Kenwyne Jones

Early career

Jones was born in Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago, to Lydia and Pamphile. and he attended St. Anthony's College in Trinidad along with his future Sunderland teammate Carlos Edwards. His uncle, Philibert Jones, was also a footballer as a prolific forward for Strike Squad that came within a point of qualifying for the 1990 World Cup and was a similar player to Kenwyne both in style and celebration. He had earlier had trials at Manchester United and Middlesbrough in 2002, and further trials at West Ham United and Rangers in 2004. Jones revealed in an interview with Simon Bird that he had to travel around Europe looking for a football club, or face a career in the Trinidad army. "It was hard because I'd just had my son and it was make it — or join the army. I had a family to support and at that time, it was either this is it... or I go into the services. I was ready for that life." Jones began his professional career with Joe Public in his native Trinidad and Tobago in 2002. He soon moved to W Connection where he played for two years.

Southampton

In July 2004, Jones signed for Southampton from W Connection for a nominal fee after a trial. W Connection's Chairman David John Williams described Jones's move, saying: "When Kenwyne Jones was transferred to Southampton, I told you all that he is going to be the biggest thing in Trinidad and Tobago football since beside Dwight Yorke". In December 2004, while on loan to the Football League One club…

He made his debut for the Trinidad and Tobago national team national team on 29 January 2003 in a match against Finland. Jones scored his first goal on 25 May 2005 in a 4–0 win against Bermuda. He was later selected by Trinidad and Tobago for their 2006 World Cup campaign, where he made his first appearance in the competition in a 2–0 defeat against England on 15 June 2006 at Frankenstadion, Nuremberg. Jones was named as Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation's Player of the Year for 2007. Jones said, "A lot of big names have won this before and I never really thought about something like this happening to me". Jones was named as captain of the Soca Warriors in August 2011 by manager Otto Pfister.

In October 2021, Jones was appointed as the interim coach of the Trinidad and Tobago women's national team. The following month, he was named as the full-time coach.

As a member of the squad that competed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Jones was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold Class), the second highest state decoration of Trinidad and Tobago. He earned his U.S. green card in February 2017. This status qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.