Jamie Redknapp is a known English former football player who retired in 2005, and currently as a sports columnist and editor. He was also a trendy fashion model.
Early life:
He was born as Jamie Frank Redknapp on June 25, 1973, in Barton at Sea in England. Barton on Sea is a town in Hampshire County.
He was born into the family of sportsmen: his father Harry is a football manager, his cousin is Frank Lampard who is the nephew of a known West Ham United coach Frank Lampard.
He attended Twynham School in a borough called Christchurch.
He began his career when he was in school, playing for Tottenham Hotspur. His professional career started when he was 16, in Bournemouth, a football club managed by his father, Harry Redknapp.
Liverpool, one of the greatest English clubs, got interested in his game so he signed a contract with Liverpool in 1991. He was only 17 at that time and amongst their youngest players.
Career development:
In 1991, he debuted against Auxerre in European competition (UEFA Cup) and became the youngest player for Liverpool to appear in such a big competition.
The same year he gave his first goal for Liverpool.
After coach Dalglish resigned and left Liverpool without leadership, he was replaced by Graeme Souness. He put Jamie mostly in the reserves or as a substitute. Jamie was very displeased with this situation.
But the fact that he played less than he wished didn’t stop him from getting very popular at that time because he was very photogenic, so he became an icon for FA Premier League, he acted in commercials and advertisement and was very well paid for it.
He became criticised as a member of the group of players who were more concerned with their modeling shoots and adds than with football: the group was made fun by being called “Spice Boys” ( in regards with the British female group “Spice Girls”).
Jamie was at first bothered with this mock, but he soon realized that it was the work of jealous men because he loved football and he was good at it, which he showed in the following years.
In 1998/99 he scored some magnificent goals when Gerard Houllier took guide of Liverpool, and it showed his ability to create space and showed his great skills in passing. He became Liverpool’s most valuable player and was very loved by Liverpool fans.
He became a captain in 2000 (after some time that he spent as vice-captain), and the club finally rose back into top 3 clubs. That brought Jamie extreme popularity amongst fans because football is traditionally the most popular sport in the UK and many fans “live and breathe” with their favorite club.
He seriously injured his knee in one match, so he had to pause in 2001 season.
In 2002 he joined Tottenham Hotspur where he played for two years before he was transferred to Southampton in 2005. His father Harry was a coach there at that time, so he joined his father after years of separation.
He hasn’t made a stunning career there and was often injured. That’s why he decided to retire after he was adviced by his medical specialists that his knee cannot stand the pressure and that he should watch out for his health.
In 2007, Jamie Redknapp was approached by Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich offered him to coach Chelsea’s reserves.
In 2004 he began his career on BBC after which he became a regular pundit on Sky Sports with Garry Neville. He also became a columnist for their website and a commentator of the games.
In 2005 he published a magazine called “Icon Magazine” which involved articles about pro footballers, their families, and lifestyle. He launched it alongside his wife Louise and his teammate Tim Sherwood.
In 2010 he became a host of Football’s Next Star show on Sky 1.
He also became a captain in their popular sports show called “A League of Their Own.”
In 2010 he was given “Foot in Mouth Award” because of his poor use of English language and his constant use of the word “literally” in his sentences.
Personal life:
His father Harry Redknapp is a football manager. His mother’s name is Sandra Harris. He has one brother, elder than him, who is a fashion model. His name is Mark.
He loved his grandfather very much and had a great relationship with him. He died in 2006 and was an East End docker his whole life. But he was a big fan of football and always encouraged Jamie in his dreams.
He married Louise Nurding, a member of a group “Eternal” in 1998. The interesting thing was that they got engaged and married the same week, while they were in Bermuda. He proposed her in the hospital after he had an operation on his knee.
It is also not known that they were introduced to each other by a popular singer Robbie Williams.
Louise Redknapp started her solo career in 1995 and was very successful.
She has released three platinum-selling albums and had many hit singles and the most known are: “Naked” and “Two Faced.”
In 2004 she gave birth to Charles William Redknapp, who was named after her grandfather.
Their second son Beau Henry Redknapp was born in 2008.
In 2017 they divorced after almost 20 years of marriage.
She was home not working for a very long time, and it made her unhappy although they had no money issues. She just wanted to work again.
Louise was as a judge on the UK’s TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”? and she was a runner-up in the series of “Strictly Come Dancing” which was revealed in 2016
It seems that her new career on stage came between them because she filmed the show for weeks and then traveled to England after that, as a part of the same show.
Jamie didn’t like the fact that she was never home so after a while they both admitted there was no point in forcing the marriage any more.
Quick summary
Full name: Jamie Frank Redknapp
Date of birth: June 25, 1973
Birthplace: Barton on Sea in England
Age: 44
Profession: former football player, sports columnist
Height: 1,83 m
Weight: 72 kgs
Net Worth: $20 million