by awarding him a title-winner's medal. In July 2004 he joined Southampton for a fee of about £2million. The big man made his Saints debut in a 2-0 defeat to former club Villa. Crouch scored 16 goals in 33 appearances on the south coast, including one against Rafa's Reds, prompting Sven Goran Eriksson to bring him into the England squad for a tour of the United States. Having already represented the under-20s and under-21s, he made his senior international debut against Columbia on May 31, 2005. Despite his prolificacy, Southampton were relegated in 2004-05, meaning yet another transfer was a must if he was to remain in Sven's plans. His destination this time was Merseyside, with Rafa Benitez agreeing a fee in the region of £7million. The deal was finalised on July 20, 2005 and Crouch had to wait just six days for his debut in a Champions League qualifier against FBK Kaunas. The Anfield faithful soon realised they had more than a target man on their hands, with the striker displaying a neat touch and intelligent hold up play. It didn't take long for the Kop to devise the humourous "He's big, he's red, his feet stick out the bed" chant. However, despite some impressive performances, the new arrival had to wait four months and 19 games for his first goal. Even then, his duck-breaker against Wigan on December 3 had to go to the dubious goals panel after taking two deflections. From there the goals started to flow, including the winner in a fifth round FA Cup tie against Manchester United. The Reds went on to win the competition in Cardiff, with Crouch getting the assist for Liverpool's second against West Ham. Meanwhile, the Anfield number 15 was establishing himself as an England regular. He scored his first international goal in a friendly against Uruguay on March 1, 2006. Bizarrely, the match saw him wear 12 on his back but 21 on his shorts. Crouch was named in the 23-man squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. On May 30 he scored in a warm-up game against Hungary and celebrated with his much-publicised robot dance. Four days later he bagged a hat-trick against Jamaica despite fluffing a penalty. With Wayne Rooney injured, the Liverpool man partnered Michael Owen in the World Cup opener against Paraguay. He kept his place for the follow up versus Trinidad and Tobago, during which he hit his first competitive international goal. Crouch made two further substitute appearances in the competition. The start of the 2006-07 season saw him head the winner in the Community Shield triumph over Chelsea, while under new coach Steve McLaren he became the first England player to score 10 in a calendar year thanks to braces against Greece and Andorra. In September 2006 Crouch scored perhaps his best ever goal, a stunning scissor kick at home to Galatasaray in the Champions League. It was a trick he would repeat just a few months later against Bolton Wanderers. A broken nose sustained versus Sheffield United interrupted his second season on Merseyside, though he did go on to net his first club hat-trick against Arsenal in March 2007; one with his left foot, one with his right and another with his head. Crouch was named as a substitute in the 2007 Champions League final in Athens, coming on for Javier Mascherano with 12 minutes to go. From LiverpoolFc.Tv