Nigel Quashie

Queens Park Rangers

He began his career in London as a trainee with Queens Park Rangers in August 1995, making his League debut in a 2–1 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 30 December. He was used sparingly for the remainder of that campaign, making eleven appearances as QPR were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 1995–96 season. He made a further 14 appearances in the 1996–97 season before breaking into the first eleven on a regular basis in the 1997–98 season when he made 35 league and cup appearances.

Nottingham Forest

Quashie joined Nottingham Forest for £2.5 million at the start of the 1998–99 FA Premier League season but made only 16 league appearances as Forest finished bottom of the table. He settled into the team in the 1999–2000 season, making 34 appearances, but the death of his son had a major impact on his ability to perform, and he was transfer-listed by manager David Platt at the end of a season in which Forest finished well short of the promotion places. By July, he reportedly had attracted interest from several clubs, including West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City with Portsmouth understood to have made an offer.

Portsmouth

Quashie joined Portsmouth in August 2000 for a fee worth up to £600,000, signing a three-year contract. He quickly established himself in the first team, making 37 league and cup appearances in the 2001–02 season as Portsmouth finished in the lower half of the First…

England

Quashie played once for the England under-18 team in a European championship qualifier against Latvia in November 1995. He was a member of several England under-21 squads during the 1996–97 season before making his debut at that level on 30 May 1997 in the starting eleven for a European championship qualifier against Poland in Chorzów. The game ended as a 1–1 draw, and Quashie played in one more qualifier as England went on to top their group, but still faced a play-off against the other worst-ranked group winner, Greece. Quashie started the away leg, which England lost 2–0, but did not take the field in the home leg, which England won 4–2 on the night but lost on the away goals rule. He was selected for the England B team to face Chile in February 1998, a 2–1 defeat, but was injured after half an hour. His fourth and last under-21 appearance came a few weeks later in a friendly away to Switzerland.

Scotland

FIFA eligibility rules changed in 2004 to permit players to change their international allegiance. Quashie expressed interest in representing Scotland. He qualified because his maternal grandfather was born in Glasgow – a fact Quashie had to prove. Quashie's Scotland debut was a 1–0 friendly win away against Estonia on 27 May 2004. He was only the second black player to represent Scotland (after Andrew Watson in 1881) and the third non-white man (after Paul Wilson in 1975). Quashie scored on his second appearance three days later, side footing…

Club

International appearances

International goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.

Quashie was born in the London Borough of Southwark to a Ghanaian father and an English mother. He and his former wife, Joanna, had a son, who died shortly after birth, and a daughter. He and his partner, Kerry Clarke, have a son, Brayden Clarke, who as of 2024 is a youth footballer for Arsenal and for Wales, for which he qualifies through his mother's parentage.