Elton John (footballer)

Elton David Wallace John (born 8 April 1987) is a Trinidadian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.[1]

Elton John
John with HFX Wanderers in 2019
Personal information
Full name Elton David Wallace John
Date of birth (1987-04-08) 8 April 1987
Place of birth Arima, Trinidad and Tobago
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2009 San Juan Jabloteh (2)
2010–2011 Ma Pau (0)
2011–2012 San Juan Jabloteh (1)
2012–2013 North East Stars (0)
2013–2014 Central FC (0)
2014 Visé 7 (1)
2015–2016 Central FC (0)
2016–2017 Ma Pau Stars (2)
2017 North East Stars (3)
2018 Queen's Park 8 (3)
2018 San Juan Jabloteh
2019 HFX Wanderers 18 (0)
International career‡
2012 Trinidad and Tobago 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2019
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 January 2019

Club career

San Juan Jabloteh

John began his professional football career with San Juan Jabloteh.[2]

John won his first two TT Pro League titles in back-to-back seasons with Jabloteh in 2007 and 2008.[2] He also helped the club win the 2008 Trinidad and Tobago Classic.

The following season, John played every minute in all four games for Jabloteh in the 2009 CFU Club Championship and scored two goals, helping the club earn third place and qualify for the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League.[3]

John again played every minute of every match for Jabloteh in Champions League play that year. He helped the club win its preliminary round play-off against Panamanian side San Francisco and then played the first four matches of the group stage against Marathón, Toluca and twice against FC Dallas before his contract with Jabloteh expired at the end of the 2009 season.[3]

Ma Pau

On 4 January 2010, John signed with Ma Pau ahead of the 2010–11 season.[4]

Second spell at Jabloteh

In 2011, John rejoined Jabloteh for the 2011–12 season.[2][3]

North East Stars

In the 2012–13 season, John played for North East Stars and helped the club win the 2012 Trinidad and Tobago Classic.[2][3]

Central FC

On 3 September 2013, John signed with Central FC.[5]

In October 2013 he played in the final of the Trinidad and Tobago League Cup, a 2–1 win for Central FC over Defence Force and the club's first League Cup title.[6] In April 2014 he helped Central win the 2014 Trinidad and Tobago Goal Shield. At the end of the 2013–14 season he was voted Central FC's Supporters' Player of the Year.[7]

Visé

In August 2014, John transferred to Belgian Third Division club Visé for an undisclosed fee.[2][8]

Second spell at Central FC

John left Visé in Fall 2014 and returned to Central FC, helping the club win its first TT Pro League title. In May 2015, he scored a penalty in a shoot-out in the semi-finals of the 2015 CFU Club Championship against Haitian side Don Bosco, helping Central earn a spot in the final.[9] Central went on to win the final against Trinidadian rivals W Connection, earning John his first international title.[10]

In August 2015, John's transfer to Visé became part of a scandal involving Central FC founders Brent Sancho and Kevin Harrison. Leaked emails revealed that Harrison had allegedly requested that a portion of the fees for the transfers of John and other Central FC players be wired directly to himself and Sancho as a "personal payment."[11] A Visé official later claimed that this request was rebuffed.[12] Sancho left the club in February 2015 when he was appointed Trinidad and Tobago's Minister for Sport and subsequently appointed Harrison as his advisor. In September 2015, after Harrison appeared in the Central FC dressing room to congratulate the players for their victory in the 2015 Charity Shield, John and 23 other Central FC players signed a petition addressed to the club's management to voice their displeasure with Harrison's continued presence at the club in light of the transfer fee scandal and the pair's alleged pocketing of players' performance bonuses after the 2014–15 season.[13]

John made his return to the Champions League that season, playing every minute of all four of Central FC's matches in the group stage against LA Galaxy and Comunicaciones. Central failed to qualify for the knockout round, but finished second in the group after earning a win against Comunicaciones and a draw against LA Galaxy at home despite losing both away matches.[3]

In addition to the Charity Shield title, John helped Central FC win the TT Pro League and the CFU Club Championship, both for the second year in a row.[14]

On 17 August 2016, John played 90 minutes for Central FC against Sporting Kansas City in the Champions League group stage.[15]

Second spell at Ma Pau

In the 2016–17 season, John played for Ma Pau Stars.[2]

Second spell at NE Stars

In 2017, John won his fifth TT Pro League title with North East Stars.[2][16]

Queen's Park

In 2018, John played for TT Super League side Queen's Park, scoring three goals in eight appearances.[2]

Third spell at Jabloteh

In August 2018, John returned for a third spell with San Juan Jabloteh and was named captain of his first club.[17][18]

HFX Wanderers

John signed with Canadian Premier League club HFX Wanderers on 10 January 2019.[16] On 14 December 2019, the club announced that John would not be returning for the 2020 season.[19]

International career

John made his Trinidad and Tobago debut on 29 February 2012, in a 4–0 win against Antigua and Barbuda.[2][3]

Personal life

John was born in Arima on Trinidad. He was raised by his grandmother, as his father was absent and his mother moved away when he was young.[20]

He is a cousin of former Trinidad and Tobago international footballer Jason Marcano, with whom he played at Central FC.[20]

In May 2018, John and seven other Trinidadian professional footballers created the Can Bou Play Foundation, an outreach program which provides mentorship and football education opportunities to youth in Trinidad and Tobago.[21]

Honours

San Juan Jabloteh

North East Stars

  • TT Pro League: 2017
  • Trinidad and Tobago Classic: 2012

Central FC

Individual

  • Central FC Supporters' Player of the Year: 2013–14

References
  1. One-on-one with Elton John wired868.com
  2. "Elton John". National Football Teams. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. "Elton John". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  4. Randy Bando (4 January 2010). "Ma Pau bolsters defence with Thomas, John". SocaWarriors.net. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  5. "Fenwick will use Battery power to win trophies for Sharks". SocaWarriors.net. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  6. "Trinidad and Tobago 2013/14". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  7. "Elton John wins Central FC Man of the Match award". SocaWarriors.net. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  8. "John, Villaroel join Belgium club CS Vise". SocaWarriors.net. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  9. "Central FC and DirectTV WConnection into CFU Club Championship final". Caribbean Football Union. 23 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  10. "Central FC is the 2015 champions of the CFU Club Championship". Caribbean Football Union. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  11. Lasana Liburd (29 August 2015). "Sancho and Harrison allegedly requested improper payment for Central transfers". Wired 868. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  12. Lasana Liburd (1 September 2015). "TTFA monitoring alleged Sancho/Harrison payment request; Visé responds". Wired 868. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  13. "Central FC players against return of Sancho and Harrison". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  14. "Central FC retain CFU Club Championships title". Caribbean Football Union. 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  15. "Central vs. Sporting KC - 17 August 2016". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  16. Hampshire, Gareth (10 January 2019). "Wanderers announce first ever international player signings as Trinidad and Tobago quartet". Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  17. Joel Bailey (11 January 2019). "TT quartet keen to impress in Canada league". TT Newsday. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  18. "Jeffrey eyes Concacaf qualifying spot and wants Jabloteh players to dream as the coach". SocaWarriors.net. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  19. Gareth Hampshire (14 December 2019). "HFX Wanderers FC thank non-returning players". HFX Wanderers FC. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  20. Dominique Webb (20 April 2014). "Central's Elton John on his tough upbringing and sharing name with a pop star". SocaWarriors.net. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  21. "Yohance, De Silva and Julius among founders of youth mentoring group, Can Bou Play Foundation". Wired 868. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.


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