Paul Robinson (footballer, Born 1979)
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Paul William Robinson (born 15 October 1979) 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 lea ...
who played as a
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), 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 i ...
in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
and
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
for
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
,
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
,
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
and
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
. Robinson is a former
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
international, earning 41
cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
s between 2003 and 2007. Robinson joined Leeds United at age 16, becoming professional aged 18, and made 119 appearances for the club, 95 of which were in league matches, and scored a goal in a League Cup tie. He also was voted Leeds United's Player of the Year in 2003 by the supporter's club. In 2004, following Leeds' relegation from the Premier League to the
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 sys ...
, he moved to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He played in 175 matches for Tottenham, including 137 Premier League matches, and scored another goal (this time in a Premier League match, whilst he also won the 2008 League Cup with the club). He was signed by Blackburn Rovers in 2008, being voted the Blackburn Rovers Player of the Year in 2011 by the supporters' club. Robinson made his full international debut in a 3–1 friendly defeat against
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on 12 February 2003. His competitive international debut came a year later in a 2–1 victory over
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, during a qualification match for the
2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
. Twenty-five of his forty-one appearances came in competitive internationals, with his last cap coming in a 2–1 defeat to
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on 17 October 2007. He retired from international football on 8 August 2010.


Club career


Leeds United

Born in
Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...
, Humberside, Robinson played local
Sunday league football Sunday league football is a term used in Britain, Ireland and Australia to describe the amateur association football competitions which take place on Sunday rather than the more usual Saturday. The term ''pub league'' may also be used, owing to ...
in the
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Boys Sunday League. He played in the
York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...
youth system before coming through the youth ranks at
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
after joining following a trial. He won the
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
with Leeds during the 1996–97 season, and kept a
clean sheet In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
on his senior debut, a 0–0 draw against Chelsea on 25 October 1998. Robinson's appearances at Leeds were at first sporadic, although he did play in a
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
match against
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, which finished 1–1. He was Leeds' number two goalkeeper behind
Nigel Martyn Antony Nigel Martyn (born 11 August 1966) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He notably played in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Everton, having initially play ...
, making five league appearances in his debut season and none in the following season. He made 16 appearances in the 2000–01 season, following Martyn sustaining an injury, but did not play a league match in the following season.
Terry Venables Terence Frederick Venables (6 January 1943 – 25 November 2023), often referred to as El Tel, was an English football player and manager who played for clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers and won two caps for E ...
dropped Martyn after he requested a break from pre-season training after the
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
. Robinson became Leeds' number one goalkeeper as a result, with Robinson playing in all 38 matches of the 2002–03 season. Martyn left for Everton at the start of the following season, with young goalkeepers Danny Milosevic and
Scott Carson Scott Paul Carson (born 3 September 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Manchester City. Carson joined the Leeds United academy in 2002, making his full first-team debut for Leeds against Mancheste ...
taking over as backups for Robinson. During the 2003–04 season, Robinson scored his first professional goal, a header against
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
in the closing moments of a League Cup match. The goal levelled the scores and forced
extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play 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 only if the game is required t ...
; with no further goals scored during extra time, the match then went to a
penalty shoot-out 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 pe ...
. Robinson saved a penalty, whilst a Swindon player missed another one by hitting the post, resulting in Leeds winning the match. Leeds were subsequently relegated from the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
that season, with Robinson conceding 75 goals in 36 matches, being sent off in one match. He made 119 appearances in total for Leeds, 95 in the Premier League, during his seven-year spell at the club, and was also voted Player of the Year by the Leeds United supporters' club in 2003.


Tottenham Hotspur

Robinson transferred to
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
in May 2004, for a fee of £1.5 million; the club had initially attempted to sign him for £2.5 million in January, with the intention of Robinson staying at Leeds until the end of the season, only for this to fail as it violated the Premier League's rules. He made his league debut for Tottenham in a 1–1 draw against
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, going on to make 36 league appearances in total during the 2004–05 season. The following two seasons saw Robinson play in all 76 of the club's league matches; the latter season was notable for Robinson scoring the second goal of his professional career, in a Premier League match against
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
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 ...
on 17 March 2007. He took a free-kick from from the opposition goal and the ball bounced over the head of Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster and into the goal. He became the third goalkeeper of six in Premier League history (excluding own goals) to score after
Peter Schmeichel Peter Bolesław Schmeichel (born 18 November 1963) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. During eight seasons at English club Manchester United, he won 15 trophies including five Premier League titles, three FA C ...
for
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
in 2001,
Brad Friedel Bradley Howard Friedel (born May 18, 1971) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper. Friedel played 84 games for the United States national team between 1992 and 2005, and represented his country a ...
for
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
in 2004, then followed by
Tim Howard Timothy Matthew Howard (born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He is the part-owner of club Dagenham & Redbridge as well as an international ambassador in the United States for Premie ...
for Everton in 2012, Asmir Begović for
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
in 2013 and Alisson Becker for Liverpool in 2021. Robinson captained the team in their 1–0 League Cup quarter-final win over
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...
, and in their 0–0
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
third round draw at
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
as
Ledley King Ledley Brenton King (born 12 October 1980) is an English former professional footballer. A one-club man, he spent his entire career with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and played 323 competitive matches for them from 1999 to 2012. He is ...
and
Robbie Keane Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who played as a striker and is currently the head coach of Ferencváros. Keane served as captain of the Republic of Ireland from March 2006 until h ...
were both injured. The 2007–08 season proved to be less successful. An error during international duty was an example of how his form had dipped, and he was replaced by
Radek Černý Radek Černý (; born 18 February 1974) is a Czech Republic, Czech former Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He played principally for SK Slavia Prague, Slavia Prague in the Czech First ...
for part of the season, initially after Robinson made an error against
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. Although he briefly returned to the team, he made another error in the League Cup final. Despite his error, Tottenham were able to beat Chelsea 2–1, with Robinson collecting the first major trophy of his career. He made 25 appearances in the league for Tottenham during this season, and made 175 appearances in total during his time at the club, 137 in the Premier League.


Blackburn Rovers

Robinson joined Blackburn Rovers on 25 July 2008 for a fee of £3.5 million on a five-year deal, making him
Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Reading. A midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West ...
's first signing at the club. He made his Premier League debut for Blackburn on 16 August, in a 3–2 victory over Everton. He was named
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) 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 chose ...
in a 1–0 win against
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. Robinson helped Blackburn to finish 15th in the league, keeping five clean sheets in his 35 Premier League appearances. On 2 December 2009, in a League Cup match against Chelsea, Robinson saved two penalties during the penalty shoot-out, with Blackburn winning 4–3 on penalties as extra time ended with the score at 3–3. Robinson ended the season with a total of 12 Premier League clean sheets, as Blackburn finished tenth in the league. Although
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 ...
were rumoured to be signing Robinson at the beginning of the 2010–11 season, no move materialized. Robinson was in goal during Blackburn's 7–1 defeat away to
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
on 27 November, with five of the goals being scored by
Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov (; born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Known for his technique and ball control, Berbatov is regarded as one of the greatest Bulgarian players of all time. He cap ...
. Despite this result, Blackburn reached as high as seventh position in the league in January, following a 2–0 victory over
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. This resulted in Robinson being yet again linked with a move away from Blackburn, with Aston Villa, Liverpool and former club Tottenham all rumoured to be interested in signing him. Following the win over West Brom, however, Blackburn's form dipped sharply, with the club eventually finishing in 15th, having won just 2 out of its last 14 matches. Robinson kept 8 clean sheets in the 36 league matches he played in, while he also conceded the 500th league goal of his career towards the end of the season, becoming the fifth goalkeeper in Premier League history to do so. He also was voted the 2011 Player of the Year by the Blackburn Rovers' supporters club. The 2011–12 season started much as the previous one had ended, with Blackburn taking until 17 September to win a match, a 4–3 victory at home to Arsenal. On 20 November, Robinson won a penalty against Wigan; the goalkeeper had gone up to the Wigan box for a late corner, and was kicked in the face by Wigan midfielder David Jones. The penalty was scored by
Yakubu Yakubu is a male-given Hausa language, Hausa, Yoruba language, Yoruba and some parts of Edo State, Edo. The name is commonly used as a surname in Nigeria and other African countries. The name means "God is merciful.". It is a cognate of Jacob (na ...
to level the score at 3–3. In a repeat of the previous season, Robinson conceded seven goals as Blackburn lost an away match 7–1, this time to Arsenal, on 4 February 2012. A run of 30 matches without a clean sheet was finally ended in a 2–0 win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, a match which also took Blackburn out of the relegation zone, whilst another 2–0 win, this time against
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, was the first time Robinson had kept back-to-back clean sheets since August 2010. Blackburn, however, would only score three points more all season and were relegated to the
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 sys ...
after finishing in 19th position. In contrast to the two previous seasons where Robinson had averaged ten league clean sheets a season, he kept just three clean sheets in the league, having played 34 matches. All three clean sheets came from matches where Blackburn won 2–0. Following the departures of Christopher Samba and
Ryan Nelsen Ryan William Nelsen (born 18 October 1977) is a former New Zealand professional football player and former head coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto FC. Nelsen commonly played as a defender, and his professional career began in 1995. He ...
from
Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a Association football, football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the English Football League, Football League and Premier League, who have played there since ...
, Robinson became the Blackburn
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, initially on a temporary basis but later as the permanent captain. Following Blackburn's relegation, it was rumoured that Robinson would immediately return to the top flight, with
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
and
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
said to be interested, however no move materialized. Speculation continued over Robinson's future throughout the season, with Brad Friedel being rumoured to be returning to the club (a rumour he denied), further fuelled by Robinson being dropped in December for a match against
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in favour of Jake Kean, with Robinson having played every match at that point in the season. However, following the match against Blackpool, Robinson did not make any further appearances, with Kean taking the goalkeeper position, fuelling further rumours that Robinson could leave, and Robinson was made available for loan in February. In March, Robinson was ruled out for the rest of the season with a back injury; however, in April, he suffered complications, and was ruled out for six months as a result of a
pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain ...
following his surgery. He finished the season having made 21 league appearances for the club. After over a year without playing in a match, during which time he studied Italian at
Bocconi University Bocconi University or Università Bocconi (formally known in Italian language, Italian as ''Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi'' – Luigi Bocconi Commercial University) is a private university in Milan, Italy. The university is consistently ...
, Robinson made his comeback in an under-21 match against
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
on 16 December 2013. On 4 January 2014, Robinson returned to the senior Blackburn team, playing in the 1–1
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
draw with
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. On 11 January 2014, Robinson started his first league match for Blackburn in 13 months, starting against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
at Ewood Park and keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win, lifting Rovers up to eighth in the
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 sys ...
table. He remained as first choice goalkeeper for the next few matches, and took back-to-back clean sheets against Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Reading in February. Robinson started the first seven matches of the 2014–15 season, but with the loan signing of Jason Steele from Middlesbrough, he was dropped from the first team. On 15 November 2014, Robinson announced his intentions of leaving the club in the January transfer window. He said that, "I'm pretty much surplus to requirements at Blackburn. I'm not even on the bench. I'm training hard at the moment though. My contract is up at the end of the season so I'm not sure if that's got anything to do with it. I want to keep playing and, I believe, I've got another two or three years left in me." At the end of the season, it was announced that he would be released at the end of his contract.


Burnley

Robinson joined Championship club
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
on a free transfer on 26 January 2016 on a contract until the end of the season. On 27 June 2016, he extended his contract, signing a new one-year contract with the newly promoted Premier League club. He made his debut for Burnley on 26 November 2016, his first Premier League appearance since 2012. On 17 July 2017, Robinson announced his retirement from football.


International career

Between 1999 and 2002, Robinson made 14 appearances for the England under-21s. He was first included in the full international squad by
Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to: Arts * Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction * Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing Politic ...
in a friendly against
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
on 15 November 2000, where he was an unused substitute. His next appearance on the England bench came two years later, under new manager
Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...
, who selected him for a friendly match against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
on 7 September 2002, where he once again remained an unused substitute. He won his first cap in a 3–1 defeat against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
on 12 February 2003, a match notable for the entire England team being substituted at half-time (at which point Robinson was brought on in place of David James). He won three more
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
that year, all in friendlies, and on all occasions he was brought on at half-time. He made his first international start in a 6–1 victory over
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
on 5 June 2004, with the match being England's final match before the
UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...
finals. Robinson was part of England's Euro 2004 squad, selected as an understudy to David James, although he made no appearances in the tournament. Although David James remained as England's starting goalkeeper in a 2–2 draw against
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
in the first
2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
qualification match, Robinson started every subsequent match, keeping six clean sheets in nine competitive appearances, with a further three in seven friendly matches before the tournament. At the World Cup finals in Germany, Robinson was named in England's World Cup squad and was ever-present in England's campaign, keeping clean sheets in four out of five matches that he played. After the opening World Cup match against
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, when his counterpart
Justo Villar Justo Wilmar Villar Viveros (born 30 June 1977) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Other than in his own country, he also played in Argentina, Spain and Chile, in a senior career that lasted 22 years. A ...
was injured seven minutes into the match, Robinson sent Villar his gloves as a gesture of goodwill. England had won the match 1–0. In addition to the clean sheet against Paraguay, he kept one in the group match against
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...
, although he drew criticism for making errors on crosses. Following England's progression from the group stage, he kept a clean sheet against
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
in the last 16. He also kept a clean sheet in the following match, a quarter-final match against Portugal, although Portugal won 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out to eliminate England from the tournament. Robinson remained the number one goalkeeper for the start of England's
UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...
qualification campaign, and kept clean sheets in England's three opening matches (as well as one in a friendly against
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
). On 11 October 2006, during a Euro 2008 qualifier against
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, an unexpected bobble on a backpass from
Gary Neville Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit, former coach and player, and co-owner of English Football League club Salford City. As a player, Neville was a right-back and spent his entire career with Manches ...
caused Robinson to miss the ball as he tried to clear it out of the penalty area, resulting in an own goal that put Croatia 2–0 up, with Robinson describing the incident as "a freak goal" following the match. This was the first time he had conceded a goal in six international appearances (and 655 minutes of international football); had he kept a clean sheet in this match, Robinson would have equalled
Gordon Banks Gordon Banks (30 December 1937 – 12 February 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he made 679 appearances during a 20-year professional care ...
' record of seven consecutive clean sheets for England. He remained in the starting lineup for the friendly match against the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, which finished in a 1–1 draw. He also kept his place in the team for the next three international qualifiers, keeping a clean sheet in all three, while also featuring in a 1–1 draw with
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. On 22 August 2007, Robinson made a mistake that resulted in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
scoring their first goal of the match. England lost the match 2–1 for their first loss at the new
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
. He was substituted at half-time and replaced by David James, although then England manager
Steve McClaren Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English football coach and former player who is currently the manager of the Jamaica national team. McClaren began his coaching career with Oxford United, before joining Derby County in 1995. In 1999 ...
said he planned to make this substitution before the match. Despite this error, Robinson was still the number one goalkeeper, featuring in four further European Championship qualifiers, and keeping a clean sheet in three of them. He made another mistake, however, in a 2–1 defeat against
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
: Robinson palmed a shot into the path of Russian forward
Roman Pavlyuchenko Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko (; born 15 December 1981) is a Russian football coach and a former player who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He works as a forwards coach with FC Rodina-2 Moscow, Rodina-2 Moscow. H ...
, resulting in the striker scoring Russia's winning goal. As a result, McClaren dropped Robinson for the final qualifying match against Croatia in November, replacing him with Scott Carson. England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals as they lost 3–2 in their final match against Croatia; Carson made an error from a
Niko Kranjčar Niko Kranjčar (; born 13 August 1984) is a Croatian former professional Association football, footballer. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder, but could also operate as a Midfielder (association football)#Winger, winger or Forward (a ...
shot for the first goal. Robinson did not feature in new manager
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
's plans until a friendly match against
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on 26 March 2008, where he was named as a substitute. He remained on the substitute's bench for the start of the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
qualification campaign, but was dropped from the team altogether after a friendly against Germany on 19 November 2008. Robinson was recalled to the England squad in 2009 for the World Cup qualification matches against
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
and
Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...
, as regular goalkeeper David James and back-up Ben Foster were unavailable due to injury. He remained a substitute in both matches, as well as for England's next two friendlies. He was dropped from the bench for England's 5–1 victory over Croatia on 9 September 2009, and withdrew from the squad with a hip injury before the next qualifiers against
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
and
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
. Blackburn manager
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (born 19 October 1954) is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football League, as well as brief spells in the North ...
said in April 2010 that Robinson should be the number one goalkeeper for England again due to his impressive club form; however, Robinson failed to make the England squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with
Joe Hart Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury Town in the Football Conference and League Two. In ...
, David James and
Robert Green Robert Paul Green (born 18 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played in the Premier League and Football League and for the England national team. Green made his first-team debut for Norwi ...
being selected instead, a decision which prompted criticism from both Allardyce, who stated, " abio Capellohas made the biggest mistake of his selection process," and Gordon Banks, who stated, "Blackburn picked up halfway through the season but even when Robinson was letting goals in, they weren't necessarily his fault. obinsoncould still be doing his job properly and Blackburn could still be losing. For me he should definitely have been included." On 8 August 2010, Robinson retired from international football with immediate effect, despite having been selected for a friendly against
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. He said about his retirement, "Only now have I been able to make this decision as previously I haven't been in contention for selection, I don't see myself as a number three or four keeper and find that role very frustrating," while Allardyce backed his decision, stating, "As my player, I support him because I see him week in, week out and know how well he has performed. It's a big decision he's made, but I understand it." In his international career, Robinson had won 41 caps for England, 25 of which came in competitive international matches (either the qualification or final rounds of the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
and the
UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...
). Despite
Steve Kean Stephen Kean (born 30 September 1967) is a Scottish football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Georgian club Torpedo Kutaisi. Kean played as a winger for clubs in the lower divisions of Scottish, English and Portugu ...
stating that England should recall him in March 2012, Robinson stated that he had no interest in a return later that month. In February 2014, Robinson said that he would be open to an international return for the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
if England manager
Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...
decided to recall him.


Personal life

Robinson attended
Beverley Grammar School Beverley Grammar School is an 11–16 boys’ Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive secondary school, secondary Academy (English school), academy school in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. A school may have been est ...
as a child. He has a daughter and a son.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

Leeds United *
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
: 1996–97 Tottenham Hotspur *
Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
: 2007–08 Individual *
Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 1 ...
: November 2000 *
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
Player of the Year: 2002–03 *
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
Player of the Year:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Paul 1979 births Living people Footballers from Beverley English men's footballers England men's under-21 international footballers England men's international footballers Men's association football goalkeepers York City F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players UEFA Euro 2004 players 2006 FIFA World Cup players People educated at Beverley Grammar School