Liverpool

Born in Birkenhead, Merseyside, Thompson's Liverpool debut came on 19 August 1996, as an 87th-minute substitute in a 2–0 victory against Arsenal. He only played one more game before being loaned to Swindon Town for two and a half months in November 1997. His good form at Swindon led him to be selected more frequently for Liverpool, these performances paying off as he scored the winning goal against Crystal Palace later in the season. His 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons were steady, and the 1999–00 season would see him back into the team on a regular basis.

Coventry City

In the summer of 2000 he moved to Coventry City for a fee of 3.5 million pounds his first game a 3–1 defeat to Middlesbrough in which he was sent off in the 71st minute. Coventry were relegated during the 2000–01 season, and he sought a move back to the Premiership. However, he stayed at Coventry throughout the 2001–02 season scoring 17 goals and assisting many more collecting the player of the year and fans player of the year award and also leading goal scorer award.

Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers signed Thompson for an initial fee of £1.5 million in August 2002. His rise in division and impressive start gave him immediate international recognition, as Sven-Göran Eriksson named him in the England squads against Slovakia and Macedonia in October,^[2] although ultimately he was never capped for the senior side.

Thompson suffered a knee injury which needed surgery in February 2003, sidelining him for five months. After a comeback in 2003–04, the problems returned with his knee swelling up after every game. The club's medical staff sent him to the world's top knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman in Colorado.^[3] Three separate bouts of surgery failed to provide a permanent solution as, despite a muscle strengthening programme directed by Bayern Munich doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, the injuries persisted during his comebacks.^[4]

Wigan, Portsmouth & Bolton Wanderers

Blackburn allowed Thompson to leave on a free transfer to Wigan Athletic on 19 January 2006 on a six-month deal. His form was excellent for Wigan, scoring two goals and recording five assists in 10 games, helping them to their highest ever Premier League finish.

He left Wigan to join Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth and made 14 appearances in a successful start, before joining Bolton Wanderers and Sam Allardyce, who were in third place in the Premier League at the time. Bolton signed him just two hours before the transfer window shut on 31 January 2007 on a short-term deal. Thompson made his debut for Bolton as a substitute in the 2–1 victory against Fulham on 11 February, and subsequently made his first start for the club against his former employer Wigan Athletic on 7 April. He played six more matches for the rest of the 2006–07 season, before rejecting a pay as you play deal at Bolton.

In November 2007, Thompson started a trial with Championship club Sheffield United but failed to win a deal and, on 28 November 2007, announced his retirement at the age of 30 as a result of the chronic knee problem.^[5][6]