Marcus Edwards

For the rapper of the same name, see Lil' Keke.

Marcus Edwards

Personal information
Full name	Marcus Edwards [1]
Date of birth	(1998-12-03) 3 December 1998 (age 25) [2]
Place of birth	Enfield, England
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) [3]
Position(s)	Winger, attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Sporting CP
Number	10
Youth career
2006–2015	Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2019	Tottenham Hotspur	0	(0)
2017–2018	→ Norwich City (loan)	1	(0)
2018–2019	→ Excelsior (loan)	25	(2)
2019–2022	Vitória de Guimarães	77	(17)
2022–	Sporting CP	64	(14)
International career‡
2013–2014	England U16	6	(1)
2014–2015	England U17	23	(6)
2015–2016	England U18	5	(4)
2016–2017	England U19	7	(2)
2017–2018	England U20	8	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:00, 19 February 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:26, 27 March 2018 (UTC)

Marcus Edwards (born 3 December 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP.

Born in England to an English father and a Greek Cypriot mother, he began his senior career at Tottenham Hotspur, where he made one substitute appearance in the EFL Cup. He was transferred to Vitória de Guimarães in 2019 and was sold to Sporting in January 2022 for an initial €7.67 million. He has played over 100 Primeira Liga games and holds the record for most goals by an English player in that league.

Edwards earned 49 caps for England from under-16 to under-20 level, scoring 15 goals. He was part of the under-19 team that won the 2017 European Championship.

Club career

Tottenham Hotspur

Edwards joined the academy system at Tottenham Hotspur at the age of eight and progressed through the ranks. ^{[4] [5]} On 2 August 2016, he signed his first professional contract with Tottenham after a protracted period of negotiations amidst interest from other clubs. ^{[6] [7]}

Edwards joined the Tottenham first team in the summer of 2016 for their pre-season tour ^[8] and produced some impressive performances in pre-season matches. ^[9] He was given a squad number of 48 ahead of the 2016–17 season. ^[10] On 20 September 2016, Mauricio Pochettino likened Edwards to a young Lionel Messi due to his low centre of gravity and ability to beat a man. ^[11] The next day Edwards made his competitive debut in the EFL Cup third round at home to Gillingham, coming on as a substitute for the final 15 minutes in place of Vincent Janssen and taking a shot that was saved by Stuart Nelson in a 5–0 win. ^[12] However, he injured his ankle in October which required surgery, and was sidelined for a long period to recover from the injury. ^{[13] [14]}

On 29 July 2017, Edwards signed a new contract at Tottenham, keeping him at the club until 2020. ^[15] In the UEFA Youth League, he scored twice in a 4–0 win over Borussia Dortmund on 13 September. ^[16] He went on to make five appearances and scoring two more goals throughout the group stage. ^[17]

Loan spells

In January 2018, Edwards moved on loan to Championship side Norwich City for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. ^[18] He made his Norwich City debut on 30 March, coming on as a late substitute for Mario Vrančić, in a 2–0 home loss against Fulham. ^[19] This turned out to be his only appearance for the club as he returned to Tottenham on 10 April for "personal reasons". ^[20]

In August 2018, Edwards joined Dutch side Excelsior on a season-long loan. ^[21] On 25 September, he was sent off in the first round of the KNVB Cup in a 3–2 extra-time home loss to NEC Nijmegen, for two bookings within six minutes late in the game. ^[22] He scored two goals in 25 appearances for club with four assists, ^[23] and although he scored a goal in the relegation play-offs, Excelsior was relegated. ^[24] Edwards led the Eredivisie table at the end of the season in dribbles per game, with 3.3, ahead of PSV's Steven Bergwijn (3.2). ^[25]

Vitória de Guimarães

On 2 September 2019, Portuguese Primeira Liga club Vitória S.C. signed Edwards on a four-year deal, purchasing 50% of his economic rights and setting a €15 million buyout clause. ^[26] He scored his first goal on 24 October in the UEFA Europa League group stage, opening a 3–2 loss at his former club's rivals, Arsenal. ^[27] With seven goals and five assists over the league season, he was one of ten candidates for its best player. ^[28] He and João Carlos Teixeira both scored twice on 8 February 2020 in a 7–0 win at local rivals Famalicão, who were in contention for a Europa League place. ^[29]

Edwards scored the only goal at Boavista on 19 October 2020, his eighth in Portugal's top flight. With that, he surpassed Brian Deane of Benfica in 1998 as the highest scoring Englishman in the history of the league. ^[30]

On 7 January 2021, Edwards' contract was extended to 2024, with a release clause of €50 million. ^[31] A year and three days later, he came on as a substitute away to Gil Vicente, won and scored a penalty with three minutes remaining, and was then sent off in a 3–2 loss. ^[32]

Sporting CP

Edwards was transferred to reigning Primeira Liga champions Sporting CP on 31 January 2022 for a fee of €7.67 million with a further €500,000 if certain objectives are met. Sporting bought the 50% of his economic rights held by Vitória, while sending Bruno Gaspar and Geny Catamo in the opposite direction, on a permanent basis and a loan respectively. ^[33] He made his debut two days later in a 4–1 win away to B-SAD, replacing Pablo Sarabia for the final 19 minutes; ^[34] his first goal was on 19 March against his former employers Vitória de Guimarães, concluding a 3–1 away win with a long-range strike in the eighth minute of added time, having again replaced Sarabia with four minutes remaining. ^[35]

On 7 September 2022, Edwards scored his first Champions League goal and provided an assist in a 3–0 away win against Eintracht Frankfurt, ^[36] while on 26 October, he scored a goal in a 1–1 away draw against his former club, Tottenham Hotspur. ^[37] In Sporting's run in the 2022–23 Taça da Liga he scored in a 6–0 rout of Farense in the first group game, ^[38] and a 5–0 quarter-final win against Braga also at the Estádio José Alvalade; ^[39] he started in the final on 28 January, a 2–0 loss to Porto in which he had a goal ruled out for offside. ^[40]

In January 2023, Sporting received 15% more of Edwards's economic rights from Tottenham, as part of the deal that sent Pedro Porro to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. ^[41]

International career

Edwards is eligible to play for England through his father and Cyprus through his mother. ^[42]

In November 2013, Edwards made his England U16 debut, where he played 80 minutes, in a 1–0 loss against Northern Ireland. ^[43] He went on to make six appearances and scoring once for the U16 side.

In the England under-17 side, Edwards scored three times throughout 2014, including a brace on his debut in a 5–1 win over Iceland. ^[44] Edwards was selected to represent England at the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. ^[45] During the tournament, he made five appearances, and scored two goals against Italy and the Republic of Ireland. ^[46] He was subsequently included in the team of the tournament. ^[47] Edwards also appeared at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. ^[48]

In September 2015, Edwards was called up to the England U18 squad, making his debut in a 2–0 win over the Netherlands, in which he set up one of the goals. ^[49] He also scored a brace on two occasions against Austria and the Republic of Ireland in March 2016. ^[50] Edwards made five appearances and scored four times for England U18.

In October 2016, Edwards was called up to the England under-19 squad, making his debut in a 3–1 win over Croatia before scoring in a follow-up match with a 2–1 win over Bulgaria. ^[51] He was included in the squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. ^[52] In the semi-final, he came off the bench to provide the assist for Lukas Nmecha to score the only goal of the game against the Czech Republic. ^[53] He was also a second-half substitute during the victory against Portugal in the final. ^[54]

After the end of the tournament, Edwards was called up to the England U20 squad in August 2017 and scored on his debut, in a 3–0 win over the Netherlands. ^[55]

Personal life

Edwards is of Greek Cypriot descent through his mother. ^[42]

Career statistics

As of match played 22 February 2024 ^[56]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup [lower-alpha 2]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Tottenham Hotspur	2016–17 [57]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2017–18 [58]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
Norwich City (loan)	2017–18 [58]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Excelsior (loan)	2018–19 [59]	Eredivisie	25	2	1	0	—		—		2 [lower-alpha 3]	0	28	2
Vitória de Guimarães	2019–20 [59]	Primeira Liga	26	7	1	0	4	0	5 [lower-alpha 4]	2	—		36	9
	2020–21	Primeira Liga	33	3	2	0	1	0	—		—		36	3
	2021–22	Primeira Liga	18	7	2	1	4	0	—		—		24	8
	Total		77	17	5	1	9	0	5	2	—		96	20
Sporting CP	2021–22	Primeira Liga	12	3	2	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 5]	0	0	0	15	3
	2022–23	Primeira Liga	33	7	1	0	5	2	12 [lower-alpha 6]	3	—		51	12
	2023–24	Primeira Liga	19	4	3	1	3	0	8 [lower-alpha 4]	1	—		33	6
	Total		64	14	6	1	8	2	21	4	0	0	99	21
Career total			167	33	12	2	18	2	26	6	2	0	225	43

1. Includes KNVB Cup, Taça de Portugal
2. Includes EFL Cup, Taça da Liga
3. Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation play-offs
4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
6. Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

Honours

England U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2017 ^[54]

Individual

• UEFA European U-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2015 ^[47]

References

1. "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
2. "Marcus Edwards". Tottenham Hotspur official site. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
3. "Marcus Edwards". Sporting CP. February 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
4. "In Profile: Marcus Edwards". Norwich City F.C. 15 January 2018. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
5. "Marcus Edwards is the best youth prospect at Tottenham Hotspur". Cartilage Free Captain. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
6. Hytner, David (2 August 2016). "Marcus Edwards, 17, signs first professional contract at Tottenham". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 September 2016.
7. Hytner, David (1 March 2016). "Tottenham teenage prospect Marcus Edwards in stand-off with club". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 September 2016.
8. Hytner, David (20 September 2016). "Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham's Marcus Edwards reminds him of Messi". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
9. "Tottenham should finally start Marcus Edwards against Gillingham". Fox Sports. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
10. "2016-17 PREMIER LEAGUE SQUAD NUMBERS ANNOUNCED". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
11. Hytner, David (20 September 2016). "Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham's Marcus Edwards reminds him of Messi". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 September 2016.
12. "Tottenham Hotspur 5–0 Gillingham". BBC Sport. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
13. Verrall, John (24 January 2017). "Photo: Marcus Edwards appears to have returned to Tottenham Hotspur training". HITC. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
14. Menno, Dustin (18 September 2017). "Team news: Marcus Edwards will not feature for Tottenham vs. Barnsley". Cartilage Free Captain. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
15. "New contract for Edwards". Tottenham Hotspur official site. 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
16. "Spurs 4-0 Borussia Dortmund (U19 UYL) - report from Hotspur Way". Tottenham Hotspur. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
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19. "Norwich City 0-2 Fulham". BBC Sport. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
20. "Tottenham wonderkid Marcus Edwards has attitude and mentality questioned as Norwich loan cut short". The Daily Telegraph. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
21. Hytner, David (30 August 2018). "Tottenham's Marcus Edwards joins Excelsior on loan in push to ignite career". The Guardian.
22. "Excelsior uit de beker na wederom voorsprong van twee goals" [Excelsior out of the cup after another two-goal lead] (in Dutch). Rijnmond. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
23. Coombs, Dan (23 May 2019). "Tottenham youngster Marcus Edwards has best season of his career, but is it enough?". HITC.
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25. Pitte Brooke, Jack (14 June 2019). "Meet the real Marcus Edwards: Tottenham starlet lifts lid on tough loan spells and Lionel Messi comparisons". The Independent.
26. "Extremo inglês Marcus Edwards reforça Vitória" [English winger Marcus Edwards bolsters Vitória] (in Portuguese). Guimarães Digital. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
27. Benson, Michael (25 October 2019). "Former Tottenham 'mini-Messi' Marcus Edwards knee slides in front of Arsenal fans to celebrate Europa League goal". Talksport. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
28. "Marcus Edwards candidato a melhor do ano da Liga" [Marcus Edwards candidate for Liga best player of the year]. Guimarães Digital (in Portuguese). 26 August 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
29. Ribeiro, Patrick (9 February 2020). "Vitória stun Famalicão in race for European spots; Sporting land back in third". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
30. "Golaço frente ao Boavista torna Marcus Edwards no melhor marcador inglês da I Liga" [Wondergoal against Boavista makes Marcus Edwards the highest scoring Englishman in the I Liga] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
31. "Oficial: Edwards renova pelo V. Guimarães e fica blindado por cláusula milionária" [Official: Edwards renews for V. Guimarães and is tied down by multi-million clause]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 7 January 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
32. "Gil Vicente bate Vitória de Guimarães em jogo com final 'louco'" [Gil Vicente beat Vitória de Guimarães in game with a 'crazy' ending] (in Portuguese). Antena Minho. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
33. "Sporting paga 7,67 milhões de euros por Edwards e cede Bruno Gaspar e Catamo ao V. Guimarães" [Sporting pay 7.67 million euros for Edwards and cede Bruno Gaspar and Catamo to V. Guimarães] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
34. "Sporting vence Belenenses SAD e mantém-se a seis pontos da liderança da I Liga" [Sporting defeat Belenenses SAD and stay with six-point lead in I Liga]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 2 February 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
35. "Sporting dá a volta e ganha em Guimarães. Edwards estreia-se a marcar frente à ex-equipa" [Sporting come from behind and win in Guimarães. Edwards scores first goal against former team]. Correio da Manha (in Portuguese). 19 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
36. "Eintracht Frankfurt 0–3 Sporting Lisbon". BBC Sport. 7 September 2022.
37. "Tottenham Hotspur 1–1 Sporting Lisbon". BBC Sport. 26 October 2022.
38. "Sporting goleia o Farense no arranque na Taça da Liga" [Sporting thrash Farense in Taça da Liga opener]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 30 November 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
39. "Sporting goleia Sp. Braga e está nas meias-finais da Taça da Liga" [Sporting thrash Sp. Braga and are in the Taça da Liga semi-finals]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 19 December 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
40. Almeida, Isaura (28 January 2023). "Taça da Liga encontrou caminho do Dragão ao fim de 16 anos e 5 finais" [Taça da Liga found its way to the Dragão after 16 years and 5 finals]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 10 March 2023.
41. Fernandes, Bruno; Granada, Ricardo (19 February 2023). "80 milhões para Edwards: objetivo passa por aumentar cláusula" [80 million for Edwards: objective changes to increasing clause]. Record . Retrieved 9 March 2023.
42. Stonehouse, Gary (29 October 2014). "I was scared to celebrate - my auntie would've shouted". The Football Association. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
43. "England under-16s fall to shock defeat in Victory Shield". Bournemouth Echo. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
44. "FIVE-STAR ENGLAND CRUISE TO VICTORY IN NORDICS OPENER". The FA Official Website. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
    "LUKAS NMECHA HELPS U17S TO BATTLING WIN OVER MACEDONIA". The FA Official Website. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
45. Stonehouse, Gary (22 April 2015). "John Peacock names his England Under-17s Group". The Football Association. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
46. "SUPER SUB EDWARDS SECURES WINNING START FOR ENGLAND". The FA Official Website. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
    "YOUNG LIONS SEAL SEMI SPOT AND U17 WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION". The FA Official Website. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
47. "2015 Under-17 - Technical report - The UEFA technical team". UEFA. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
48. Stonehouse, Gary (3 October 2015). "FIFA Under-17s World Cup squad announced by Neil Dewsnip". The Football Association. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
49. "NEIL DEWSNIP NAMES HIS YOUNG LIONS FOR DUTCH DOUBLE". The FA Official Website. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
    "BEN SHEAF AND KAZAIAH STERLING HELP ENGLAND SEE OFF HOLLAND". The FA Official Website. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
50. "MARCUS EDWARDS BAGS BRACE AS ENGLAND U18S WIN IN AUSTRIA". The FA Official Website. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
    "England U18 4-1 Republic of Ireland U18: Doolin's tenure ends in defeat". Goal.com. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
51. "ENGLAND UNDER-19S SQUAD NAMED FOR CROATIA AND BULGARIA GAMES". The FA Official Website. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
    "ENGLAND UNDER-19S LEAVE IT LATE TO BEAT BULGARIA IN WYCOMBE". The FA Official Website. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
52. "Young Lions squad for U19 Euro". The Football Association. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
53. "England beat Czech Republic to reach final". BBC Sport. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
54. "European Under-19 Championship: England beat Portugal in final". BBC Sport. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
55. "EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS STEP UP AS ENGLAND UNDER-20 SQUAD NAMED". The FA Official Website. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
    "YOUNG LIONS KICK-OFF NEW CAMPAIGN WITH CLINICAL VICTORY AGAINST THE DUTCH IN TELFORD". The FA Official Website. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
56. Marcus Edwards at Soccerway
57. "Games played by Marcus Edwards in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
58. "Games played by Marcus Edwards in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
59. Marcus Edwards at Soccerway. Retrieved 15 July 2020.

External links

• England profile at The FA
• Marcus Edwards at Soccerbase