Dwight Yorke

Club career Aston Villa Yorke was first discovered by Graham Taylor, at the time the Aston Villa manager, on a tour of the West Indies in 1989. Yorke, aged 17, appeared in a team that played a friendly against Aston Villa. Taylor was impressed and offered Yorke a trial at Villa. Yorke was subsequently given a permanent contract and played for the Villa Reserve and Youth sides for the majority of the 1988–90 season, making his First Division debut for Aston Villa against Crystal Palace on 24 March 1990: Crystal Palace won the game 1–0. During his time with Aston Villa, from 1989 to 1998, Yorke played initially as a right winger until the 1995–96 season, he then switched to centre forward and established himself as one of the Premier League's top strikers.

Yorke was an integral member of the Villa team that reached the League Cup Final in 1996. Villa won 3–0 against Leeds United with Yorke getting on the scoresheet. On 30 September 1996 he scored a hat-trick against Newcastle United in a 4–3 defeat. Yorke appeared for Aston Villa on 284 occasions, scoring 97 times.

The circumstances of his departure from Aston Villa were controversial. John Gregory, Aston Villa's manager at that time, made it known that the club did not want to sell Yorke to Manchester United unless they were prepared to exchange striker Andy Cole. Yorke played for Villa on the opening day of the season at Everton on 15 August 1998; however, it appeared that he made little effort during the match, as he was unhappy at not being allowed to leave the club. Villa were left with no option but to sell the player, and he transferred to Manchester United for £12.6 million on 20 August 1998.

Manchester United In his first season, Yorke was a key player in guiding the club to a unique treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, forming a legendary partnership with Andy Cole. Yorke finished the season as the top league goalscorer with 18 goals and contributed goals against Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Juventus in the Champions League; he won the Premier League Player of the Season. Yorke was also a regular member of United's 1999–2000 title winning team, contributing 23 goals in all competitions.

Despite a less successful third season, Yorke scored his 100th Premier League goal in a 3-0 victory over Derby County on 24 November 2000 and also netted a hat-trick in the top of the table clash with Arsenal. In January 2002 a move to Middlesbrough fell through. He played his last game for United that month, and was not issued a squad number for the 2002–03 season.

Blackburn Rovers In July 2002, Yorke moved to Blackburn Rovers for an initial £2 million, potentially rising to £2.6 million; United had wanted a fee of £6 million.

Yorke scored 13 goals in all competitions in his first season at Ewood Park, including the winner on 26 October 2002 as Rovers won 2–1 at reigning champions Arsenal. The following 4 January on his return to Villa Park, he scored twice in a 4–1 win in the FA Cup third round. On 11 May, in the last game of the season, he opened a 4–0 win at Tottenham Hotspur as Blackburn beat Everton to sixth place and UEFA Cup qualification.

Birmingham City On 31 August 2004, transfer deadline day, Yorke moved to Birmingham City on a one-year deal with the option of a second. Instead of a loan to Celtic, he chose to join Birmingham for a "substantial but undisclosed fee". It was later reported as £250,000. He scored again against Graeme Souness's Newcastle on 3 October. However, Yorke fell out of favour at St Andrew's and was released by mutual consent in April 2005.

Sydney FC

Yorke immediately signed for Sydney FC, with a salary of $1 million a season. He scored the first goal for Sydney FC in its first A-League regular season match, a diving header against the Melbourne Victory. Yorke came to Sydney FC with the biggest pedigree of all players in the A-League, having won the treble with Manchester United. Yorke scored seven goals in the A-League, with three of them being from penalty kicks. Sydney coach Pierre Littbarski moved Yorke into a midfield role and gave him the team captaincy.

He played a major role in leading Sydney to victory in the inaugural A-League Grand Final on 5 March against regional rivals Central Coast Mariners. He set up the only goal, scored by Steve Corica, in front of a sell out crowd of over 41,000 at the Sydney Football Stadium, and was awarded the Joe Marston Medal as best player in the grand final. Yorke was the marquee player for Sydney – meaning that his salary fell outside the salary cap. He was also a star name for the A-League as a whole. Aside from his footballing talents, the drawing power and credibility he brought both locally and internationally proved to be beneficial for the competition in its inaugural season, leading the Football Federation Australia to use his image and name for the promotion of the A-League's second season.

Due to the schedule of football in Australia, Yorke returned to Manchester United for training from March to June 2006, to retain fitness for the World Cup.

Yorke returned to Sydney to take part in a friendly against Everton in 2010. The game was considered his 'farewell game' as he never had the chance to say a proper farewell to the fans at Sydney. Everton won the match 1–0, and Yorke was substituted midway through the second half.

Sunderland

On 31 August 2006, Yorke's transfer to Sunderland was announced. The transfer for a fee of £200,000 (A$ $500,000) re-united Yorke with ex-teammate Roy Keane, manager of Sunderland. Yorke made his debut in the home match against Leicester City and received a rapturous standing ovation from home fans when he came on as a substitute in the first half. Yorke was used as a defensive midfielder rather than his usual striker role. He scored his first goal for Sunderland in the 2–1 loss against Stoke.

On 2 January 2008, during Sunderland's 1–0 defeat to Blackburn, Yorke was given a red card by referee Rob Styles. Yorke stated several times he would like to return to the A-League, preferably Sydney. However, following Sydney's signings at the time, it seemed unlikely that Sydney would have been able to fit him under the salary cap. It was reported that Yorke would play for rivals Central Coast Mariners, the team bankrolled by the man who brought him to Sydney, Peter Turnbull.

On 11 March 2008, it was announced that the Mariners were in "advanced negotiations" with Yorke to become the marquee for two years. However, on 1 July he signed a new one-year contract to stay with Sunderland for the 2008–09 season. He was named man of the match for his performance against Arsenal on 4 October 2008, with Sunderland drawing 1–1 at home. Following Keane's departure in December 2008, Yorke and Neil Bailey were named as assistants to Ricky Sbragia. Yorke was released at the end of the 2008–09 season.

Post-retirement Yorke has completed his Level B coaching badge, and in 2010 was quoted as being interested in pursuing a career in coaching, ideally with Aston Villa. On 17 April 2011, he completed the London Marathon in a time of 3 hours and 32 minutes. On 14 August 2011, Yorke signed a two-year deal to work for Sky Sports as a pundit.

International career Yorke was capped 72 times for the Trinidad and Tobago national team, scoring 19 goals. Along with his friend Russell Latapy, Yorke was a member of the 1989 'Strike Squad', the national team which narrowly failed to qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He retired from international football in 2001 after a disagreement with coach René Simões, who cut Yorke and Russell Latapy from the squad prior to a decisive game of the 2002 World Cup qualification, as both missed practice following a night partying. However, he returned to the team for the 2006 World Cup qualification campaign, in which the team qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in their history after a 2–1 aggregate qualifying victory over Bahrain.

Yorke was captain for all of Trinidad and Tobago's games at the 2006 World Cup and was man of the match in the 0–0 draw against Sweden, pipping his close friend Shaka Hislop to the honour despite the then West Ham goalkeeper making several world-class saves. He was one of six players in the Trinidad squad (the others being Brent Sancho, Dennis Lawrence, Chris Birchall, Carlos Edwards and Stern John) to have played every minute of the campaign. Yorke was rated the best defensive midfielder in the opening stages of the World Cup.

Yorke announced his retirement from international football in March 2007, choosing to focus on his club career at Sunderland. He captained the side in Germany, and up until his retirement. However, he made a guest return appearance for a friendly against England in June 2008 after being invited by FIFA vice-president Jack Warner. On 10 July 2008, the TTFF announced Yorke's return to the national team for the 2010 World Cup qualification campaign.

On 15 October 2008, he scored his first international goal after returning from retirement against the United States in a 2010 World Cup qualification match. The game ended 2–1 for Trinidad and Tobago. His goal was a crucial tie-breaker scored in the 79th minute, which put Trinidad and Tobago in a great situation to advance to the next qualifying stage, needing only a tie against Cuba in their final game. On 11 February 2009, Yorke scored a 26th-minute penalty for his country, but was sent off in the dying seconds of Trinidad and Tobago's opening match of 2010 World Cup qualification against El Salvador (2–2) after exchanging heated remarks with Mexican referee Marco Antonio Rodríguez (the Trini star had voiced his disapproval of the disruptions caused by the home crowd) and was consequently banned for four games due to his use of abusive language. The suspension was later reduced to two matches.

After being released from Sunderland, and being unable to find a club before the end of the current transfer window, Yorke retired from football altogether in September 2009, and took up the post of assistant manager with the Trinidad and Tobago national team.

Management career Early career On 21 April 2019, Yorke was interviewed for the vacant role at National League side Sutton United. However, the club appointed Matt Gray instead.

Aston Villa appointed Steven Gerrard as their new manager on 12 November 2021. Yorke said he was disappointed not to be hired, and that he had applied three times.

On 21 April 2022, it was reported that Yorke was being considered for the vacant manager's position at Perth Glory in the Australian A-League Men. He managed the A-Leagues All Stars in their 3–2 loss against Barcelona on 25 May.

Macarthur FC On 1 July 2022, Yorke became the new manager of A-League Men side Macarthur FC, replacing Ante Milicic to become the club’s second manager. He signed a two-year deal Three months later, he led the club towards its first trophy after winning the 2022 Australia Cup Final against Sydney United 58.

Yorke left the Bulls on 21 January 2023, the day after a 1–0 loss to Adelaide United. The team were in sixth at the halfway point of the season, within the placing for the finals series.

Trinidad and Tobago On 1 November 2024, Yorke became the new manager of the Trinidad and Tobago national team, succeeding Angus Eve. His debut on 17 December was a 3–1 friendly loss away to Saudi Arabia. In March, the team overcame Cuba 6–1 on aggregate to make the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. At the finals in the United States in June, the team exited in the group stage with a 5–0 loss to the hosts and draws with Haiti and Saudi Arabia. In November 2025, Yorke's side were eliminated from 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, having drawn at home to Jamaica in the last fixture.

Personal life

Yorke grew up as a Tottenham Hotspur fan and his first jersey was a white Tottenham Hotspur shirt.

Yorke had a brief relationship with former model turned writer Katie Price which produced son Harvey, who was born in May 2002. He is autistic and partially blind, and has the genetic disorder Prader–Willi syndrome. In a 2009 interview, Yorke conceded being unfaithful to Price during their relationship, and subsequently playing no role in the upbringing of their son. He has not claimed paternity, despite a paternity test proving he is Harvey's father. He has paid no financial amount regarding Harvey's care and treatment nor visited or contacted his son.

The Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, constructed for the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship, was named in Yorke's honour. Yorke is a cricket fan. One of Yorke's closest friends is Brian Lara. During the 1999 Cricket World Cup, Yorke made regular appearances bringing on drinks for the West Indies cricket team. Yorke's older brother, Clint Yorke, is a former first-class cricketer who has represented the Trinidad and Tobago national cricket team as an opening batsman.

Yorke featured extensively in an episode of Australia's The Biggest Loser, which aired on 28 February 2006. The episode involved Yorke coaching the "red team" of contestants while they competed against the "blue team" in a game of football. Mark Rudan, Yorke's Sydney teammate, was the manager of the "blue team".

As a member of the squad that competed at the 2006 World Cup, Yorke was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold Class), the second highest state decoration of Trinidad and Tobago. He was also made a Sports Ambassador for the country.

Yorke released his autobiography, Born to Score, in 2009.

In December 2018, Yorke avoided bankruptcy by paying a £1.5 million debt to HM Revenue and Customs.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Trinidad and Tobago's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yorke goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Dwight YorkeNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1 9 July 1989 Bridgetown, Barbados 1–0 2–1 1989 Caribbean Cup 2 2–1 3 21 May 1993 Montego Bay, Jamaica 4–1 1993 Caribbean Cup 4 23 June 1996 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 2–0 8–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 5 15 February 2000 Los Angeles, United States 4–2 4–2 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup 6 7 May 2000 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 3–0 3–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 7 19 May 2000 Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1–0 1–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 8 8 July 2000 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 2–4 Friendly 9 2–3 10 16 July 2000 Edmonton, Canada 2–0 2–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 11 16 August 2000 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 3–0 6–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 12 5–0 13 23 June 2001 Hamilton, Bermuda 1–0 5–0 Friendly 14 28 February 2006 London, England 1–0 2–0 Friendly 15 2–0 16 7 October 2006 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 4–0 5–0 Friendly 17 15 October 2008 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 2–1 2–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 18 19 November 2008 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 2–0 3–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 19 11 February 2009 San Salvador, El Salvador 2–0 2–2 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial statistics

Honours Player Aston Villa Football League Cup: 1995–96

Manchester United Premier League: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01 FA Cup: 1998–99 UEFA Champions League: 1998–99 Intercontinental Cup: 1999

Sydney FC A-League: 2005–06

Sunderland Football League Championship: 2006–07

Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Cup: 1989

Individual Premier League Player of the Month: February 1996, January 1999, March 2000 Premier League Player of the Season: 1998–99 Joe Marston Medal: 2005–06 Sydney FC Hall of Fame: 2015 Hummingbird Medal Silver: 1992 Chaconia Medal Gold: 1999

Manager Macarthur FC Australia Cup: 2022