Nigel Reo-Coker

Wimbledon

Reo-Coker was spotted by London club Wimbledon at the age of twelve after representing the borough of Croydon. He came through the ranks at Wimbledon and became captain after progressing to the first team. He also made his debut for the England Under-21s while at Wimbledon. In March 2003, Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp agreed a deal to bring Reo-Coker to the south coast club in preparation for their first Premiership season. Financial problems resulted in the player remaining at Wimbledon despite having already signed contracts with Portsmouth. Reo-Coker made 64 appearances for Wimbledon in all competitions, scoring six goals.

West Ham United

After an impressive first half of the 2003–04 season, he signed for West Ham in January 2004. After the move, Reo-Coker stated that he joined West Ham United, believing the club can bounce back to the Premier League. He made his West Ham debut on 31 January 2004 in a 2–1 home win against Rotherham United. His first West Ham goal came on 9 March 2004 against his former club, Wimbledon as he scored the fourth goal in a 5–0 win. He quickly became a regular member of Alan Pardew's first team and was made the club captain. In his first season West Ham made the 2004 First Division play-off final but lost 1–0 in Cardiff to Crystal Palace. In his second season, he scored three times and played 39 matches from a possible 46 matches to help the club win promotion to the Premier League in 2004–05 through the…

England

Reo-Coker was first selected for the England under-21 squad against Turkey in October 2003. On 24 March 2007, Reo-Coker led out England Under 21s against Italy Under 21s, becoming the first Englishman to captain a team at the new Wembley Stadium. The match finished 3–3. In May 2006, Reo-Coker was named as the standby midfield player for England's 2006 World Cup squad. However, on 22 May the FA announced that Reo-Coker would be replaced by Phil Neville as Reo-Coker's back problems made him unable to compete in the World Cup. He captained the England U21s throughout the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. A second booking in the tournament received needlessly in the semi-final against the hosts, the Netherlands, meant he would have missed the final if England had progressed. Due to his age, it also meant that the match would be his last for the team. The semi-final went to penalties and the Netherlands eventually won 13–12, with Reo-Coker's penalty being saved in the shootout.

Eligibility for Sierra Leone

Reo-Coker is of Sierra Leonean descent and stated in 2006 that he would consider any future call-ups to the Sierra Leone national team. In May 2010, Sierra Leone Football Association president Nahim Khadi expressed his interest in inviting Reo-Coker to join up with Sierra Leone for their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Khadi said that the player's great "leadership and experience" would be a great asset to the team. On 20 September…

As of match played 18 June 2017

Reo-Coker was born at Guy's Hospital in Southwark, London, but lived in Sierra Leone for the first six years of his life, after his parents moved there to work, with his sisters Natalie and Vanessa. His father, Ransford, was a general practitioner and his mother Agnes was a nurse, and after the two separated in 1990, Agnes returned to south London with her children. He has a son called Andrew Coker. Reo-Coker attended Riddlesdown High School in Purley, London.