Marvin Sordell
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Marvin Anthony Sordell (born 17 February 1991) is an English former 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 le ...
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 ...
. Sordell started his career with
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 ...
prior to joining
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, a ...
for a two-year scholarship in 2007. He made his professional debut for the club during the 2009–10 season, and also had loan spell in
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
with
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...
the same season. After 27 goals in 81 games for Watford in two-and-a-half years, Sordell earned a £3 million move to 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 ...
with
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
in January 2012. He scored 8 goals in 29 appearances for the club, and spent the entirety of the 2013–14 season on loan at
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
. He returned to the Premier League with
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
for the 2014–15 season, but was mostly utilised as a substitute. After just one goal in 20 games for Burnley, his contract was cancelled in September 2015, where he went on to join League One club
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
, and at the end of the season
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
. After six months with Coventry, he moved to
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
as part of a swap deal. Following a loan at
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
, he retired aged 28 in 2019. Sordell represented
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 ...
at both under-20 and under-21 levels. He scored in his only game for the under-20s in February 2011, and scored three goals in 14 games for the under-21 side. He was also selected in
Stuart Pearce Stuart Pearce (born 24 April 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach for Premier League club West Ham United. He was nicknamed "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play. ...
's
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
squad for the London
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. He made three appearances for the side.


Club career


Early career

Born in Harrow, London, Sordell began playing football at the age of five for his local after-school football club, The Elms. He later joined a local youth team for a summer six-a-side tournament where he was selected as
goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
, conceding just one goal in the entire tournament as his side finished runners-up, losing 1–0 in the final. Following his brief stint as a goalkeeper, he moved up front for the following year for St Joseph's Youth '88 Football Club. Here, he was named as the manager's Player of the Season, before finishing as the club's top-scorer two seasons later. In his teenage years, Sordell went on trial with both
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 ...
and
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 ...
. He joined Fulham and spent three years with the side, but was not offered a scholarship. He then attended
the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
exit trials, where he was offered a two-year scholarship with
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, a ...
.


Watford

After progressing through Watford's youth system from 2007 and featuring in their under-18 and reserve sides, Sordell joined
Isthmian League Premier Division The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 teams ...
side
Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...
on work experience in November 2008, making his debut in their 2–1
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
defeat by
Tiverton Town Tiverton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Tiverton, Devon. The club are currently members of the and play at Ladysmead. History The club was established in 1913 as Tiverton Athletic, and initially played at the Athle ...
on 1 November. He scored his first goal for the club after just 30 seconds of Wealdstone's game with Maidstone United on 15 November in a 3–2 victory. He scored twice in five league outings. At the end of the same season, Sordell was rewarded with his first professional contract, which he signed in April 2009.


2009–10 season

Sordell made his professional debut for Watford in the 2009–10 season. He came on as a 72nd-minute substitute for
Nathan Ellington Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington (born 2 July 1981) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Ellington started his playing career with non-League side Tooting & Mitcham United. Having played once for the club, he sw ...
in Watford's 2–0 defeat by
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
on 15 August 2009. He scored his first goal in his third appearance for the club ten days later in a
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
second round encounter with
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 S ...
. With Watford trailing 1–0, Sordell scored an equaliser in the 87th minute to take the tie to
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
, but his side went on to lose 2–1. He was rewarded with his first start for the club four days later on 29 August in Watford's 1–1 away draw at
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
.


Tranmere Rovers loan

Following his first start for Watford on 29 August 2009, Sordell was not involved in first-team football until February 2010, when he was loaned out to
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...
for and initial month. He made his Tranmere debut on 6 February as a substitute for
Terry Gornell Terence Michael Gornell (born 16 December 1989) is a former English footballer who played as a striker. Club career Tranmere Rovers Born in Liverpool, Gornell joined Tranmere Rovers at a young age and after coming through the club's academy, G ...
in their 1–0 home defeat to
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...
. He scored his first and only goal for the club on 20 February, scoring in a 2–1 win for Tranmere against
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...
. His loan was extended for a second month on 2 March and made eight appearances in total for the club. On his return to Watford, he made two further appearances for the first-team which included a goal in a 4–0 win over
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
on 2 May.


2010–11 season

For the 2010–11 season, Sordell was a regular fixture in
Malky Mackay Malcolm George Mackay (born 19 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player, who is currently the manager of Ross County. Mackay, who played as a defender, began his playing career in Scottish football with Quee ...
's starting eleven. Sordell opened his account for the season with a goal in Watford's 3–0 win over
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
on 10 August 2010. He then scored four goals in the course of three games, beginning with both Watford's goals in their 2–2
Vicarage Road Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of championship club Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200. History It has been the home of Watford since 1922, when the club moved from Cassi ...
draw with
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
on 11 September after coming on as a substitute; the opener in their 2–0 win at
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
; and one of Watford's six goals in their 6–1 thrashing of
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
on 18 September. He also scored in
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
wins at Sheffield United on 2 October and at home to
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
on 19 October. Sordell failed to score for the remainder of October, all of November, and much of December before embarking on a scoring run of six goals in six games, beginning with a goal in Watford's 4–1 win at home to
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
on 28 December. He also scored in their New Year's Day 2011 victory over
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, before scoring a brace against
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
as the Hornets dispatched their League One opponents 4–1 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 ...
third round on 8 January. His scoring form continued in a 3–0 win over
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 ...
and a 4–2 defeat away to Cardiff. Sordell added his 14th and 15th goals of the campaign on 25 April in Watford's 4–2 defeat by
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 ...
at the
King Power Stadium King Power Stadium (also known as the Leicester City Stadium due to UEFA sponsorship regulations and formerly known as the Walkers Stadium) is a football stadium in Leicester, England. It has been the home of Premier League club Leicester City ...
. He ended his season with 46 first-team appearances.


2011–12 season

Sordell scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season in Watford's League Cup
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
exit against
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
on 23 August 2011. He converted his spot kick having opened the scoring after just two minutes of normal time. He scored his second of the season on 28 August in Watford's 2–2 home draw with
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 ...
, before securing his third in the 1–1 draw with
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on 17 September. After six games without a goal, Sordell scored a brace in three first-half minutes on 29 October to help his side to a 3–2 win over
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
. He scored in wins against Portsmouth on 19 November and Ipswich on 3 December, and then scored his second brace of the campaign on 31 December as Watford beat Doncaster 4–1. Sordell scored his tenth goal of the season and what would be his final Watford goal on 7 January 2012 during the club's 4–2 FA Cup third round win at home to
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
. He was to make his last appearance in the fourth round of the competition as his side were defeated 1–0 by
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 ...
side
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
at Vicarage Road. He scored 27 goals in 81 appearances for Watford in his two-and-a-half year involvement with the first-team squad.


Bolton Wanderers

On transfer deadline day, 31 January 2012, Sordell signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Premier League club
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
for a £3 million fee. Former Watford owner Laurence Bassini claimed in July 2019 he felt Bolton overpaid, and he personally refunded them several hundred thousand pounds. Sordell made his Premier League debut on 4 February as substitute for
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
, playing the final eight minutes of Bolton's 2–0 defeat to
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 ...
at
Carrow Road Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum. N ...
. He made just two further appearances during the season as Bolton were relegated to the Championship.


2012–13 season

Sordell made his first start for Bolton in their opening game of the 2012–13 season as his side were defeated 2–0 against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
. He scored his first Bolton goal on 24 August in their 2–2 draw with
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
at the
Reebok Stadium The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...
. On 6 October, while warming up at
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
, Sordell was racially abused by a 13-year-old who received a ban from
The New Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which i ...
as a punishment; a month later, six other Millwall fans unveiled a banner, for which they were arrested. In the new year, manager
Dougie Freedman Douglas Alan Freedman (born 25 May 1974) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is the current sporting director of Crystal Palace. Freedman played as a striker, primarily for Crystal Palace and also had spells as ...
told the press that Sordell was suffering from
homesickness Homesickness is the distress caused by being away from home.Kerns, Brumariu, Abraham. Kathryn A., Laura E., Michelle M.(2009/04/13). Homesickness at summer camp. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 54. Its cognitive hallmark is preoccupying thoughts of home ...
and abuse by
Internet trolls In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the int ...
since the events with Millwall. The manager said the striker was spending too much time on his social media accounts, and as a result they took his phone off him. He did not register his second goal until 5 January 2013, when Bolton held
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 ...
to a 2–2 draw in the FA Cup third round. He then scored both goals in Bolton's 2–0 replay win at the
Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
ten days later to hand his side a fourth round match against Everton. He scored against Everton on 26 January with his fifth goal of the season, but it wasn't enough to force a replay as
John Heitinga John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch football coach and a former player who played as a centre back. He manages Jong Ajax, the reserves team of AFC Ajax. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he played for their ...
won the match with a 90th-minute goal. He continued his scoring form against his former club Watford on 2 February, opening the scoring with a 32nd-minute
penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...
, but Watford fought back to snatch a 2–1 victory. Sordell scored his seventh goal of the campaign on 30 March with the opening goal of a 3–2 defeat to
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
at the Valley. He scored his eighth and final goal of the season on 20 April as Bolton defeated
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 ...
2–1. He made 26 appearances for the side over the season.


Charlton Athletic loan

Charlton Athletic signed Sordell in a season-long loan deal from Bolton on 1 August 2013. He made his debut in their 2–1 defeat to
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
two days later in the opening game of the Championship season. He scored his first goal for Charlton on 27 August in their 3–2 League Cup defeat by
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. The ...
, before scoring his first league goal for his new side on 1 October to secure a 1–1 home draw with Nottingham Forest. Sordell didn't find the back of the net between the beginning of October until the beginning of February, when he scored an early goal against
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, ...
, but his side conceded two late goals to lose the fixture 2–1. His next goal arrived on 8 April, a goal which proved to be decisive as Charlton beat
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
3–2. He scored his first professional
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 ...
on 21 April in a 3–2 win at
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
to boost his tally to seven goals for the season. He then scored his last goal of the season in his next match as Charlton were defeated 3–1 by visitors
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 ...
. Sordell made 35 loan appearances for the Addicks in addition to his eight goals.


Burnley

Having previously played under Burnley boss
Sean Dyche Sean Mark Dyche (; born 28 June 1971) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Burnley. During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre-back, making his professional debut in 1990 a ...
when they were both at Watford, Sordell signed for the newly promoted Premier League side on 4 July 2014 for an undisclosed fee from Bolton. He signed a three-year deal with his new side. Sordell made his Burnley debut as a substitute for
Danny Ings Daniel William John Ings (born 23 July 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Aston Villa. Ings started his career in the youth team of Southampton but was released as a schoolboy. He subsequently joined ...
in their 3–1 home defeat by Chelsea on 18 August. He made his first start in their 1–0 League Cup defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on 26 August, but didn't make his first Premier League start until 20 September in Burnley's 0–0 draw with Sunderland at
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football ...
. He scored his first and what was to be his only Burnley goal on 14 January 2015 with the opening goal of Burnley's FA Cup third round exit against Tottenham at
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. Sordell made 17 league and cup appearances for the Clarets during the 2014–15 season and made just four substitute appearances for the club at the beginning of the 2015–16 season following their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship. His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 1 September 2015.


Colchester United

Following his release from Burnley, Sordell signed for League One side
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
on 10 September 2015 on a one-year contract. After making his debut in Colchester's 3–3 draw with
Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
two days after signing for the Essex club, Sordell scored his first goal for the side three days later with the winning goal in their 3–2 win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. On 29 September, he recorded his first club goal at the
Colchester Community Stadium Colchester Community Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the JobServe Community Stadium, is a football stadium in Colchester, England. It is the home of Colchester United Football Club. It has a capacity of 10,105 and opened in August 200 ...
as the U's beat Bradford City 2–0. His third goal for Colchester proved to be the difference between his side and
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
as his side won 2–1 on 20 October. He then scored in Colchester's next game on 24 October, equalising at 2–2 during their 4–4 home draw with
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
, before scoring his fifth goal for the club in Colchester's 6–2 FA Cup first round win over his former team Wealdstone on 7 November. Sordell's next goal for the club did not arrive until 9 January 2016 in the third round of the FA Cup, scoring Colchester's second in their 2–1 win over Charlton Athletic after providing the assist for George Moncur's opener. After featuring for the U's in their fourth round FA Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Sordell suffered an ankle injury in training that required surgery. Sordell remained sidelined until the end of the season, meaning his season ended with six goals in 29 appearances for Colchester. It was announced at the end of the season that the club would not be offering Sordell a new contract following the expiry of his deal.


Coventry City

On 4 July 2016, Sordell joined fellow League One team
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
on a year-long contract. Manager
Tony Mowbray Anthony Mark Mowbray (born 22 November 1963) is an English former professional footballer who is currently the manager of Sunderland. Mowbray played for Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich Town as a defender. He began his coaching career with Ip ...
said "He performed extremely well for Colchester in the first half of last season. He is still relatively young and I see plenty of potential for him to progress with us and make a positive impact." He made his debut on 6 August as the season began with a 1–0 loss at
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
, in which he was substituted at half time for
Kyel Reid Kyel Romane Reid (born 26 November 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Beaconsfield Town. Career West Ham Born in South London, Reid joined West Ham United in July 2004 and is a product of the West Ham United ...
. On 10 September, he scored his first goal for the Sky Blues, a 25-yard strike to open their 1–1 draw at Millwall. Sordell totalled seven goals in 26 games for Coventry, including both in their 2–1 home win over
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
in the first round of the FA Cup on 15 November, and the sole strike of a win at the
Ricoh Arena The Coventry Building Society Arena (often shortened to the CBS Arena or just simply Coventry Arena, and formerly known as the Ricoh Arena) is a complex in Coventry, England. It includes a 32,609-seater stadium which is currently home to footb ...
against
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team co ...
on 7 December in the second round of the
EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
, which the team ended up winning.


Burton Albion

On 1 January 2017, Sordell joined Championship side
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
from Coventry in a swap deal that saw Stuart Beavon and
Callum Reilly Callum Anthony Reilly (born 3 October 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Banbury United. A midfielder who has also played at full back, Reilly began his career as a youngster with Birmingham City. He made h ...
going in the opposite direction. He made his debut the next day in a 1–0 home loss to
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
, as a half-time substitute for
Chris O'Grady Christopher James O'Grady (born 25 January 1986) is an English footballer striker who plays for Grantham Town. O'Grady notably played professionally for Leicester City, Rotherham United, Oldham Athletic, Rochdale, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsl ...
. On 24 February he scored his first goal for the Brewers, netting from 20 yards to secure a draw with fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers, also at the
Pirelli Stadium Pirelli Stadium is an association football stadium on Princess Way in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was built in 2005 and is the current home of Burton Albion FC Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association foo ...
. He finished his first term with the club with figures of 21 games and four goals, including a brace in the first half of a 5–3 defeat by
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
on 18 March, as the
Nigel Clough Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...
-led team defied odds to avoid relegation. On 31 January 2019,
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
signed Sordell on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. On 26 July 2019, Sordell terminated his contract at Burton and retired from football at the age of 28. He mentioned his mental health as a reason to retire.


International career


England under-20s

Sordell was first capped by
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 ...
at under-20 level for their friendly against
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
on 9 February 2011. The game was held at
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
's
New Meadow New Meadow, also known as Montgomery Waters Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5 road (Great Britain) ...
stadium, with Sordell amongst the starting eleven. He scored England's only goal on his only appearance for the side as they were defeated 2–1 by France.


England under-21s

Sordell made his England under-21 debut as a substitute for
Nathan Delfouneso Nathan Abayomi Delfouneso (born 2 February 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League One club Accrington Stanley. Having graduated from Aston Villa's academy Delfouneso broke into their first team in 2008, m ...
on 1 September 2011 during the Young Lions' 6–0 2013 European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
at his home ground, Watford's Vicarage Road stadium. He made a goalscoring first start for England four days later as his side beat
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
4–1 in a friendly at
Oakwell Oakwell is a multi-purpose sports development in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England used primarily by Barnsley Football Club for playing their home fixtures, and those of their reserves. While the name 'Oakwell' generally refers to the main s ...
,
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
. After featuring in Under-21 Championship qualifying wins against
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
in
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
and
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 ...
in
Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken (county), Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and village ...
, Sordell scored his second England under-21 goal on 10 November at Colchester United's Community Stadium, scoring the opener as England beat Iceland 5–0 in the home encounter. He also started in both of England's games against
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
during the 2011–12 season. He played in one final qualifying game ahead of the qualification play-offs in England's 2–0 win over Azerbaijan in
Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
. Sordell played in both England's play-off wins over
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
in October 2012, but his next appearance didn't arrive until March 2013 when he replaced
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, St ...
in England's 3–0 friendly win over
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. After replacing
Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Newcastle United. Shelvey began his career at Charlton Athletic, becoming their youngest-ever player at 16 years and 59 days old.
during England's friendly with
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
on 25 March, Sordell scored his third under-21 goal five minutes after coming on as England comfortably won 4–0. During the 2013 European Under-21 Championship finals held in Israel, Sordell made his final two appearances for the side as England crashed out of the competition without a win in three games. He started in England's 1–0 defeat to
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
on 5 June, before making his 14th and final appearance as a substitute for
Nathaniel Chalobah Nathaniel Nyakie Chalobah (born 12 December 1994) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder or Defender (association football), defender for Premier League club Fulham F.C., Fulham. Born in Sierra Leone, he has ...
a 1–0 defeat by the hosts on 11 June.


Great Britain

Sordell was named as one of the 13 Englishmen and five Welshmen named in
Stuart Pearce Stuart Pearce (born 24 April 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach for Premier League club West Ham United. He was nicknamed "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play. ...
's
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
squad on 2 July 2012 ahead of the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
held in London. He was a second-half substitute for
Craig Bellamy Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward and is current assistant manager at EFL Championship side Burnley. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy began his senior playing career with Norw ...
in Great Britain's first match since 1971 in a pre-Olympic Games 2–0 friendly defeat by
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 ...
on 20 July 2012. Sordell made a substitute appearance for Team GB during their 1–1 draw with
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
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 ...
on 26 July, the side's first Olympic match since 1960. He struck the crossbar late on in the draw. He started in Great Britain's 3–1 win over
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
on 29 July, but was replaced at half-time by
Daniel Sturridge Daniel Andre Sturridge (; born 1 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who last played as a striker. As well as representing England, he has played in the Premier League for Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool ...
. He was an unused substitute in the win over
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
on 1 August and the penalty shootout defeat to
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
on 4 August to send the side out of the tournament.


Personal life

While en route to
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
for an England under-21 match in October 2012, Sordell downloaded an
e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
to read on the journey, titled ''Trafficked'', by Sophie Hayes. The book was about a young British woman who was forced to work in the sex trade in Italy against her will. Engrossed by the book, Sordell took to
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
to recommend the book with his followers, and before long, Hayes got in touch with him to arrange a fund-raising event. Together with his sister Nicole's help, he set up a gala dinner, and established the Marvin Sordell Foundation. The Foundation helped raise money for charities fighting trafficking, and the first event in March 2013 earned more than £10,000 with 150 people in attendance at London's May Fair hotel. In September 2018, Sordell spoke about his struggles with depression, including a 2013 suicide attempt. He cited his
mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
when announcing his retirement in July 2019. In a 2020 BBC documentary about racism in football, Sordell said that racist abuse was a factor in his retirement. In September 2021, he spoke to the
Home Affairs Select Committee The Home Affairs Select Committee is a Departmental Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Remit The Home Affairs Committee is one of the House of Commons Select committees related to government departments: its ...
and said that social media accounts should be personally identifiable in order to prevent harassment and abuse.


Career statistics


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sordell, Marvin 1991 births Living people People from Pinner Footballers from the London Borough of Harrow Association football forwards Black British sportsmen English footballers England youth international footballers England under-21 international footballers Olympic footballers of Great Britain Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Watford F.C. players Wealdstone F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Burton Albion F.C. players Isthmian League players English Football League players Premier League players