Eric Dier

Eric Dier
Dier playing for England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Eric Jeremy Edgar Dier[1]
Date of birth (1994-01-15) 15 January 1994[2]
Place of birth Cheltenham, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Playing position Defender / Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Tottenham Hotspur
Number 15
Youth career
2003–2012 Sporting CP
2011–2012 → Everton (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Sporting CP B 16 (2)
2012–2014 Sporting CP 27 (1)
2014– Tottenham Hotspur 142 (8)
National team‡
2011 England U18 1 (0)
2012–2013 England U19 8 (0)
2013–2014 England U20 6 (0)
2013–2015 England U21 9 (0)
2015– England 35 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:10, 12 October 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:10, 12 October 2018 (UTC)

Eric Jeremy Edgar Dier (/ˈdaɪər/ DIRE;[4] born 15 January 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. A versatile defensive player, Dier has been deployed as a defensive midfielder, a centre back and a right back.

Dier grew up in Portugal, where he came through the youth ranks at Sporting CP, making his reserve and senior debuts in 2012 after a loan to Everton. In 2014, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract for a fee of £4 million.

Despite interest from Portugal, Dier opted to represent England in international football. He made his debut for the senior team in November 2015, and was chosen for UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.

Early and personal life

Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Dier moved to Portugal from England when he was seven years old,[5] when his mother was offered a job running the hospitality programme at UEFA Euro 2004.[6][7] With his parents and five siblings, Dier spent a year living in the Algarve region before moving to Lisbon. In 2010, his parents returned to England while Dier remained in Portugal, living at Sporting CP's academy.[8]

Dier is the grandson of Ted Croker, a former secretary of The Football Association (FA) and president of Cheltenham Town, and great-nephew of Peter Croker, who both played professionally for Charlton Athletic. His father, Jeremy, is a former professional tennis player.[9]

Club career

Early career

While playing football at the International Preparatory School in Lisbon, Dier's footballing ability was spotted by his P.E. teacher Miguel Silva, who referred him to Sporting's scouts at the age of eight.[10] Dier signed professional terms with Sporting in April 2010. The Portuguese club beat Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to his signature.[11] Sporting also sold 50% economic rights of the player to a third-party owner, Quality Football Ireland Limited.[12] Sporting bought Dier back in February 2012 by selling 50% rights of Filipe Chaby.

In January 2011, Dier agreed to join Everton on loan until 30 June. Sporting CP's official website stated that the loan was "an opportunity for the athlete to grow in a more competitive and demanding environment".[13][14] Dier represented Everton U18s ten times during his loan spell and won the 2010–11 U18 Premier League with the team.[15] Dier encountered difficulties resettling into English life, but in the summer of 2011, he extended his loan stay in the Everton academy for an additional 12 months.[6]

Breakthrough at Sporting

On 26 August 2012, Dier made his debut with Sporting B in a 2012–13 Segunda Liga 3–1 away win against Atlético, replacing Diego Rubio in the 77th minute.[16] On 4 November 2012, Dier scored his first senior goal with a direct free kick against Benfica B in a 3–1 away win in the Segunda Liga.[17]

On 11 November 2012, Dier was called to play for the first team in a Primeira Liga 1–0 home win against Braga, assisting Ricky van Wolfswinkel for the match's only goal.[18][19] Fifteen days later, he scored his first goal for Sporting's first squad in a 2–2 league away draw against Moreirense.[20]

Tottenham Hotspur

Dier playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the 2015 League Cup Final

On 2 August 2014, Dier signed a five-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur in a £4 million transfer.[21][22] He made his competitive debut for the club on the first day of the 2014–15 Premier League season away to West Ham United on 16 August, and scored the only goal of the match in added time.[23] Eight days later, in his second match and in his White Hart Lane debut, he headed in a corner from Érik Lamela in an eventual 4–0 win over newly promoted Queens Park Rangers.[24] Dier started on 1 March 2015 as Tottenham lost the 2015 League Cup Final to Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.[25]

Dier signed a new contract on 9 September 2015, lasting until 2020.[26] During the 2015–16 season, he was utilised as a defensive midfielder by Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino,[27] establishing himself as the regular partner to Mousa Dembélé as Tottenham challenged eventual champions Leicester City for the Premier League title.[28] On 15 August, he scored Tottenham's first goal of the Premier League season in a 2–2 draw at home to Stoke City, and on 26 September, Dier scored the team's equalising goal in a 4–1 home victory over Manchester City.[29]

On 13 September 2016, Dier signed a new five-year contract to last until 2021.[30]

During the 2016–17 season, Dier returned to the centre-back position due to Tottenham's acquisition of defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama and injuries to defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.[28] He made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2–1 loss to AS Monaco FC in Tottenham's opening group match at Wembley Stadium.[31] On 25 October 2016, Dier captained Tottenham for the first time in a 2–1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.[32] He was also given the captain's armband for the 3rd and 4th round FA Cup ties against Aston Villa and Wycombe Wanderers respectively.[33][34] On 1 April 2017, Dier scored his first goal of 2016–17 in a 2–0 win over Burnley in the Premier League.[35]

In the 2018–19 season, Dier scored his first goal of the season, which is his first in 18 months, in the 1–0 win against Cardiff City, helping Tottenham to their joint best start of a season in the Premier League after eight games.[36]

International career

Dier playing for England U19s in 2012

Dier had been approached by the Portuguese Football Federation to play for Portugal in the future, but could only do so once he turned 18.[37] He had been involved in a high-profile England national team kit promotion for sportswear manufacturers Umbro, and his appearance in the campaign prompted British newspaper Daily Mail to question why The Football Association had not contacted him with a view for playing in their youth national teams.[10][37] Upon his signing for Everton, an FA spokesman said, "Our intention will be to select him for the youth squad in the coming weeks," referring to the 2011 edition of the under-17 international Algarve Tournament.[38]

Dier earned his first England call-up in November 2011 when under-18 head coach Noel Blake picked him for a match against Slovakia.[39] He played the full 90 minutes in the 1–1 draw on 16 November 2011.[40]

On 28 May 2013, he was named in manager Peter Taylor's 21-man squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[41] He made his debut on 16 June in a 3–0 win in a warm-up match against Uruguay.[42]

Dier made his debut for the England under-21s on 13 August 2013 in a 6–0 win against Scotland.[43] In 2014, he pulled out of the squad, informing manager Gareth Southgate that he did not want to be deployed as a right back anymore and would rather work on the centre-back position at his club, Tottenham.[44]

Dier playing for England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

On 5 November 2015, Dier was selected for the first time to the England senior team by manager Roy Hodgson ahead of friendlies against Spain and France.[27] He made his debut eight days later against the former at Alicante's Estadio José Rico Pérez as a 63rd-minute substitute alongside his Tottenham teammate Dele Alli in a 2–0 loss.[45] Dier made his first start on 17 November against France, a 2–0 win at Wembley, and his performance was highlighted by former international midfielder Jamie Redknapp.[46] On 26 March 2016, he scored his first international goal, heading Jordan Henderson's corner for the winner in a 3–2 victory against Germany in Berlin.[47]

Dier was chosen for UEFA Euro 2016 in France. In England's opening match against Russia at the Stade Vélodrome, he opened the scoring in the 1–1 draw through a direct free-kick.[48]

On 10 November 2017, Dier captained the England team for the first time in a friendly match against Germany at Wembley that ended in a goalless draw.[49]

He was named in the 23-man England national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,[50] and captained the squad in the final group stage match against Belgium. Dier scored the decisive penalty in the second round match against Colombia, giving England its first ever World Cup shootout victory and first competitive shootout victory since Euro 1996.[51]

Style of play

Dier is a versatile player, who can play as a midfielder, centre back and right back.[52] It has been noted that his versatility enabled Tottenham's effective adoption of a flexible approach, allowing them to switch system efficiently within a single match.[53] He has decent pace, good heading and good mentality. Dier has said that he has mixed Portuguese and English style for his own.[52] Another string to his bow is his fine free-kick taking.[54] In 2018, ESPN's Mark Ogden described Dier as "more of a destroyer than a creator".[55] Dier's idols are Roy Keane and Rafael Márquez, who have inspired his playing style.[56][57]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 October 2018
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting CP B 2012–13[58] Segunda Liga 72———72
2013–14[58] Segunda Liga 90———90
Total 162———162
Sporting CP 2012–13[58] Primeira Liga 141001000151
2013–14[58] Primeira Liga 1300030—160
Total 271004000311
Tottenham Hotspur 2014–15[59] Premier League 28210304[lower-alpha 3]0362
2015–16[60] Premier League 37341109[lower-alpha 3]0514
2016–17[61] Premier League 36240107[lower-alpha 4]0482
2017–18[62] Premier League 34030207[lower-alpha 5]0460
2018–19[63] Premier League 7100002[lower-alpha 5]091
Total 1428121702901909
Career total 1851112111029023712
  1. ↑ Includes FA Cup
  2. ↑ Includes Taça da Liga and League Cup/EFL Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two in UEFA Europa League
  5. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 12 October 2018[64][65]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
England 201520
2016132
201781
2018120
Total353

International goals

As of match played 12 October 2018. England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Dier goal.[64]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 26 March 2016Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany3 Germany3–23–2Friendly[47]
2 11 June 2016Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France8 Russia1–01–1UEFA Euro 2016[66]
3 4 September 2017Wembley Stadium, London, England20 Slovakia1–12–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification[67]

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur

England

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of players: England" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 10. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Eric Dier". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Eric Dier: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  4. ↑ Tottenham Hotspur (9 February 2016), Dizzy Baseball Challenge FT Eric Dier + Daniel Murphy, retrieved 18 November 2017
  5. ↑ "Dier on growing up at Sporting Lisbon". BBC Sport. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Tottenham's Eric Dier: Some people forget I'm essentially a foreign player | Football". The Guardian. London. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Tottenham: Eric Dier joins Spurs from Sporting on five-year deal". BBC Sport. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  8. ↑ Wright, Chris (22 October 2010). "Sporting youngster helps to launch new Umbro England". Portugal Resident. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Sky Sports Scout – Eric Dier". Sky Sports. 22 April 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  10. 1 2 Kay, Alex (20 January 2011). "Eric Dier was called up by Umbro to star with Rooney & Co in this shoot. He is the rising star of Sporting Lisbon... so why haven't the FA been in touch?". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  11. ↑ Brown, Nigel (8 April 2010). "Sporting beat off competition to sign English wonderkid". Sport.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010.
  12. ↑ "Sporting Clube de Portugal – Futebol SAD publishes the Report and Financial Statements for the 1H2010/2011" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  13. ↑ "Eric Dier emprestado" (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  14. ↑ Griffiths, Darren (21 January 2011). "Teenager joins academy". Everton F.C. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  15. ↑ Rea, Alex (25 May 2014). "Everton's U18 Premier League champions of 2010/11: where are they now?". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Atlético 1–3 Sporting B" (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 26 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "Benfica B-Sporting B, 1–3". Jornal Record (in Portuguese). 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "Sporting 1–0 Braga" (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 11 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  19. ↑ "Sporting 1–0 SC Braga" (in Portuguese). Zerozero. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  20. ↑ "Moreirense 2–2 Sporting" (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 26 November 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  21. ↑ "Transfer news: Eric Dier completes move to Spurs on five-year deal". Sky Sports. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "Spurs sign Eric Dier from Sporting". ESPN FC. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  23. ↑ Rose, Gary (16 August 2014). "West Ham United 0–1 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  24. ↑ Fifield, Dominic (24 August 2014). "Tottenham give Harry Redknapp unhappy homecoming with QPR defeat". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  25. 1 2 McNulty, Phil (1 March 2015). "Chelsea 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  26. ↑ "Eric Dier: Tottenham defender signs new contract until 2020". BBC Sport. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  27. 1 2 "Eric Dier in England squad for Spain and France friendlies". BBC Sport. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  28. 1 2 "Eric Dier ready to put his strange start to the season for Tottenham behind him". The Guardian. London. 11 December 2016.
  29. ↑ Sanghera, Mandeep (26 September 2015). "Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  30. ↑ "Eric Dier: Tottenham midfielder signs new five-year contract". BBC Sport. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  31. ↑ "Eric Dier". UEFA. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  32. ↑ "Liverpool 2 Spurs 1: Sturridge scores two as Reds survive late Tottenham push to go through to last eight". The Daily Telegraph. London. 25 October 2016.
  33. ↑ "Dier: Being Spurs captain would be an honour". 9 January 2017.
  34. ↑ "Tottenham vs Wycombe team news: Heung-min Son leads the line as Eric Dier named captain". London Evening Standard. 28 January 2017.
  35. ↑ "Burnley 0 Tottenham 2: Eric Dier's goal sends Spurs on their way back into title picture". The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 April 2017.
  36. ↑ Witcoop, Darren (6 October 2018). "Tottenham vs Cardiff: Eric Dier's early goal sees off 10-man Cardiff City". The Independent.
  37. 1 2 "The New Fabric of England: Eric Dier". Umbro. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  38. ↑ Winter, Henry (20 January 2011). "Everton sign Sporting Lisbon youngster Eric Dier on loan as England close in on his services". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  39. ↑ "Eric Dier". The Football Association. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  40. ↑ "Slovakia vs England". The Football Association. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  41. ↑ "Final squad named". The Football Association. 28 May 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  42. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (16 June 2013). "Training win for Three Lions". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  43. ↑ "England Under-21s thrash Scotland 6–0 in friendly". BBC Sport. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  44. ↑ "Tottenham centre-half Eric Dier opts out of England Under-21 duty to train with Premier League paymasters". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  45. ↑ McNulty, Phil (14 November 2015). "Spain 2–0 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  46. ↑ Redknapp, Jamie (18 November 2015). "Eric Dier is the biggest England surprise and Wayne Rooney has lost none of his aura among the squad". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  47. 1 2 McNulty, Phil (26 March 2016). "Germany 2–3 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  48. ↑ "England 1–1 Russia". BBC Sport. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  49. ↑ "Tottenham's Eric Dier to captain England for friendly against Germany". The Independent. 9 November 2017.
  50. ↑ "England World Cup squad: Trent Alexander-Arnold in 23-man squad". BBC Sport. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  51. ↑ "Who scored as England beat Colombia on penalties". The Independent. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  52. 1 2 "Eric Dier exclusive: 'I am English but I'm like any other foreigner,' says Tottenham centre-back". The Independent. London. 15 May 2015.
  53. ↑ Cox, Michael (1 May 2017). "Eric Dier's versatility the basis of Tottenham's exquisite flexibility". The Guardian.
  54. ↑ "Everything you need to know about Spurs new boy Eric Dier". FourFourTwo. 1 August 2014.
  55. ↑ Ogden, Mark (12 July 2018). "England must make World Cup run the start of something big, not another false dawn". ESPN. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  56. ↑ "Tottenham's Eric Dier reveals Manchester United legend Roy Keane as one of his idols". Metro. London. 21 June 2016.
  57. ↑ "England's Eric Dier eyes reunion with Portugal stars at Euro 2016". ESPN FC. 23 June 2016.
  58. 1 2 3 4 "E. Dier: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  59. ↑ "Games played by Eric Dier in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  60. ↑ "Games played by Eric Dier in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  61. ↑ "Games played by Eric Dier in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  62. ↑ "Games played by Eric Dier in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  63. ↑ "Games played by Eric Dier in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  64. 1 2 "Dier, Eric". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  65. ↑ McNulty, Phil (12 October 2018). "Croatia 0–0 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  66. ↑ McNulty, Phil (11 May 2016). "England 1–1 Russia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  67. ↑ McNulty, Phil (4 September 2017). "England 2–1 Slovakia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  68. ↑ McNulty, Phil (14 July 2018). "Belgium 2–0 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
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