Emile Smith Rowe (born 28 July 2000) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
or
winger for club
Arsenal and the
England national team.
Smith Rowe was a highly anticipated youth player at Arsenal, whilst also playing a key part for England in their successful
FIFA U-17 World Cup
The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fédération ...
campaign in 2017. Smith Rowe's professional breakthrough came in 2018, as he made an immediate impression at senior level for Arsenal, scoring several times in his first games.
In January, Smith Rowe moved to Bundesliga's
RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...
on loan, playing just 3 times due to a recurring groin injury, despite this, the German club lobbied unsuccessfully for a permanent move. On July 2019, Smith Rowe returned to rehab at Arsenal for the first half of the season. In January 2020, Smith Rowe moved to
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on loan, playing a key part in keeping them up in the Championship.
Upon returning from loan, Smith Rowe established himself as a key player for Arsenal under
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player. He is the manager of club Arsenal.
Arteta began his senior career at Barcelona in 1999 but limited playing time led to a loan to Paris ...
. In July 2021, he was given the
number 10 shirt vacated by
Mesut Özil, and signed a long term contract. That following season, Smith Rowe scored ten goals in the league, and was shortlisted for the
Premier League Young Player of the Season
The Premier League Young Player of the Season is an annual English football award, presented to the best player aged 23 or younger in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, it is known as the Hublot Young Player of the Season since the 20 ...
and the
PFA Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the s ...
awards.
Smith Rowe has represented every age bracket for England at youth levels. He made his senior debut against
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
on 12 November 2021, in a 5–0
FIFA World Cup qualification victory.
Early life
Smith Rowe was born in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, Greater London.
[ He relocated to ]North London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire.
The term ''nor ...
with his parents and brother when he was signed by Arsenal in 2010.
Club career
Arsenal
Early years
Smith Rowe joined Arsenal's Hale End Academy in 2010 at the age of ten, after playing for South London-based team Glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
. He made his first appearance for the Under-23s in 2016–17, at the age of 16. He continued in the Under-23s during the 2017–18 season, making 10 appearances for the side, recorded 2 assists and 1 goal. He signed his first professional contract with the club on 31 July 2017.
Smith Rowe signed a new long-term professional contract with Arsenal on 31 July 2018, when he was described by head coach Unai Emery
Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Aston Villa.
After a career spent playing mostly in Spain's Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coa ...
as having "lots of potential". The length of the contract was not disclosed by Arsenal, but it was reported to be five years.
Smith Rowe made his Arsenal first-team competitive debut on 20 September 2018 against Vorskla Poltava in the UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
, coming on as a second-half substitute for Alex Iwobi
Alexander Chuka Iwobi ( ; born 3 May 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Everton and the Nigeria national team.
Iwobi began his career at Arsenal, making 149 appearances and scoring 15 goals, and wi ...
. His appearance was the first Arsenal professional debut by a player born in the 2000s. He scored after starting the following Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
match against Qarabağ in a 3–0 victory for Arsenal, becoming the youngest Arsenal goalscorer in a competitive match since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alexander Mark David Oxlade-Chamberlain (born 15 August 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool.
After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010–11 season aged 17, Oxlade-Chambe ...
in 2011, and the first player born after 2000 to score for the London club. He scored his first goal at the Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country
* Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir
** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf
** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates
* The Emirat ...
in a 2–1 victory over Blackpool in the EFL Cup.
2018–2020: Loans to RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town
On 31 January 2019, he joined RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...
on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season. After signing, Leipzig discovered that Smith Rowe was not fully recovered from a groin injury. Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick
Ralf Rangnick (; born 29 June 1958) is a German professional football coach, executive and former player who is currently the manager of the Austria national team.
Rangnick began his coaching career in 1983, succeeding his career as a player, a ...
said: "He will not be fully training with us in the next two to three weeks". Due to his injury issue, he only played a total of 28 minutes in three substitute appearances during his time at Leipzig.
On 10 January 2020, Smith Rowe joined EFL Championship club Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season. Huddersfield manager Danny Cowley
Danny Cowley (born 22 October 1978) is an English professional football coach who was most recently manager of EFL League One side Portsmouth.
He has previously managed Concord Rangers, Braintree Town, Lincoln City, Huddersfield Town and P ...
responded to supporters' wishes for Smith Rowe to play more minutes by stating: "We have to be very protective of him which none of us like. I actually boo myself when I take him off, because it's not something I want to do." On 1 February, Smith Rowe scored his first goal for Huddersfield in a 3–2 league defeat to Fulham. Smith Rowe's performance at Huddersfield caught the eye of many. In particular, in his final home appearance for the club, he scored the winning goal at the 86th minute against West Brom that would eventually help Huddersfield to secure EFL Championship safety.
2020–present: First-team breakthrough
On 29 August 2020, Smith Rowe was named an unused substitute in the 2020 FA Community Shield
The 2020 FA Community Shield (also known as The FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's for sponsorship reasons) was the 98th FA Community Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League, ...
, in which Arsenal defeated Premier League winners Liverpool 5–4 on penalties after the match finished 1–1 in 90 minutes. Following his return to Arsenal, Smith Rowe struggled with injuries before returning to fitness in the autumn. Although he performed well in Arsenal's Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
group fixtures, scoring or assisting in each of his matches, he did not start any of Arsenal's league matches in October or November. Following Arsenal's worst league start in decades, manager Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player. He is the manager of club Arsenal.
Arteta began his senior career at Barcelona in 1999 but limited playing time led to a loan to Paris ...
entrusted Smith Rowe with the number 10 role, replacing Willian on Boxing Day against London rivals Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, to inspire a 3–1 home win to end the club's poor run of form. In his next five matches, Smith Rowe recorded three assists and scored a goal in a 2–0 FA Cup victory over Newcastle United. On 14 March 2021, Smith Rowe played in the North London derby
The North London derby is the meeting of the association football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., both of which are based in North London, England. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be their main rivals, and the derby is co ...
for the first time and delivered a man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
performance in a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
. On 9 May, Smith Rowe scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–1 home win over West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
. On 12 May, Smith Rowe scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win over Chelsea, sealing the Gunners' first win at Stamford Bridge in nearly 10 years and Arsenal's first league double over the Blues since 2004.
On 22 July 2021, Smith Rowe ended months of speculation by signing a long-term deal with the club, reported to be a five-year contract. He was also handed the number 10 shirt for the new season, previously vacated by Mesut Özil. On 26 September, Smith Rowe scored a goal and recorded an assist in a 3–1 win over rivals Tottenham. In November, Smith Rowe scored three goals in three consecutive league matches, scoring in Arsenal's 3–1 win over Aston Villa on 22 October, their 2–0 victory over Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on 30 October, and the only goal in a 1–0 win over Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
on 7 November.
On 5 December 2021, Smith Rowe would score his 5th league goal of the season in a 3–2 away defeat against Manchester United, later coming off injured with a tight groin which sidelined him for several matches. He would later make his return from injury with a substitute appearance against West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...
on 15 December, scoring in a 2–0 win at the Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country
* Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir
** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf
** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates
* The Emirat ...
. Smith Rowe would again go on to score as a substitute in the following league games against Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
and Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
.
On 19 February 2022, Smith Rowe scored the opening goal against Brentford in a 2–1 home win. The goal, his tenth of the 2021–22 season, made him the first Hale End graduate since Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como.
Fàbregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when ...
in 2009–10 to hit double figures in a season.
In the start of the 2022-2023 season, Smith Rowe struggled with a groin injury, getting surgery and was unable to play for the first half of the season. He recovered and was included in the squad in the latter half of the season, and on 1 March 2023 made a substitute appearance at the 82nd minute against Everton coming on for Bukayo Saka. He made another substitute appearance against Bournemouth on 4 March, coming on for Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard (born 4 December 1994) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Premier League club Arsenal and the Belgium national team.
Early life
Trossard was born in Maasmechelen, Limburg, to Peter Trossard ...
. He assisted Thomas Partey's goal in the game by heading in a ball from an Arsenal corner, and was later substituted by Reiss Nelson on the 69th minute.
International career
Smith Rowe has been capped by England at U16, U17, U18 and U19 level whilst progressing through the ranks at Arsenal's academy. In April 2017, Smith Rowe was included in the squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He came off the bench in the semi-final against Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
but did not play in the final as England were defeated on penalties by Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. In October, he was part of the squad that won the U-17 World Cup. He scored in the group stage against Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and provided an assist for Rhian Brewster
Rhian Joel Brewster (born 1 April 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Sheffield United. In 2017, he was part of the England squad which won the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and was awarded the Golde ...
to score against Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
in the semi-final.
In October 2018, Smith Rowe scored for the England under-19 team against Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. On 14 November 2019, Smith Rowe made a goalscoring debut for the England under-20 team during a 4–0 win away to Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
in the Under 20 Elite League
The Under 20 Elite League, also known as the European Elite League, is an under-20 (U20) association football tournament founded in 2017. Competed in by national European U20 teams, it is the successor to the Under-20 Four Nations Tournament.
The ...
. On 15 March 2021, Smith Rowe received his first England U21
The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.
This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...
call up as part of the Young Lions squad for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021) was the 23rd edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (26th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth football c ...
. He made his debut in the opening game of the tournament, a 1–0 loss to Switzerland on 25 March.
Smith Rowe received his first call up to the England senior team in November 2021 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualificationAlso the "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers". was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Parallel tourn ...
matches against Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
and San Marino
San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
. He made his debut as a 77th minute substitute for Raheem Sterling
Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for club Chelsea. Born in Jamaica, he represents the England national team.
Born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, S ...
in the 5–0 victory over Albania. Smith Rowe scored his first international goal in the 58th minute of England's 10–0 away win against San Marino on 15 November 2021.
Style of play
Arsenal's former head of academy recruitment, Steve Morrow, described Smith Rowe to be "very direct, always looked forward, had a lovely touch, very clever in possession. He is always full of energy and work rate, and come alive on the ball." Mark Hudson, the former first-team coach at Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
, was also impressed by Smith Rowe, "He drifts past people. He does not look quick but he is and it is with the ball which is brilliant. He naturally glides across the ground and he takes the ball in his stride. He has good vision and a good understanding of the game."
Career statistics
Club
International
:''England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Smith Rowe goal''
Honours
Arsenal
* FA Community Shield: 2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
England U17
* FIFA U-17 World Cup
The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fédération ...
: 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
* UEFA European Under-17 Championship
The UEFA European Under-17 Championship or simply UEFA Under-17 Championship, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-17 national teams of the member associations of UEFA.
Spain is the most successful team in this ...
runner-up: 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
References
External links
Profile
at the Arsenal F.C. website
Profile
at the Football Association website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith Rowe, Emile
2000 births
Living people
Footballers from Croydon
English footballers
English sportspeople of Jamaican descent
Association football midfielders
Arsenal F.C. players
RB Leipzig players
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
Bundesliga players
Premier League players
English Football League players
England youth international footballers
England under-21 international footballers
England international footballers
English expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Germany
English expatriate sportspeople in Germany