Jlloyd Samuel
Samuel playing for Esteghlal in 2013
Personal information
Full name Jlloyd Tafari Samuel[1]
Date of birth (1981-03-29)29 March 1981[2]
Place of birth San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
Date of death 15 May 2018(2018-05-15) (aged 37)
Place of death High Legh, Cheshire, England[3]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[4]
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Youth career
Senrab
West Ham United
Charlton Athletic
1997–1999 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2007 Aston Villa 169 (2)
2001–2002 → Gillingham (loan) 8 (0)
2007–2011 Bolton Wanderers 71 (0)
2011 → Cardiff City (loan) 6 (0)
2011–2014 Esteghlal 60 (4)
2014–2015 Paykan 27 (0)
2017–2018 Egerton[5] 8 (0)
Total 349 (6)
International career
1999–2000 England U18 4 (0)
2001 England U20 1 (0)
2001–2004 England U21 7 (0)
2009 Trinidad and Tobago 2 (0)
Managerial career
2017–2018 Egerton (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jlloyd Tafari Samuel (/ˈdʒeɪlɔɪd/ JAY-loyd,[6] 29 March 1981 – 15 May 2018) was a professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, he was raised in England and played for England up to under-21 level. He played two full international matches for Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.[7]

Samuel played as a youth for the London-based junior team Senrab and was in the academies of West Ham United and Charlton Athletic before joining Aston Villa's youth team in 1997 as a trainee. He made a total of 198 appearances for Villa before moving to fellow Premier League club Bolton Wanderers in 2007, where he spent a further four years including a brief spell on loan at Cardiff City in the Championship. Samuel spent the last four years of his professional career in the Iran Pro League, representing Esteghlal and Paykan. He won a Hazfi Cup and a league title with Esteghlal.

After returning to England from Iran, he became player-manager of Cheshire-based amateur team Egerton. He died on 15 May 2018 in a collision between two vehicles, at the age of 37.[8]

Club career

Aston Villa

Born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, Samuel grew up in London and as a youth he played for Sunday league team Senrab, lining up in 1994 alongside future England internationals John Terry and Jermain Defoe.[9] He was released from the West Ham United on the same day as Paul Konchesky, Bobby Zamora (both of whom later returned to the Hammers) and Fitz Hall.[10]

He signed for Aston Villa in July 1997 as a youth training scheme trainee, spending the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons in their youth team. Samuel's Aston Villa debut came in a second-round second-leg League Cup match against Chester City on 21 September 1999, which finished 5–0 in Aston Villa's favour. He replaced Gareth Barry after 51 minutes at Villa Park.[11] On 25 March 2000, due to an injury to England international Gareth Southgate, he made his league debut in a 2–0 home win over Derby County, playing in central defence.[12]

Samuel was loaned to First Division club Gillingham, where he made seven full appearances and one substitute appearance between 25 October and 3 December 2001.[11] After he returned to Villa, the team's starting right-back, Mark Delaney, suffered an injury and Samuel filled his position; after the Welshman returned, Samuel was given a favoured left-back position.[12] He reflected in a 2013 interview that his versatility helped him become a regular starter: "If you're just in one position and you're out of favour, you won't play. But if you can play in a variety of roles, it widens your options".[12]

In the 2003–04 season, Samuel played every minute as Villa came 6th in the Premier League.[12] He scored his first professional goal on 20 September 2003 against his former club Charlton, from 19 yards to give Villa a 2–1 victory.[13] He scored again in the reverse fixture at The Valley on 27 March 2004, which the Villans won by the same score.[14] That season he also scored on 27 January in a 2–0 League Cup semi-final second leg win over his future club Bolton Wanderers, who advanced 5–4 on aggregate.[15]

Towards the end of his time at the Birmingham-based club, Samuel lost his place in the team as managers David O'Leary and Martin O'Neill opted for the Dutchman Wilfred Bouma to play in his position.[12][16]

Bolton Wanderers

Samuel playing for Bolton Wanderers in 2008

Samuel signed a four-year contract with Bolton Wanderers on 1 July 2007, Sammy Lee's first signing as Bolton manager.[17] He played in every Bolton match in the 2008–09 season, and 71 matches in total during his time at the club.[11]

On 24 March 2011, Samuel joined Football League Championship side Cardiff City on loan until the end of the season wearing shirt number 21, as cover for the injured Mark Hudson. He had not played a game for Wanderers' during the 2010–11 season due to injury,[18] and was released at the end of the season, bringing his four years at the club to an end.[19]

Trials

Samuel joined Leeds United, managed by his former Aston Villa teammate Simon Grayson, on trial on 19 July 2011.[20] He was included in the squad against Rochdale the same evening. He came off the bench at the start of the second half in a match Leeds won by a single first half goal from Max Gradel. Samuel was released from the trial after picking up an injury.[21] On 30 July 2011, Samuel played for 79 minutes on trial for West Ham United in their final pre-season game against Real Zaragoza which West Ham won 2–0.[22] However, West Ham decided against offering him a permanent contract.[23]

Iran

Samuel playing for Esteghlal in a 2013 AFC Champions League match against Al-Ain

On 31 December 2011, Samuel joined Iran Pro League side, Esteghlal, where he was welcomed with the local custom of sacrificing a sheep.[24] He was re-united with his former Bolton teammate Andranik Teymourian.[25] Samuel played in midfield in Iran, and told Aston Villa's official website that he was enjoying being able to move forward and score goals.[12] His team won the Hazfi Cup in his first season and the Iran Pro League a year later.[26] Esteghlal reached the semi-finals of the 2013 AFC Champions League, in which he scored a goal in the second leg of the semi-finals at home to FC Seoul in a 2–2 draw (4–2 aggregate loss).[27]

Samuel extended his contract with Esteghlal on 12 July 2013, keeping him at the club until 2014.[28] He left the club in June 2014, citing a five-month pay dispute with the club.[26] He remained in Tehran and signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Paykan on 23 June 2014, effective 1 July.[29]

Egerton

After returning to England, Samuel trained with Egerton, a Cheshire League One (12th tier) club who had fellow ex-Premier League players Emile Heskey, Danny Webber, Emmerson Boyce and Nathan Ellington training with them.[24] Despite offers to play abroad, he chose Egerton so that he could remain close to his family, and the chairman appointed him player-manager for the 2017–18 season.[24]

When speaking to the BBC following Samuel's death, Ellington mentioned that his teammate had been involved in a large-scale regeneration project in The Gambia in his final years.[30]

International career

Samuel received a call up for the England team in March 2004 whilst enjoying a spell of good form for Aston Villa, but in the end he was not selected to play by manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in the 1–0 friendly loss to Sweden[31] He had previously represented England at U-18, U-20, and U-23 level.[32]

Samuel wanted to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but the application was rejected by FIFA. The rules in place at the time said that only players under the age of 21 could change their international allegiances.[33]

On 7 August 2009, it was revealed that Bobby Zamora and Samuel had received Trinidad and Tobago passports making them eligible to play for the national team.[34] He made his debut for the "Soca Warriors" on 5 September in a 4–1 loss away to Honduras in World Cup qualification, and made his second and last appearance four days later, receiving a yellow card in a 1–0 home loss to the United States.[35]

Death

Samuel was travelling home after taking his children to school on the morning of 15 May 2018 when his Range Rover collided with a van in High Legh, Cheshire. He died at the scene and the driver of the other vehicle was seriously injured.[36] At the inquest in November 2019, it was revealed that Samuel was twice the drink-driving limit and that his car had strayed onto the wrong side of the road, causing a head-on crash.[37][38]

Aston Villa wore black armbands for their Championship play-off match against Middlesbrough that night.[36] His club at the time of his death, Egerton FC, cancelled all the remaining games that week as a mark of respect.[30]

Samuel's body was burned so badly that he could only be identified by dental records and a blood sample that matched the DNA on his hairbrush. Before the inquest, his sister had accused his widow of faking his death, adding that the samples were not released for her to check against her own DNA. The coroner said that the samples remain the property of Samuel's widow.[39][40]

Personal life

Jlloyd Samuel was married to Emma and had three children with her, as well as a child from a previous relationship.[41] His son Lakyle, born in 2006, joined Manchester City's academy.[42] Samuel's life and death were covered in the 2022 ITVBe documentary The Footballer, His Wife, and the Crash.[43] The documentary claimed he had a secret second wife in Iran, fashion designer Helia Sahimi, and that he had converted to Islam to marry her.[44]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[11][45]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other[lower-alpha 1] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa1999–2000Premier League90000010100
2000–013010300070
2001–02230102000260
2002–03380101040440
2003–04382100061453
2004–05350100020380
2005–06190200030240
2006–074010000050
Total 169280601611993
Gillingham (loan)2000–01First Division8000000080
Bolton Wanderers2007–08Premier League200004010250
2008–0938010—10400
2009–1013000—00130
2010–110000—0000
Total 710104020780
Cardiff City (loan)2010–11Championship6000—1070
Esteghlal2011–12Iran Pro League1311040—181
2012–132523173—356
2013–142213191—343
Total 60472204—8710
Paykan2014–15Iran Pro League27010——280
Career total 341617230419140713
  1. ↑ Includes League Cup and play-off matches

Honours

Aston Villa

Esteghlal[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Jlloyd Tafari Samuel". Soca Warriors. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  2. ↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 544. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
  3. ↑ "Jlloyd Samuel: Former Aston Villa and Bolton defender dies in car crash". Bbc.com. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Egerton FC". fulltime-league.thefa.com.
  6. ↑ "Aston Villa squad guide". BBC News. 13 May 2000. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  7. ↑ "Jlloyd SAMUEL". FIFA. Archived from the original on 30 September 2008.
  8. ↑ Sport, Telegraph (15 May 2018). "Former Premier League defender Jlloyd Samuel reportedly killed in car crash". The Telegraph.
  9. ↑ Holt, Sarah (30 March 2004). "Lessons from Senrab's soccer school". BBC Sport.
  10. ↑ Pilger, Sam (October 2003). "The Boy's A Bit Special". FourFourTwo. No. 110. p. 31.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Jlloyd Samuel". Soccerbase. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brown, Paul (30 May 2013). "The Big Interview: Jlloyd Samuel - I was praying Villa would stay up". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Villa edge past Charlton". BBC Sport. 20 September 2003. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  14. ↑ "Charlton 1–2 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 27 March 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  15. ↑ "Aston Villa 2–0 Bolton". BBC Sport. 27 January 2004. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  16. ↑ "Samuel: I'll battle Bouma". Birmingham Mail. 5 September 2005. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "Samuel departs Villa for Bolton". BBC Sport. 25 May 2007.
  18. ↑ "Jlloyd Samuel Loan Confirmed". Cardiff City F.C. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "New deal for Blake". The Bolton News. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  20. ↑ "Trialist Trio in United Squad at Rochdale". Leeds United F.C. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  21. ↑ "Gradel Goal Downs The Dale". Leeds United F.C. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  22. ↑ "West Ham United 2–0 Real Zaragoza FT". West Ham United F.C. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  23. ↑ "Davies defends Jussi after blunder". Manchester Evening News. 23 August 2011.
  24. 1 2 3 Davis, Matt (12 November 2017). "Jlloyd Samuel & Nathan Ellington: Ex-Premier League players line up for non-league Egerton FC". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  25. ↑ "Samuel excited by Iranian challenge". ESPN. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  26. 1 2 3 Turner, Jon (23 June 2014). "Jlloyd Samuel leaves Esteghlal after 5-month pay dispute". sport360.com. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  27. ↑ "FC Seoul makes AFC Champions League finals". Yonhap News Agency. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "قرارداد ساموئل برای یک فصل دیگر تمدید شد" [Samuel extended his contract for another season] (in Persian). Esteghlal F.C. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013.
  29. ↑ "Samuel also joins Paykan". Persian League. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  30. 1 2 "Jlloyd Samuel: Tributes paid after former Aston Villa and Bolton defender dies in crash". BBC Sport. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  31. ↑ "Sweden 1-0 England". BBC Sport. 31 March 2004. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  32. ↑ "Samuel, Jlloyd". Astonvillaplayerdatabase.com.
  33. ↑ "Samuel cannot play for Trinidad". BBC Sport. 6 November 2005.
  34. ↑ "Zamora and Samuel get Trinidad passports". ttgapers.com. 8 August 2009. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  35. ↑ "Samuel, Jlloyd". National Football Teams. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  36. 1 2 "Jlloyd Samuel: Former Aston Villa and Bolton defender dies in car crash". BBC Sport. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  37. ↑ "Footballer Jlloyd Samuel was too badly burnt in car crash to ID, inquest hears after fake death claim". Sky News. 26 November 2019.
  38. ↑ "Inquest held into how footballer Jlloyd Samuel died in head-on crash in High Legh". Knutsford Guardian. 26 November 2019.
  39. ↑ "Jlloyd Samuel death: Footballer's body 'too burnt' for visual ID". BBC News. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  40. ↑ Clare, Henry; Hainey, Fionnula (27 November 2019). "Jlloyd Samuel inquest opens as sister demands DNA test to prove her claim he's still alive - despite court ruling". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  41. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Katie (22 December 2018). "Dawn Ward helps widow of Jlloyd Samuel left in 'big financial difficulty' by Premier League player's death". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  42. ↑ Lee, Sam (16 October 2021). "Manchester City's academy: The identifiable style that means all levels play like the first team". The Athletic. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  43. ↑ Miller, Max (21 September 2022). "Collective Media Group scores ITV commissions brace". Broadcast. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  44. ↑ Tambini, Natalie (3 November 2022). "Footballer Jlloyd Samuel: Did he fake his own death? Is he still alive?". Entertainment Daily. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  45. ↑ "J. Samuel". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  46. ↑ "Angel carries Villa home". Telegraph. 21 August 2001. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
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