Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alan Martin Smith | ||
Date of birth | 21 November 1962 | ||
Place of birth | Hollywood, Worcestershire, England | ||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
Playing position | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
1981–1982 | Alvechurch | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1982–1987 | Leicester City | 200 | (76) |
1987–1995 | Arsenal | 264 | (86) |
National team | |||
1988–1992 | England | 13 | (2) |
1990–1992 | England B | 4 | (4) |
-- | England C | - | (-) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Alan Martin Smith (born 21 November 1962 in Hollywood, Worcestershire) is an English former professional footballer and current sports television pundit, Football commentator and the club patron of Alvechurch F.C.. As a player he was a striker from 1981 until retiring from injury in 1995.
He played for Leicester City before joining Arsenal where he played in the Premier League. He also won thirteen caps for England.
A striker, Smith started his career at non-league Alvechurch in north Worcestershire. He then signed professional forms with Leicester City in June 1982. In his first season, he scored 13 goals in a partnership with Gary Lineker, as the Foxes won promotion to the First Division. He spent five seasons at Leicester, scoring 84 goals in 217 appearances. He was transferred to Arsenal in 1987.
During Smith's tenure with the Gunners the team won all three major domestic trophies – two League Championships, the FA Cup, the Football League Cup (in their 1993 'Cup Double') and in Europe the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He scored the first goal in Arsenal's League Championship winning victory at Anfield in May 1989, and the only goal of the 1994 European Cup Winners' Cup Final victory against Parma. Smith was Arsenal's top scorer for four consecutive seasons, and the top scorer in the First Division in the 1988–89 season with 23 goals.