Throwback Thursday: Robert Earnshaw

Robbie Earnshaw made an immediate impact for new club Vancouver Whitecaps this weekend, when it took him just minutes to open his account.

After signing for former international teammate Carl Robinson on Wednesday, the 33-year-old striker chipped in his side’s winner against Portland Timbers.

Now back in Canada, Earnshaw will be hoping it’s third time lucky in MLS – has he finally found home at his 11^th club?

Earnshaw has retired from Wales duty

Factfile:

Full Name: Robert Earnshaw
Date of Birth: 6/4/1981
Nationality: Welsh
Height: 1.73m
Clubs: Cardiff City, Greenock Morton, West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City, Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Toronto FC, Blackpool, Chicago Fire, Vancouver Whitecaps*
Club Appearances: 503*
Club Goals: 217*

International Appearances: 58

International Goals: 16

Honours: Israeli Premier League 2012/13

The Early Years:

Born in the Zambian mining town of Mufulira, his family moved to a small town to the north of Cardiff after the death of his father when Robert was just aged nine.

By 1997 Earnshaw had signed for Cardiff City and showed his goal scoring prowess immediately, scoring against Hartlepool United on his debut.

He was then sent out on loan to Greenock Morton (The Pride of the Clyde) to gain experience and even played against Glasgow Rangers in his brief spell.

After establishing himself in the Cardiff side, he exploded onto the international scene, scoring the winner against Germany at the Millennium Stadium – again on his debut.

A Shot At The Big Time:

After a string of impressive performances for his childhood club, an offer from a Premier League club finally came in and he was off to West Brom for £3million in the summer of 2004.

The forward struggled to have such an instant impact this time around, taking seven matches to hit the back of the net, but still managing to help the Baggies avoid the drop.

Yet by December 2005 Earnshaw was on the move again, this time to Norwich where an 18-month spell in the Championship helped him rediscover his goal scoring touch.

That prompted Derby to break their transfer record for the Welshman but his return to the top flight was disastrous, starting just seven games in a campaign that ended in relegation.

Crossing Borders:

Less than a year after joining the Rams, the journeyman was on the move to arch rivals Nottingham Forest where he became one of their most prolific strikers in recent years.

The striker returned to boyhood Cardiff City in July 2011

His record of 43 goals in 111 convinced Cardiff to bring their hero back to Wales and during his second spell with the Bluebirds he notched his 200^th career goal.

But after falling down the pecking order, Earnshaw made a surprise move to Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv where he finally managed to get his hands on a trophy.

While living in Tel Aviv he experienced the 2012 Israel-Gaza conflict first hand and later expressed his shock at how the other players were unmoved when the city came under rocket fire.

Here, There And Everywhere:

In February 2013 Earnshaw made the move across the pond, signing for ambitious Canadian franchise Toronto FC where he boasted an impressive one in three record.

However the Welshaman’s stay was again brief, coming back to England to turn out for troubled Championship side Blackpool in the final three months of the 2013/14 season.

Then it was back to MLS, this time joining Chicago Fire on a free transfer but after an impressive debut where he netted against his former club, the move ultimately didn’t work out.

After playing just five times for Fire, Earnshaw was handed a trial with Vancouver in pre-season and clearly did enough to convince the franchise he still has plenty to give. 

What’s Next:

Upon signing for the Whitecaps last week, Earnshaw officially announced his international retirement, even though he had not been called up to the Wales squad since 2012.

This would suggest perhaps the somersaulting forward (his trademark celebration) plans to commit his future to MLS, but details of his contract have not been revealed.

Either way, he brings a natural ability to score goals and bags of experience that can surely only benefit the franchise as well as young striker Octavio Rivero.
The Uruguay has netted three times already this season and Fletcher will be hoping a partnership between the two could fire his side into the post-season.  

WATCH: See what happened when Robbo told the team about @RobertEarnshaw's signing before training. #VWFC http://t.co/1dafQlqNji
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) March 26, 2015

Images courtesy of AFP and Jon Candy, with thanks.