Jlloyd Samuel

1. Early Life and Youth Career

Jlloyd Samuel's early life was marked by a relocation from his birthplace to London, where he began his football journey in youth clubs before joining professional academies.

2. Club Career

Samuel's professional career saw him play for several clubs, demonstrating his adaptability and consistency across different leagues.

2.2. Bolton Wanderers

Samuel signed a four-year contract with Bolton Wanderers on July 1, 2007, becoming Sammy Lee's first signing as Bolton manager. He was a consistent presence, playing in every Bolton match during the 2008-09 season and making 78 appearances in total for the club.

On March 24, 2011, Samuel joined Football League Championship side Cardiff City on loan until the end of the season. He wore shirt number 21 and provided cover for the injured Mark Hudson. Samuel had not played for Wanderers during the 2010-11 season due to injury, and was subsequently released by Bolton at the end of the season, concluding his four years with the club.

2.4. Iran Pro League

On December 31, 2011, Samuel made a significant move to the Iran Pro League, joining Esteghlal. His arrival was marked by the local custom of sacrificing a sheep as a welcome gesture. At Esteghlal, he was reunited with his former Bolton teammate Andranik Teymourian. In Iran, Samuel played primarily in midfield, a role he enjoyed, noting that it allowed him to move forward and score goals.

His tenure at Esteghlal was highly successful; the team won the Hazfi Cup in his first season (2011-12) and followed it with the Iran Pro League title a year later (2012-13). Esteghlal also had a strong run in the 2013 AFC Champions League, reaching the semi-finals. Samuel notably scored a goal in the second leg of the semi-finals at home against FC Seoul, a match that ended in a 2-2 draw, though Esteghlal lost 4-2 on aggregate.

Samuel extended his contract with Esteghlal on July 12, 2013, keeping him at the club until 2014. However, he departed in June 2014, citing a five-month pay dispute with the club. He remained in Tehran and subsequently signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Paykan on June 23, 2014, effective from July 1.

3. International Career

Samuel represented England at various youth levels before deciding to switch his international allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago.

He was called up for the England senior squad in March 2004 during a period of good form for Aston Villa. He had the potential to make his debut in a 1-0 friendly loss to Sweden, but then-manager Sven-Göran Eriksson did not select him for play. Prior to this, Samuel had played for England's U-18, U-20, and U-21 teams, making 7 appearances for the U21 team.

Later, Samuel expressed a desire to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, his application was rejected by FIFA due to the rules in place at the time, which stipulated that only players under the age of 21 could change their international allegiances.

On August 7, 2009, it was announced that Samuel, along with Bobby Zamora, had received Trinidad and Tobago passports, making them eligible to play for the Soca Warriors. Samuel made his debut for Trinidad and Tobago on September 5, 2009, in a World Cup qualification match, a 4-1 away loss to Honduras. He made his second and final appearance for the national team four days later, receiving a yellow card in a 1-0 home loss to the United States. He played two full international matches for Trinidad and Tobago.

4. Personal Life

Jlloyd Samuel was married to Emma, with whom he had three children, and he also had an additional child from a previous relationship. His son, Lakyle, born in 2006, has followed in his footsteps as a footballer, being part of Manchester City's academy and captaining England at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Samuel's life and the circumstances surrounding his death became the subject of the 2022 ITVBe documentary The Footballer, His Wife, and the Crash. This documentary controversially claimed that Samuel had a secret second wife in Iran, a fashion designer named Helia Sahimi, and that he had converted to Islam to marry her, adding a complex layer to his personal narrative after his passing.

5. Death

On the morning of May 15, 2018, Jlloyd Samuel was tragically killed in a car collision while returning home after taking his children to school. His Range Rover collided with a van in High Legh, Cheshire. Samuel died at the scene, and the driver of the other vehicle sustained serious injuries.

An inquest held in November 2019 revealed the circumstances of the crash: Samuel was found to be twice the legal drink-driving limit, and his car had strayed onto the wrong side of the road, leading to the head-on collision. The aftermath of his death also brought forth controversies regarding his body identification and familial disputes. His body was so severely burned that identification could only be confirmed through dental records and a blood sample that matched DNA found on his hairbrush. Prior to the inquest, Samuel's sister had accused his widow of faking his death and claimed that the samples were not released for her to conduct her own DNA check. However, the coroner affirmed that the samples remained the property of Samuel's widow.

In the immediate aftermath of his death, football clubs paid tribute. Aston Villa wore black armbands during their Championship play-off match against Middlesbrough on the night of his passing. His club at the time of his death, Egerton FC, cancelled all their remaining games for that week as a mark of respect.

6. Honours

Samuel achieved several significant honors throughout his professional club career:

• Aston Villa**
  • UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
  • Esteghlal**
    • Hazfi Cup: 2011-12
    • Iran Pro League: 2012-13

7. Career Statistics

A summary of Jlloyd Samuel's professional club and international career statistics, including appearances and goals, is presented below. The "Other" column in the table includes appearances in the League Cup and play-off matches.