Kelly smith soccer player biography

Review

Kelly Smith's life is film-script material ― Henry Winter

A great read but so very sad in parts ― Jacqui Oatley

An entertaining read It is Smith the footballer that resonates - her achievements and disappointments, the graft, the hunger, the esteem for rivals, the battles to overcome injuries that would have finished a lesser player, the strongly held beliefs about the game. -- Catherine Etoe ― Camden New Journal

About the Author

KELLY SMITH was born October 29, She played for Garston Boys Football Club before being prevented from playing in mixed teams, then for Watford Ladies, Pinner Park, Wembley Ladies and Arsenal Ladies. After being spotted by American scouts, she was offered a scholarship at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, where standout performances saw her number six shirt retired after her graduation. In , Kelly became England's first ever women's professional footballer, and played for Philadelphia Charge in the WUSA before returning home to win every honour in the domestic game with Arsenal, including their sensational quadruple in when they became champions of Europe. Between and , Kelly scored goals in games for the team she had always supported. After playing for Boston Breakers in the WPSL, she returned to Arsenal in March Kelly made her England debut just three days after her seventeenth birthday, and has gone on to score a record forty-five goals in more than a hundred appearances for her country. She helped England reach the final of the European Championships in and the quarterfinals of the World Cup in both and , and was twice voted third in the FIFA World Player of the Year. She was awarded an MBE in

Renowned as one of the country’s most technically gifted and prolific finishers, Kelly Smith is considered one of the greatest players ever to pull on an England shirt.

Smith’s talent was evident from a very young age, showcasing her predatory instincts with Pinner Park before honing them further at Wembley Ladies. The teenager caught the eye in two seasons with Wembley, earning a move to Women’s Premier League titans Arsenal Women.

Despite enjoying a successful first year at Meadow Park – proving instrumental in the title-clinching victory over Liverpool – Smith sought to broaden her horizons, opting to join the more competitive women’s football scene in the United States.

She turned professional with the New Jersey Lady Stallions in , but two long-term injuries and the collapse of the Women’s United Soccer Association affected her career Stateside, though she continued to feature regularly for England Women when fit.

She returned to North London with Arsenal in , overcoming injury to seal another title for the Gunners. Smith’s prowess was never in doubt, and she finished the following season as the WPL’s top scorer, earning another championship medal to boot, and was similarly destructive throughout Arsenal’s famous Quadruple-winning campaign, finding the net 30 times in just 34 games.

&#;KELLY IS ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS WHO COME ALONG ONLY ONCE OR TWICE IN A LIFETIME. IN THE MEN&#;S GAME YOU&#;D THINK OF DIEGO MARADONA OR MESSI, PLAYERS WITH A UNIQUE TALENT, AND THAT&#;S WHAT KELLY HAS.&#; HOPE POWELL

Smith’s reputation as a world-class forward led to fervent interest across the pond, and, after completing a further Double with the Gunners, she once again moved to the US, this time with Boston Breakers. Despite struggling with further injuries, Kelly still managed a positive goal return in Massachusetts, before the dissolution of Women’s Professional Soccer once again left the striker without a club.

Now in demand, Smith rejected overtures from top Eur

KELLY SMITH was England's Women's all-time leading scorer when she retired from her international duties.

The football legend is best known for her multiple stints at Arsenal but has also played in America.

Who is former Arsenal and England player Kelly Smith?

Kelly Smith is a footballer who played for Arsenal and England's national team.

She was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, on October 29,

Smith began her professional career with Wembley Ladies in and moved to Arsenal two years later.

In she left the Gunners for America, where she played for the New Jersey Lady Stallions, Philadelphia Charge and New Jersey Wildcats over an eight year period.

After returning to Arsenal in , Smith netted an incredible 73 goals in 66 games before she headed back to the States to play for the Boston Breakers.

Kelly then returned to Arsenal for five more years from until

Over her three spells at Arsenal, Smith won a total of 20 trophies and scored 30 goals in 34 games across all four competitions during their quadruple-winning –07 season.

The striker was shortlisted for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award four times and won the FA Player of the Year award twice.

Her honours include four Premier League titles, a UEFA Women's Cup and five FA Cups.

In , Smith was awarded an MBE for her services to women's football.

Kelly married her partner DeAnna Dobosz on Hampstead Heath in June

She gave birth to a son named Rocco Jude in May and in the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter.

Kelly joined the Arsenal Women's first-team coaching setup in April

She has also worked as a presenter for Sky Sports.

How long did Kelly Smith play for England?

Kelly played for England for 20 years.

She made her debut for the team in November , just three days after she turned

During her two-decade career she earned caps.

Kelly also re

English footballer (born )

For other people named Kelly Smith, see Kelly Smith (disambiguation).

Kelly Jayne SmithMBE (born 29 October ) is an English former footballforward who spent three spells with FA WSL club Arsenal. After moving to the United States, Smith broke records with Seton Hall University then played professionally with Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) franchise Philadelphia Charge. After returning to Arsenal for a period which included a UEFA Women's Cup win, Smith was tempted back to America with another professional contract, this time with Boston Breakers in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She accumulated caps for the England national team after making her debut in Despite being hit by serious injury during her career, Smith is England's second-highest goalscorer with 46 goals. She played for Great Britain at the London Olympics. Smith was renowned for her speed, ball control and quickness in which she developed into a potent centre forward. She is considered by many who played with and against her to be one of the greatest ever players to come out of England, as well as one of the greatest players of all time.

Club career

Youth and university

While growing up in the Garston area of Watford, Smith regularly played football on boys' teams until, at the age of seven, she was kicked out of Garston Boys Club – despite being the top goalscorer – when the parents of her male opponents complained. After continuing at Pinner Girls, a team formed by Smith's father, she developed her skills at Wembley Ladies and made her senior debut in the –95 season. In August , Pete Davies wrote in The Independent that the "lethally quick, bountifully gifted" Smith was: "the outstanding prospect in the women's game today." After moving to Arsenal Ladies during –97, she scored two goals and assisted on the third in a 3–0 win over Liverpool which secured the Premier L