Nathan Ellington

Non-league and Bristol Rovers

Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, Ellington began his career with non-League Tooting & Mitcham United, making one first team appearance at 16 years of age. He played regularly for the youth team there, but was frustrated by a lack of first team chances, so he moved to Walton & Hersham, before moving to Bristol Rovers in February 1999 for £150,000. He made his professional debut on 23 February 1999, coming on as a second-half substitute for Jamie Cureton in a 1–0 home defeat to Gillingham. He came off the bench to score his first goal on 6 March 1999, helping his team to a 2–0 win over York City. He found a growing reputation with the side, and his highest point for Rovers was scoring a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Premier League side Derby County in the FA Cup, on 6 January 2002. This was the first time a team from the Third Division had beaten a Premier League team in the FA Cup. It was also the second of three hat-tricks scored by Ellington for Rovers, with all three coming within the space of a month. He was named in the PFA Division Three team of the year for 2001–02.

Wigan Athletic

On 28 March 2002—transfer deadline day—Ellington signed for Paul Jewell's Wigan Athletic for a then club record fee of £1.2 million. He made an instant impact, scoring on his debut in a 2–1 win at Chesterfield on 6 April 2002. He also scored on his home debut a week later as Wigan beat Northampton Town 3–0. His only hat-trick for Wigan came…

In 2005, Ellington married a Bosnian woman, Alma from Tuzla, and after doing research, he converted to Islam and became a Muslim before they married. In 2011, he set up the Association of Muslim Footballers, whose purpose is to provide a network for Muslim players and families, highlighting the positive Muslim role models within the professional game and working to improve relationships between players of other beliefs. In relation to how Ramadan affected his football, Ellington has stated "When I'm playing an away match, I won't fast, but I'll make up for the missed day afterwards. For training, there's not a problem either, as you can get your hydration and nutrients with the suhoor (the early pre-dawn breakfast) which then helps. The only difference is afterwards when the rest of the players go off [to eat] and you have to hang on for a while longer, until the iftar meal at sunset." In 2008 he visited his wife's country of origin and expressed interest in playing for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He is nicknamed The Duke after legendary jazz musician Duke Ellington. Ellington is from a sporting family; his cousin Lee Ellington is also a footballer.

Wigan Athletic

Football League Second Division: 2002–03 Football League Championship runner-up: 2004–05 Individual

PFA Team of the Year: 2001–02 Third Division, 2004–05 Championship Football League Cup top goalscorer: 2002–03, 2008–09 Football League Championship Golden Boot: 2004–05 Nominated for the Best at Sport award at the British Muslim Awards: 2014