John Alieu Carew (born 5 September 1979) is a Norwegian former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
er who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. He was
capped
In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
91 times, scoring 24 goals for the
Norway national team.
As of 2023, he has been hired until the end of 2024 at
Norwegian Football Federation
The Norwegian Football Federation ( nb, Norges Fotballforbund, nn, Noregs Fotballforbund; NFF) is the governing body of football (soccer), football in Norway. It was formed in 1902 and organises the Norway national football team, men's and Norway ...
where he will be working with children and youth; the
president of the federation hopes that Carew will have permission to work in the position, while serving his prison sentence with an
electronic ankle tag.
Club career
Vålerenga
Carew began his career with his local club
Lørenskog
is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. A suburb of Oslo, it is part of the Oslo urban area and the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Romerike. The administrati ...
, a minor club in the Akershus region. He was already considered a highly talented youngster and had gained some media attention before he was acquired by
Vålerenga
Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for it ...
in 1997, and in the same year Carew was a part of the team that gained promotion to
Tippeligaen
Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...
and won the
Norwegian Football Cup
The Norwegian Football Cup ( no, Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football ...
. During his two-year period at the club he played 58 matches and scored 30 goals, while his profile rose even more due to his combination of strength and goal-scoring ability.
Rosenborg
During the summer of 1999, Carew joined Norwegian football's most successful club of the past decade and Champions League mainstays
Rosenborg in a deal worth 23 000 000
kroner.
During his short spell at the club, Rosenborg proved to be a formidable team, finishing first in their group in the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, a campaign that included a memorable 0–3 away win against
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
.
Transfer moves around Europe
After a string of impressive displays in the Champions League, Carew moved to Spanish club
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
in an €8.5 million transfer, where he managed to win the
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
title once in 2002. Carew was also part of the Valencia side that lost on penalties in the
2001 UEFA Champions League Final to
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
, though he scored his own penalty attempt. His goals in the campaign were crucial, including a 75th-minute header in a 1–0 home win against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the second leg of the quarter-final, which saw Valencia advance to the semi-final. In the 2002–03 Champions League campaign, Carew was once again responsible for Arsenal's exit from the competition. With Valencia needing a win in their final game of the second group phase at home against Arsenal to progress to the quarter finals, Carew scored twice in a 2–1 victory. He then spent the 2003–04 season on loan at Italian side
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
where he scored 7 goals in 26 games.
Carew then moved to Turkey in 2004 to play with
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
. After the 2004–05 season, he was snapped up by
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
for €7.6 million. While Carew was playing in Europe he was constantly linked with a move to the English Premiership and several failed attempts were made to sign him. He failed a medical at
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
in 2002 and
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 pla ...
had a bid rejected by Valencia.
Aston Villa
2006–07 season
On 22 January 2007, Carew signed for
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
in an exchange deal with
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
for
Milan Baroš
Milan Baroš (; born 28 October 1981) is a Czech footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for FK Vigantice at amateur level.
In 2005, he was part of the Liverpool team which won the UEFA Champions League. He went on to win Ligue ...
. Carew penned a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Birmingham-based club. Carew went on to receive the No. 10 jersey left vacant by Baroš' departure.
Carew made his debut in the 3–1 defeat to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, but went on to score his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
just three days later. Villa manager
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
praised Carew's performance after the match.
2007–08 season
Carew began the season as Villa's first-choice forward and much was expected of him by the Villa fans. However, despite some promising performances, it took Carew nearly two months to score his opener for the season against
Everton in a 2–0 victory. He also suffered an injury in the same game and was out of action for six weeks with a
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupeds, ...
problem. He scored on his second match back in the Villa side in a 3–0 away win against
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
in November. He then followed this up with a headed goal against
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
in a 4–0 victory as Aston Villa began to climb the
Premiership table. December brought just one goal for Carew, a 30-yard run and shot against
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, but he was instrumental in several of the goals Villa scored.
Carew scored two goals against
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
on 12 January and was unlucky not to be awarded
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 ...
which went to
Martin Laursen
Martin Laursen (born 26 July 1977) is a Danish former professional footballer who played in the centre-back position. He played three seasons for Italian club A.C. Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League and the 2004 Serie A champ ...
. He scored his first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
for seven years and his first ever for Aston Villa against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
on 9 February in a 4–1 win.
Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry (born 23 February 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made 653 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton and West Bromwich Albion, the highest number of ap ...
allowed him to do so by kindly relinquishing his usual penalty taking duties so Carew could score his third. On 12 April 2008, Carew scored for Aston Villa against
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
at
Pride Park
Pride Park is a business park on the outskirts of the city centre of Derby, England. Developed in the 1990s, It covers 80 hectares of former industrial land between the River Derwent and railway lines. Pride Park Stadium and Derby Arena are both ...
in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, in the 26th minute and Villa went on to win the game 6–0. On 20 April 2008, Carew scored twice against
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in the
Birmingham derby
In English football, the Second City derby or Birmingham derby, is the local derby between the two major clubs in the city of Birmingham – Aston Villa and Birmingham City, first contested in 1879. Villa play at Villa Park while Birmingham pla ...
at Villa Park, which Villa went on to win 5–1. He continued his scoring run with a header the following week, in a crunch game at Everton's
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...
, which finished 2–2. It would be his 13th and final goal of the season, crowning him as Villa's top scorer for the 2007–08 season.
2008–09 season
![Carew NR-C Wrestling](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Carew_NR-C_Wrestling.JPG)
Carew scored his first goal of the 2008–09 campaign by scoring the first goal in Aston Villa's 2–2 draw over
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...
in the
Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...
. On 14 August 2008, Carew signed a 12-month extension to his contract, thus taking him through to 2011 with his current deal.
Carew scored the opening goal in Villa's 4–2 win over
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
at Villa Park. He then scored his second league goal against
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
as they went on to lose the match 3–2 when
Mamady Sidibe Mamady may refer to:
* Mamady, Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia
People with the given name
* Mamady Condé (fl. 2004–2007), Guinean politician and diplomat
* Mamady Keïta (1950–2021), Guinean drummer
* Mamady Sidibé (born 1979), Malian fo ...
scored a late winner. He quickly added his 3rd of the season in the 2–1 defeat of local rivals
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 pla ...
; and with
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward; he mostly played as a central striker, but he was also capable of playing on the wing. He spent his entire professional ...
on the scoresheet again the pair began to form a formidable partnership. They both scored again and assisted each other's goals in a 4–0 victory in the Premier League at
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
on 26 October 2008. Carew scored the winning goal in the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
for Villa in a
Group F Group F may refer to:
* A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing
* One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup
** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group F
** 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F
** 2014 FIF ...
match away to
Slavia Prague
Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in th ...
on 6 November 2008, Villa midfielder
Steve Sidwell
Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Bren ...
struck the ball towards goal but it hit Carew and went in, therefore the goal was credited to Carew; it turned out to be the winning goal and continued Villa's 100% record in the competition's group stages and the 1–0 victory saw Villa go to the top of the group. Carew made the headlines in late October due to his personal behaviour. He was fined two weeks wages by
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
for being in a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
near a
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
lap dancing club the night before Villa's UEFA cup group stage match with
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
.
Soon after the controversy, Carew sustained a back injury that kept him out of the side for several months. During this time, Villa boss Martin O'Neill signed
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
international striker
Emile Heskey
Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is an English former professional footballer who currently serves as head of football development of Leicester City Women. Playing as a striker, he made more than 500 appearances in the Foo ...
to fill the gap left by Carew's absence. Heskey appeared to have taken Carew's place in the starting line-up for a number of weeks. However, his own injury woes and Carew's good form on return meant the Norwegian regained his place in the side. Carew played his first game after his injury on 31 January 2009 in a goalless draw with Wigan Athletic. In the last 32 of the UEFA Cup, Carew earned Villa a first leg draw with
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
, after going 1–0 down to
Vágner Love
Vágner Silva de Souza (born 11 June 1984), known as Vágner Love, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Sport Recife. He is a forward who has been described by ''World Soccer Magazine'' as possessing "mobility, fla ...
's goal. On 1 March 2009, Carew came off the bench to score a lob-shot volley in the 2–2 draw against Stoke City in the Premier League, which was later voted the team's goal of the season. He scored an equalising goal in the away fixture against
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
before also netting the first goal in the home tie against Everton as Villa fought back from 2–0 and 3–1 down to draw 3–3. Further goals against
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
and
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
took his league total to an impressive 11 goals from just 25 appearances.
2009–10 season
Due to the persistence of fellow strikers
Heskey and
Agbonlahor, Carew initially struggled to hold down a regular spot in the starting eleven at the beginning of the 2009–10 campaign. Nevertheless, while being used as a substitute Carew still managed to score several important goals for Aston Villa. On 7 March 2010, manager Martin O'Neill chose to include Carew in the starting eleven in an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
game against
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
. He took the opportunity characteristically and scored a hat-trick as Aston Villa came from two goals behind to defeat Reading 4–2 in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
quarter final. This made Carew the competition's top scoring striker, raising questions as to why the Norwegian was rarely included in Villa's starting eleven. Carew began to feature in the Villa team once more as the season progressed; goals against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
,
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
and
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 ...
helped the Norwegian go neck and neck with
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward; he mostly played as a central striker, but he was also capable of playing on the wing. He spent his entire professional ...
as the club's joint top scorers for
2009–10.
2010–11 season
![JohnCarewWHU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/JohnCarewWHU.jpg)
Due to an injury to
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward; he mostly played as a central striker, but he was also capable of playing on the wing. He spent his entire professional ...
, Carew started the new campaign upfront with support from
Ashley Young
Ashley Simon Young (born 9 July 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or full-back for Premier League club Aston Villa, where he is club captain.
Young started his career at Watford and made his first senior appea ...
. However, due to both injury concerns of his own and a loss of form, his place in the team was taken by
Emile Heskey
Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is an English former professional footballer who currently serves as head of football development of Leicester City Women. Playing as a striker, he made more than 500 appearances in the Foo ...
limiting him to cameo appearances from the bench. As the season progressed, Carew's first team appearances became less frequent. Later that month, he allegedly missed a Villa game due to heavy snow disrupting his travel.
Carew spoke out about his limited chances under the new system under manager
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (; 3 September 194714 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, U ...
to a Norwegian TV station. Despite ongoing rumors in the press about a dispute between the former
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
pair, Houllier revealed that Carew had been left out of the Aston Villa squad to work on his fitness. However, when Villa signed
Darren Bent
Darren Ashley Bent (born 6 February 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Championship for nine clubs, and at senior international level for the England national team.
...
for £18 million, Carew's first team opportunities were further reduced.
On 27 May 2011, Aston Villa announced that Carew was one of a number of players released by the club after their contracts expired.
Stoke City loan
Carew joined Stoke City on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season on 21 January 2011. Following his move Carew stated that he was looking forward to a new challenge and also revealed that he rejected offers from other clubs. His arrival was welcomed by the Stoke players including
Andy Wilkinson.
Carew made his debut for City the following day at
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
where he came on as a substitute. He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 3–2 win against
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
on 5 February 2011. He followed this up by scoring in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
against
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
. However a back injury slowed his progress in a Stoke shirt. After his release from Villa,
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.
Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him one ...
did not offer Carew a contract with Stoke.
West Ham United
On 6 August 2011
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
side
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
announced the signing of Carew as a free agent. He scored his first goal for West Ham in a 2–2 draw with
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
on 1 October 2011. On 23 May 2012, Carew was released with five other players including
Julien Faubert
Julien Alex Thomas Faubert (born 1 August 1983) is a professional footballer who represented both France and Martinique internationally. He plays as a right winger or midfielder.
Faubert started his footballing career in France with Cannes befor ...
,
Frank Nouble
Frank Herman Nouble (born 24 September 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League Two club Colchester United.
Nouble started his career with the youth team at Chelsea before signing for West Ham United. Whil ...
,
Papa Bouba Diop
Papa Bouba Diop (28 January 197829 November 2020) was a Senegalese professional footballer. His preferred position was defensive midfield but he could also play as a centre back, where he previously played at Lens. Diop was considered a strong ...
,
Abdoulaye Faye
Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye (born 26 February 1978), known as Abdoulaye Faye, is a Senegalese former footballer who played as a defender.
Faye began his career playing for ASEC Ndiambour and Jeanne d'Arc in his native Senegal before moving to Frenc ...
and
Olly Lee
Oliver Robert Lee (born 11 July 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English club Gillingham.
Lee started his career as a youth player with West Ham United, with whom he turned professional in 2009. He made ...
. After the 2011–12 season, Carew did not get a new contract with West Ham.
In August 2012, Carew was in talks with his old club Vålerenga, but Vålerenga did not accept his demand of a wage of per match. In connection with Carew's possible transfer to Vålerenga,
Kjetil Siem
Kjetil Person Siem (born September 29, 1960) is a Norwegian businessperson, journalist, author and sports official. He was the CEO of Premier Soccer League in South Africa between 2007 and 2010, and is currently Secretary-general of the Football A ...
told ''
Dagbladet
''Dagbladet'' (lit.: ''The Daily Magazine'') is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally ''Dagbladet'' is considered the main liberal newsp ...
'' that he had signed an unofficial contract with Carew in 2005, when Siem was Director of Football in Vålerenga, that Carew would return to Vålerenga in 2012. He went on trial with Serie A team
Internazionale
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
in February 2013, but was not offered a contract as Inter were concerned over his fitness. In October 2013 Carew stated that he had retired.
International career
![Carewkit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Carewkit.jpg)
John Carew played 91 times for
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, scoring 24 goals, and was part of their
Euro 2000
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe.
The finals tournament wa ...
squad. He made his full international debut on 18 November 1998, and was the first black player to represent Norway.
Acting career
In 2014, Carew starred in his first feature film, a Canadian horror called ''Dead of Winter''. His second film, a Norwegian-made thriller called ''Høvdinger'', was released on 17 July 2015.
In 2018, Carew starred in the successful Norwegian TV-series, ''Heimebane'', playing as Michael Ellingsen, an aging star footballer for a local Norwegian club.
In 2019, Carew played the role of Jungle Warrior in the Disney's
dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...
adventure film
An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...
, ''
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil'' alongside
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
,
Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film ''I Am Sam'' (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, inc ...
and
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy A ...
.
Trial and conviction for tax evasion
In June 2020, Carew's apartment in
Skillebekk
Skillebekk is a neighbourhood of Oslo, Norway. It is located near Solli plass in the West End of Oslo, and is served by the station Skillebekk on the Skøyen Line
The Skøyen Line ( no, Skøyenlinjen/''Skøyenlinja'') is a tramway line running ...
, Norway was searched by the authorities investigating his tax arrangements. In 2021, Carew formally requested that the authorities register him as living in Norway; the tax authorities had requested his arrest a short time before that.
[https://e24.no/naeringsliv/i/kEE5JA/flere-vitner-stoetter-carew-oppfattet-aldri-at-han-ville-gjemme-penger?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vg.no. VG.no. Retrieved 2022-10-26 ]
A
lower court
A lower court or inferior court is a court from which an appeal may be taken, usually referring to courts other than supreme court. In relation to an appeal from one court to another, the lower court is the court whose decision is being reviewed ...
trial began in October 2022, with Carew accused of several counts of tax evasion amounting
Norwegian kroner
The krone (, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is currency of the Kingdom of Norway (including Svalbard). Traditionally known as the Norwegian crown in English. It is nominally subdivided into 100 ''øre ...
5.4 million between 2014 and 2019.
[https://e24.no/naeringsliv/i/69q3p0/john-carew-doemt-til-fengsel-i-ett-aar-og-to-maaneder. E24.no. Retrieved 2022-11-16] The trial lasted two weeks.
For the period of the alleged evasion, Carew claimed that he did not live in Norway (if one lives in Norway for more than 183 days in a year, then Norwegian law says that one has to pay taxes to Norway). The trial showed that Carew's debit card was, in 2014, used between 900 and 1000 times in Norway—mostly at golf courses. The prosecution showed spreadsheets which marked every day in which the government claimed that he had been in Norway, the spreadsheets indicated 259 days in 2015 and 299 days, 282 days and 289 days in other years. Further testimony showed that Carew, after his time playing for Lyon, told French tax authorities that in 2005 and 2006 he was living in Norway, when in fact he had moved from Norway in 2000 and not moved back. Carew's apartment in London was rented-out in the long-term in 2017, according to the prosecution. Furthermore, Carew's work that year was mainly in Norway.
Carew pleaded guilty to acting "grossly negligently" in regards to his taxes, but not with intent to defraud. On 16 November 2022, Carew was sentenced to 14 months in prison and a 537,268 Norwegian Kroner fine. (The maximum prison sentence for the tax evasion charges is six years—the prosecuting authority asked for two years.) In December 2022, media said that Carew will not appeal the verdict.
Filmography
Personal life
Carew was born in
Lørenskog
is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. A suburb of Oslo, it is part of the Oslo urban area and the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Romerike. The administrati ...
, Norway to a
Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
n
Jola father and a Norwegian mother.
John Carew has a son born in 2004 who lives with his mother in Norway.
Carew is noted for being a practicing
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
and often makes donations to
charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* Ch ...
. He also contributes to organizations like Soccer Against Crime,
MOT
Mot or MOT may refer to:
Media
* Ministry of Truth, the propaganda ministry in George Orwell 1949 novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''
* ''mot'' (magazine), former German car magazine
* Mot (Star Trek), a minor character in ''Star Trek: The Next Gene ...
and Ungdom mot Vold (Youth Against Violence) and was awarded the
Kniksen award
The Kniksen Award ( no, Kniksenprisen), established in 1990, honors the best players in the Norwegian football premiership. The award is named after the legendary Norwegian football player Roald Jensen, nicknamed "Kniksen".
Categories
Categor ...
as Kniksen of the year in both 2005 and 2007. Since joining
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, Carew is noted for visiting children in hospitals around
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
and supporting Villa's initiative to donate from the payroll towards hospital running costs.
Carew's sister,
Elisabeth Carew, is an R&B singer.
In December 2010 Carew was a victim of fraud after he paid £100,000 for a Porsche Cayenne Gemballa which never arrived.
In 2012 Carew was declared bankrupt following a petition by
HM Revenue and Customs
HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...
.
The Bankruptcy Order was annulled on 4 July 2012.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Carew goal.''
Honours
Vålerenga
*
Norwegian Football Cup
The Norwegian Football Cup ( no, Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football ...
:
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
Valencia
*
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
:
2001–02
*
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
runner-up:
2000–01
*
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...
: runner-up
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
Lyon
*
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
:
2005–06
*
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries.
His ...
:
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Aston Villa
*
Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
runner-up:
2009–10
Stoke City
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
runner-up:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
West Ham United
*
Football League Championship play-offs
The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...
:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
Individual
*
Kniksen of the Year: 2005, 2007, 2008
References
External links
*
Premier League profile*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carew, John
1979 births
Living people
Norwegian people of Gambian descent
People from Lørenskog
Norwegian Christians
Norwegian footballers
Association football forwards
Vålerenga Fotball players
Rosenborg BK players
Valencia CF players
A.S. Roma players
Beşiktaş J.K. footballers
Olympique Lyonnais players
Aston Villa F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
West Ham United F.C. players
Norwegian First Division players
Eliteserien players
La Liga players
Serie A players
Süper Lig players
Ligue 1 players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Norway youth international footballers
Norway under-21 international footballers
Norway international footballers
UEFA Euro 2000 players
Kniksen Award winners
Norwegian expatriate footballers
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in France
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Expatriate footballers in Turkey
Expatriate footballers in France
Expatriate footballers in England
FA Cup Final players
Sportspeople from Viken (county)