Current club: West Ham United
Combative midfielder Scott Parker is a product of the National School of Excellence at Lilleshall. Following his graduation he joined Charlton as a trainee and made his first team debut as a 16-year-old in 1997.
He spent seven seasons at The Valley, during which time he made 11 appearances for England’s Under-21s and also made the step up to the senior squad.
His first senior international appearance came under Sven Goran Eriksson in November 2003, coming on as a substitute against Denmark at Old Trafford, and within two months of that debut he had moved across London to Chelsea for £10 million.
Another substitute appearance for England followed in March ’04 and Parker was name the PFA Young Player of the Year at the end of that season.
The following season, however, proved frustrating, with Scott making only 11 first team appearances after a broken metatarsal limited his involvement. A move north to Newcastle in June 2005 was the result and he was soon back to his best, captaining the Magpies and lifting the UEFA Intertoto in 2006.
He made his full England debut a few months after that cup win, in the European Championship Qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb.
He moved back to London with West Ham in 2007 and has been at his best in the recent Premiership campaign, despite his side's disappointing season – his reward, a place in Fabio Capello’s provisional World Cup squad.
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