Born on 30th January 1981 in Macclesfield, Lancashire, England.

Height :  6' 7"  (2.01m)

Weight :

His father moved to Singapore when his work as an advertising executive made him relocate for 3 years.  Moved back to England and settled in Ealing, London, attending Drayton Manor High School.

As a boy he was a promising tennis player and was a ball-boy at Stamford Bridge.

Did 10 GCSEs and gained an NVQ in leisure and tourism, while in Tottenham's youth team.

Began as a trainee at Spurs, but never made the first team.

Went on loan to Dulwich Hamlet in 2000 and scored one goal (on his debut against Billericay Town) in seven appearances for the Ryman League club.

Joined QPR for £60,000 and made his debut in 2000.  Scored ten goals for Rangers, but this could not stop them being relegated to Division Two.

Left Loftus Road after a year for Portsmouth costing £1.25 million in 2001.  Scored 18 goals in 37 games for Pompey, but it brought him to the attention of bigger clubs and earned him an England Under-21 cap.

Went to Aston Villa for £5 million, scoring on his debut against Newcastle United at Villa Park.  He then went on loan to Norwich City from September to December 2003 netting four goals in fifteen games up front alongside Darren Huckerby, as the Canaries went on to win the First Division title.  Unfortunately, they could not afford the fee to buy him permanently, so he returned to Villa Park and netted six times in 37 games for Villa before he was bought by Southampton in 2004 for £2 million, where he scored 16 goals in 33 games as the club were relegated to the Championship.

Made his England debut against Colombia in 2004 in New York, USA in the Giants Stadium, fitting, as he is the tallest footballer who has played for England at 6'7".

Scored his first England goal on 1st March 2006 against Uruguay at Anfield and got a hat-trick (Despite missing a penalty in a World Cup 2006 warm-up match against Jamaica at Old Trafford.  Also went on to score England's first goal in the 2006 World Cup in the group game win against Trinidad and Tobago.  Has scored a good ratio per game for his country, although many have come against lesser international sides, with his robotic dance goal celebration against Hungary in 2007 making him a cult figure and singled him out in comedian James Corden's England team talk for Comic Relief in 2009.

In August 2005, Crouch was signed by Liverpool for £7 million.  Didn't score in his first 19 games (over four months), but became a fan favourite, although he did not have a great fan in manager Rafael Benitez, who went off him and thus he was not a regular first choice.  Although he was in and out of the side, he was part of the Liverpool side that won the 2006 FA Cup, but never really fitted into manager Benitez's plans and left Liverpool for Portsmouth in an £11 million deal on 11th July 2008, although he was briefly linked with a return to Tottenham before making the move to the South Coast. 

Just over a year later, with Pompey in financial difficulties, they were forced to sell players to raise cash and Spurs bought Crouch for an undisclosed sum to team up with Harry Redknapp and Jermaine Defoe again.  The two sporadically played together in the side, as Redknapp mixed and matched his four strikers, but Crouch hit a respectable 11 goals in his first season back at White Hart Lane and it was his hat-trick in the home leg of the Champions League qualifying play-off against Young Boys of Bern that saw Spurs into the group stages for the first time.  Peter scored twice against Andorra in a Euro 2008 qualifier and became the first ever player to hit 10 England goals in a calendar year.

Is married to model Abigail Clancy in July 2011, despite being the subject of tabloid stories when he slept with a prostitute in 2010.  Have a daughter Sophia Ruby born in March 2011.

With a wealth of strikers available to him and brining in Emmanuel Adebayor on loan, Harry Redknapp sold Crouch to Stoke City on the final day of the Summer 3022 transfer window for a reported £12,000,000.

NICKNAME :  "Rodders" when he was at QPR for his resemblance to Rodney Trotter in "Only Fools and Horses."

MIDDLE NAME :   JAMES

Career Record
 

Club	Signed	Fee	Debut	Apps	Goals
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (trainee)	July 1997	-	-	0	0
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (professional)	July 1998	-	-	0	0
Dulwich Hamlet	??	??	??	??	??
IFK Hasselholm (Sweden)	2000	Loan	??	8	3
QPR	28th July 2000	£60,000	??	47	12
Portsmouth	July 2001	£1,250,000	??	39	19
Aston Villa	March 2002	£5,000,000	??	43	6
Norwich City	Sept - Dec 2003	Loan	13th September 2003 v Burnley (First Division) (home)	15	4
Southampton	July 2004	£2,000,000	??	33	16
Liverpool	19th July 2005	£7,000,000	??	132	40
Portsmouth	11th July 2008	£11,000,000	??	??	16
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR	27th July 2009	£9,000,000	16th August 2009  v Liverpool (Premier League) (home)  won 2-1	-	-
Stoke City	31st August 2011	£12,000,000	??	??	??
-	??	??	??	??	??

Career Record

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
- League appearances; goals
- FA Cup appearances; goals
- League Cup appearances; goals
European appearances; goals
Queens Park Rangers
42 League appearances; 10 goals
3 FA Cup appearances; 2 goals
2 League Cup appearances; 0 goals
Portsmouth
37 League appearances; 18 goals
1 FA Cup appearances; 0 goals
1 League Cup appearances; 1 goal
Aston Villa
37 League appearances; 6 goals
0 FA Cup appearances; 0 goals
2 League Cup appearances; 0 goals
Norwich City (loan)
15 League appearances; 4 goals
Southampton
27 League appearances; 12 goals
5 FA Cup appearances; 4 goals
1 League Cup appearances; 0 goals
Liverpool
- League appearances; goals
- FA Cup appearances; goals
- League Cup appearances; goals
European appearances; goals
Portsmouth
- League appearances; goals
- FA Cup appearances; goals
- League Cup appearances; goals
European appearances; goals
Portsmouth
- League appearances; goals
- FA Cup appearances; goals
- League Cup appearances; goals
European appearances; goals
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
- League appearances; goals
- FA Cup appearances; goals
- League Cup appearances; goals
European appearances; goals
Stoke City
- League appearances; goals
- FA Cup appearances; goals
- League Cup appearances; goals
European appearances; goals
??
- League appearances; goals
- FA Cup appearances; goals
- League Cup appearances; goals
European appearances; goals
 

Honours
England international
42 full caps;  22 goals  (as of 18.12.2008)
Debut :  May 2005 v Columbia
1 B cap;  0 goals  (as of 30.05.2008)
6 Under-21 caps; 1 goal
1 Under-20 caps; ?? goal
2 Under-18 caps; ?? goals
FA Cup winners medal 2005-2006  (Liverpool)
Community Shield winners medal 2006  (Liverpool)
FIFA World Club Champions runners-up medal 2005  (Liverpool)
Champions League runners-up medal 2007  (Liverpool)
European Club Championship runners-up medal 2006-2007  (Liverpool)
First Division Championship winners medal 2003-04  (Norwich City)

Milestones
- appearance

When at QPR he bought a green VW Polo.

Took an advanced driver's test when 17 to bring the cost of his insurance down.

(The Sunday Times - InGear 09.03.2008)

In 2006, he enjoyed travelling and wanted to go on a round the world trip when he finished playing.  He also enjoyed tennis.

Was so tall that he was advised to sleep diagonally on the 6' 6" beds provided in Germany for the England 2006 World Cup squad.

The biggest influence on his career are his parents, who took him everywhere to play when he was a youngster.

Peter Crouch was worth £6m and was =27^th richest man in British sport on the young rich list  (Sunday Times).
 

Favourite ground :  Anfield

Played for IFK Hasselholm (Sweden) – on loan from Spurs in the summer of 2000, playing eight games.

Loaned to Dulwich Hamlet March-April 2000 when at Spurs, playing six games and scoring once.

When at Villa, went on loan to Norwich City September to December 2003

Scissors kick goal v Galatasaray in the Champions League in 2005 is favourite goal

Hero was Gianluca Vialli of Sampdoria in Italy.

First goal in his second spell at Portsmouth was against Spurs !! 

Enjoys tennis.  Recently started golf lessons. 

Loves Italy with Venice his favourite destination. 

First goals for Liverpool came four months with a brace against Wigan Athletic. 

Broke his nose against Sheffield United when playing for Liverpool in February 2007 and was sidelined for a month. 

Scored perfect hat-trick – left foot, right foot, head against Arsenal at Anfield in March 2007.

Enjoys playing computer games, watching films and TV when on his own, but likes to get out and has started taking golf lessons.
What would you change about yourself :  Nothing, I am happy as I am; you have to take what you are given.
Best day of my life :  Playing in the FA Cup final for Liverpool against West Ham United.  Another special day for me was signing for Tottenham, because playing for this club means a lot to me.  It's simply where I want to be.
Do you have hidden talents ? :  I used to play a lot of tennis and had a good serve.  It's well hidden at the moment, as I seldom play.  It takes a lot out of you, so it's not a good thing to do mid-season, but I use it to keep my fitness up in the summer.  I always try to watch Wimbledon and especially my favourite player Roger Federer.
What makes you smile ? :  Scoring a goal.  But I like to smile, even a rueful one when I miss a chance.  The alternative is to be miserable and that's not me.
What is the best thing your parents taught you ? :  Respect.  Also to believe in yourself and never give up.  They have been behind me in all I've done and I have so much to thank them for.
Alternative job ? : I'd love to have been a professional tennis player, but would probably have followed my father into advertising.  I did some work experience with him as a kid and also had a paper round, but I started at Spurs at 13, so there was never the option of an alternative career.
Favourite away ground :  Anfield.  Not because I was there as a Liverpool player, but because it is a special arena due to it's atmosphere and history.
Favourite day trip :  Somewhere quiet.  I prefer to go for a walk in the country.  I love the outdoors and live near a forest, which is ideal for a wander. 
Favourite book :  I enjoyed “Angels and Demons” and all the Dan Brown books.  I also like the writing of Martina Cole.
Favourite place :  Italy.  I love Venice, Rome, Tuscany.  I've been there many times.  It's all about the people, history, weather, food and general atmosphere. I would love to learn Italian because it is such a vibrant language.  I have also enjoyed visits to Sardinia and Corsica, where the beaches are fantastic.
Favourite computer game :  “Call of Duty”.  I wouldn't say I am any good, but I enjoy having a go.
Favourite way to spend an evening :  We are happy to relax and watch a film (a thriller or a drama with a few twists and turns) or just TV in general. 
Favourite day of the week :  If we are not playing, then I would choose Sunday, because it's relaxing.  After lunch, I enjoy watching football and chilling out.
Favourite music style :  I like all sorts, it depends on my mood.  If pushed to name a band of the moment, I would say Kings of Leon.
Favourite film/TV programme :  “Blood Diamond” with Leonardo Di Caprio.  I thought it was a really good story and well acted.  On TV I enjoy Inbetweeners and have a soft spot for X Factor.
Best game :  Probably my hat-trick for Liverpool against Arsenal.  I've still got the match ball signed by all my team-mates.
Favourite goal : A scissors kick against Galatasaray in the Champions league.
Your dream perfect game :  Playing in a FA Cup Final for Spurs against Arsenal and scoring the winning goal in the last minute.  I'm sure it is a dream shared by a lot of Spurs fans.
Pre-match routine :  Nothing set.  I like to get to the ground early, have my pre-match meal and then relax and read the programme.  I then have a massage and go out for a warm-up.  The only thing I do is to leave the lace on my right boot undone until just before kick-off.  It is something I have always done since I was a kid.
Most respected opponent :  John Terry and Ledley King. 
Biggest influence on your career :  My father Bruce. 
Team supported as a boy :  My Dad was a Chelsea fan and he took me there.  But QPR were my local team when we lived in Ealing.  , so I'd go there with my mates.  Once I signed for Spurs as an Associated Schoolboy, there was only one team for me.
First football memory :  There used to be one football programme on TV on Sunday and I remember waiting for that and Match of the Day the night before.  I also like the whole coverage of World Cup tournaments.
Footballing hero as a child :  I watched Italian football on TV and my favourite was Gianluca Vialli when he was at Sampdoria.  I also liked Chelsea striker Kerry Dixon, who started out at Spurs.
What were you like at school ? : I loved it.  I used to get in by 8 a.m. To play football before lessons and we used to stay on and play after school.  I had a lot of fun there, but joined Tottenham at 16.  My heart was then set on a footballing career.
Best thing about football ?  :  Playing regularly in front of 40,000 people every week and because scoring goals is the best feeling in the world. 
Best thing about Spurs ? :  The club's amazing history and also the potential of the current squad; you have the feeling we can achieve anything.
Any sportsmen in the family ? :  My sister Sarah was a good swimmer and represented the district.
Have you always played the same position ? :  Yes, although I did play on the wing for Middlesex at county level and scored a lot of goals from there.
Have you ever played in a 9-1 game before (after Spurs beat Wigan Athletic in 2009) ?  :  Not since I was at school.  Don't forget it was my goal that started it all off !  We could have scored even more because Chris Kirkland actually made some very good saves.
Did you doubt yourself after Spurs let you join QPR in 2000 ?  :   No, because I had good people around me.  Gerry Francis had been Spurs manager and was at QPR at the time with Des Bulpin, who had been the youth coach at Tottenham. 
How big a part has Harry Redknapp played in your career ? :  He's been an extremely important figure.  Some thought it was a backward step for me to move from Aston Villa to Southampton, but Harry gave me confidence and alongside Kevin Phillips, it went well from day one.  I would say that my time there has made me the player I am today.

In the Sunday Times Sport Rich List, Crouch was named as the =23rd richest man under 30 with a fortune estimated at £7 million.

In the Sunday Times Sport Rich List, Crouch was named as the =27th richest man under 30 with a fortune estimated at £6 million.