Omar Daley

Portmore United

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Daley's football career started at Glenmuir High School but was overlooked by many of the clubs in his home. He turned out for local sides Central Strikers and Israel then Value P, before he moved to newly promoted Jamaica National Premier League side Hazard United. He had a trial with Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in 2001, before he first came to England in 2002 for trials with Charlton Athletic and Everton. In August 2003, he signed a year-long loan spell with Division One side Reading after impressing on trial in a 7–0 victory over Northampton Town. He played just seven games, all as substitute, for Reading. The following season he signed another loan deal, this time with Preston North End joining Jamaican teammates Ricardo Fuller and Claude Davis. He scored in his first Preston start when they beat Mansfield Town 4–0 in the League Cup. He left Preston by mutual consent in January 2005 after 17 appearances and returned to Hazard, who had now been renamed Portmore United. In June 2005, he helped Portmore win the Jamaica National Premier League, with a 2–1 aggregate score in the play-off final against Tivoli Gardens. The first leg finished 1–1, but Daley scored the only goal in the second leg to give his side victory.

Charleston Battery

In March 2006, Daley and compatriot Shane Crawford moved to the United States to play for Charleston Battery on a two-year contract. He was sent off in the team's United Soccer…

Daley appeared for the Jamaican under 20s in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina, where they went out in the first round after losing two of their three group games. He was first called up to the Jamaica national team for a tour of the Cayman Islands and also impressed in a game against the national side for a Clarendon All Star XI team. He has been capped more than 50 times and scored five international goals. Three of his goals came in successive games in 2003 including CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying victories against St Lucia and Haiti. He was sent off in a 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup game against Mexico in the 70th minute for a second bookable offence. He played in Jamaica's 6–0 friendly defeat to England in the run up to the 2006 World Cup. Peter Crouch scored a hat-trick for England in the game, with his first goal taking a deflection off Daley. He scored a 22nd-minute goal in a 2–0 win against Guatemala on 21 November 2007. Three days later he was dropped from the Bradford City starting team for the first time in the 2007–08 English league season, after he and Jamaican teammate Donovan Ricketts had to be picked up by club chairman Mark Lawn when their flight back was delayed. Bradford drew the game with Stockport County 1–1 with Daley coming on as a second-half substitute. Because of his knee injury, Daley went 19 months between two caps, from February 2009 when he played against Nigeria in London to September 2010 when he substituted Kavin Bryan against…

Daley can play on either right wing or left wing, the latter of which enables him to cut inside to shoot out on his right foot. He has also been used as a striker, and played as right back for his country. He has also divided opinion among fans, some of whom are disappointed by his work rate or expect too much magic.

Daley's younger brother, Keammar, is also a footballer, playing as a forward for Waterhouse FC.