Trevor Sinclair

Trevor Lloyd Sinclair (born 2 March, 1973 in Dulwich, London) is an English footballer who is currently without a club after being released by Football League Championship side Cardiff City. A versatile winger, he is able to play on both the left and right flanks.

Club career

Sinclair began his career at Blackpool where he played from 1989 to 1993. When he made his debut for Blackpool, on 19 August 1989, he became the club's youngest ever player, at 16 years, 5 months, breaking Colin Greenall's record set nine years earlier. Sinclair's record was in turn broken by Matty Kay in November 2005. In 1993 he moved to Queens Park Rangers, then to West Ham United in 1998 and then Manchester City in 2003.

In 1997 he won the BBC's Match of the Day "Goal of the Season" competition with an overhead scissors-kick while playing for QPR in an FA Cup match against Barnsley.

At the beginning of his career at Manchester City, he played on the left wing, where he had performed for England at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, the departure of Shaun Wright-Phillips presented the opportunity for Sinclair to play on his preferred right wing.

Sinclair was released by Manchester City at the end of the 2006-07 season. And on 10 July, 2007 he joined Football League Championship club, Cardiff City. He began the season as a first team player, scoring his first Cardiff goal on 24 September in a 4–2 win in the Carling Cup over West Bromwich Albion. Early on in the season, he suffered from a build up of fluid in his knee and underwent two operations on the injury which ruled him out until mid-February. He made his return on 16 February, 2008 coming on as a late substitute in a 2-0 FA Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On 12 April 2008, Sinclair faced his first club, Blackpool, for the first time since leaving them fifteen years earlier. Sinclair scored Cardiff's second goal in a 3–1 win. However, he refused to celebrate his goal. On 17 May Sinclair made an 86th minute substitute appearance in the 2008 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium which Cardiff lost 1–0 to . However, four days later it was announced that his contract with the Bluebirds would not be renewed for the forthcoming season and he was released.

International career

Sinclair earned 12 caps for England, four of which came in the 2002 World Cup, in which he was a last-minute replacement for the injured Danny Murphy. In turn, he replaced Owen Hargreaves, who was injured early in the competition, in the team and was widely regarded as one of England's better players in the tournament, playing on England’s, then, "problem left hand side".

Personal life

Sinclair was educated at Castlebrook High School in Bury, Greater Manchester. It was in 1991, during his time at Blackpool, that Sinclair introduced his then trademark dreadlocks. He lives in Cheshire, is married to Natalie, and has four sons.