Lee Hendrie

Aston Villa

Born in Solihull, Hendrie was red carded on his debut as a 17-year-old for Aston Villa as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers on 23 December 1995. He went on to achieve the accolade of the club's "Young Player of the Season" award in the 1997–98 season. Whilst at Aston Villa he played in the 2000 FA Cup Final. After losing his place in the Villa team during the 2005–06 season, it seemed Hendrie's long spell at Villa Park was coming to an end, with Portsmouth reportedly showing an interest in his services. On 29 September, he joined Stoke City on loan, on the recommendation of his father. On 30 January 2007, he extended his loan spell with the Potters until the end of the 2006–07 season. He played 28 times for Stoke scoring three goals which came against Leeds United, Sunderland and Norwich City. During Hendrie's time with Villa, he crashed his Porsche as he tried to make a plane for a European game and his manager Graham Taylor had to deal with other disciplinary matters.

Sheffield United

Hendrie signed a three-year contract with Sheffield United after arriving on a free transfer in July 2007, making his debut on the opening day of the season, a 2–2 home draw with Colchester United. However, he was dogged by injuries for the first half of the season. Hendrie scored his first goal for the Blades in a 5–0 win over Morecambe in the League Cup in September 2007, but was unable to hold down a regular first-team place as the club…

Despite his Scottish and Irish parentage, Hendrie represented England, the country of his birth, at international level. He appeared twelve times for the England under-21 team, scoring five goals. Hendrie made a single appearance for the England B in April 1998, a 4-1 victory against Russia B a few months before the 1998 FIFA World Cup but was not selected for the final squad. He won his only full international cap for England at the age of 21 as a late substitute on 18 November 1998 against the Czech Republic.

Hendrie now works as a pundit for Sky Sports. In 2019 and 2020, Hendrie featured in both seasons of ITV show Harry's Heroes, which featured former football manager Harry Redknapp attempting get a squad of former England international footballers back fit and healthy for a game against Germany legends. Hendrie gained extra praise for opening up on his struggles with mental health. For Season Two of the Apple TV series Ted Lasso, assistant director Sophie Worger hired former professional player Kasali Casal to manage the soccer choreography. Casal enlisted a team of former professional players to play for the opposition teams facing AFC Richmond during game scenes, these included Hendrie and fellow former Premier League players and Jay Bothroyd, Jermaine Pennant, and George Elokobi.

Lee Hendrie is the son of Scottish former professional footballer Paul Hendrie. Paul Hendrie moved to England in March 1972 to join Birmingham City. Hendrie was born in Birmingham on 18 May 1977. His younger brother, Stuart Hendrie, is also a footballer, who played alongside him at Daventry Town. Hendrie is the cousin of another Scottish professional footballer, John Hendrie. On 27 January 2012, Hendrie was declared bankrupt by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs at the High Court. During this time, Hendrie twice tried to take his own life. Aside from his playing career Hendrie is also a director of FootieBugs, a sister company of YogaBugs, which provides football-based activities and events for children aged 2 to 7.