Emile Heskey (Striker)
Date of birth: 11/01/78
Squad number: 8
Height: 6' 2" (1.90m)
Weight: 13st 12lb (88kg)
Characteristics: Nicknamed 'Bruno' due to his awesome size and power
Former club: Leicester
Birth Place: Leicester
Emile Heskey became both Gérard Houllier's first English signing and the
club's most expensive ever player when he signed in at Anfield in March 2000.
At a reported cost of £11 million, Heskey's transfer fee easily surpassed
the £8.5 million the Reds spent on Stan Collymore but manager Gérard Houllier, who admitted he had tracked Heskey for four years, believes
he has got excellent value for money in the ex-Leicester City striker.
Emile Ivanhoe Heskey was born on January 11 1978 and joined the youth training scheme at Leicester in his teenage years. In 1995 he
made his league debut for the Filbert Street outfit and it wasn't too long before establishing himself as one of the brightest young talents in
English football.
The following year he made 30 appearances for the Foxes, scoring seven goals along the way. His goals helped City earn promotion to the
Premiership via the end of season division one play-offs.
His international career was just starting to blossom as well as he starred alongside Michael Owen in the England under-18 team which
finished third in the European Championships in France.
In 1997 he won his first major honour in English football when he helped
Leicester to victory over Middlesbrough in the Worthington Cup final. The first match at Wembley finished level, but Leicester scored a late
winner in the replay at Hillsborough to ensure the trophy was going to the Midlands.
He ended the league season with 10 goals in 35 appearances and also made his first England under-21 appearance in a 1-0 victory over Italy
in Rieti.
During the following season he again scored ten goals as Leicester continued to establish themselves as a Premiership outfit.
Disappointment followed in 1999 when City were beaten by Tottenham in the Worthington Cup final at Wembley. A late Allan Nielsen goal puts
paid to Heskey's dreams of securing a second winners medal.
A back injury badly affected his season and he managed just six goals in
30 league appearances, but he still showed enough to earn a full England debut in the friendly game against Hungary in Budapest. The
match ended in a 1-1 draw.
On February 22 2000 Kevin Keegan gave him his first start for England in
a friendly with Argentina at Wembley. His performance won rave reviews and he was the overwhelming choice for man of the match on the night.
Many pundits believe that performance alone ensured he will be in the England to squad to play in the European Championships in the summer.
To cap a great week for Heskey, five days after his Wembley debut came a second appearance beneath the twin towers when he helped
Leicester to a 2-1 victory over Tranmere Rovers in the final of the Worthington Cup.
After the match the speculation concerning his future increased and,
although Leicester made it clear they wanted to keep him, his heart was set on a move to Liverpool. On March 9 the deal was completed
and Heskey finally signed for the club he had supported as a youngster.
Just one training session and two days later Heskey pulled on the Liverpool shirt for the first time and made his Anfield debut in the
Premiership clash with Sunderland. He endeared himself to his new fans immediately by winning a penalty after just three minutes, and his all
round display offered plenty of signs that his capture could be crucial in Liverpool's future pursuit of honours.