Leon Constantine

Early career

Born in Hackney, London, Constantine played for Edgware Town before joining Millwall on 31 August 2000 for a £6,000 fee. He made his debut for Millwall on 30 September, coming on as a late substitute for Paul Ifill in a 4–1 win away to Peterborough United. He had loan spells with Leyton Orient and Partick Thistle before moving to Wally Downes's Brentford on a free transfer in August 2002. He struggled to establish himself at Griffin Park and in August 2003 joined Southend United, initially on non-contract terms, signing a permanent deal the following month. He finished as the club's top-scorer in the 2003–04 season with 25 goals in 53 appearances. He helped Southend to reach the 2004 Football League Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium, where they were beaten 2–0 by Blackpool. He turned down the offer of a new two-year contract from Southend and joined Peterborough United on a two-year contract in May 2004, scoring his first and what turned out to be the only goal for the club against Milton Keynes Dons on 7 December. In October 2004, he joined Torquay United on loan and in December 2004 moved to Torquay for a club record fee of an initial £75,000, which depending on additional clauses could have risen to £100,000 and included a sell-on fee of 25%. Despite scoring a hat-trick in a 3–1 win at former club Brentford on 26 December, his form was disappointing for Torquay. He scored just seven times in 38 appearances and was transfer-listed in October 2005…

Constantine is an Arsenal supporter. After retiring as a player, he went on to work as a football consultant at a sports agency company and opened his own football academy. He represented former Port Vale youth team player Rhys Walters.

Southend United

Football League Trophy runner-up: 2003–04 Individual

Football League One Player of the Month: August 2006