Jobi McAnuff

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Jobi McAnuff bigraphy, stories - Footballer

Jobi McAnuff : biography

9 November 1981 –

Joel Joshua Frederick Melvin "Jobi" McAnuff (born 9 November 1981) is a professional footballer who plays for, and captains, Reading.

He began his career at Wimbledon, making over 100 appearances for the club before brief spells at West Ham United and Cardiff City. McAnuff joined Crystal Palace in 2005, spending two years there before moving again, this time to Watford before joining current club Reading in 2009. He was appointed captain in 2011 and has gone on to make over 150 appearances in all competition for the Royals. Prior to Reading’s promotion to the Premier League in 2011–12 he had spent his entire career playing in England’s second tier, amassing over 400 league appearances. He is predominantly a winger but he has also played as an occasional central midfielder.

Despite being born in London, McAnuff has represented Jamaica, his father’s country of birth, at international level. He made his debut in May 2002 although his next appearance did not come until nearly eleven years later in February 2013.

Honours

Reading

  • Football League Championship: 2011–12

International career

Although he was born in England McAnuff qualifies to play for Jamaica through his father who was born there. He made his international debut on 18 May 2002 in the ‘Unity Cup’, an exhibition game against Nigeria at Loftus Road, coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute replacing Omar Daley. On 24 January 2013, more than ten years after he won his first cap, McAnuff was called up to the Jamaica squad to face Mexico on 7 February alongside fellow Reading players Adrian Mariappa and Garath McCleary. He started the game and helped Jamaica to a 0 – 0 draw in the Estadio Azteca.

Career statistics

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Play-Offs Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Wimbledon 2001-02 38 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 40 4 1 0
2002-03 31 4 1 1 2 1 0 0 34 6 2 0
2003-04 27 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 30 5 3 0
Total 96 13 6 1 2 1 0 0 104 15 6 0
West Ham United 2003-04 12 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 13 1 1 0
2004-05 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Total 13 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 14 1 0 0
Cardiff City 2004-05 43 2 2 1 3 0 0 0 48 3 4 0
Total 43 2 2 1 3 0 0 0 48 3 4 0
Crystal Palace 2005-06 41 7 2 1 2 0 2 0 47 8 2 0
2006-07 34 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 36 6 2 0
Total 75 12 4 2 2 0 2 0 83 14 4 0
Watford 2007-08 39 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 43 2 5 0
2008-09 40 3 3 0 2 0 0 0 45 3 6 0
2009-10 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Total 82 5 5 0 3 0 2 0 92 5 11 0
Reading 2009-10 36 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 41 3 3 0
2010-11 40 4 4 0 0 0 3 1 47 5 7 0
2011-12 40 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 42 5 6 0
2012-13 38 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 41 1 5 0
Total 154 12 11 1 3 0 3 1 171 14 21 0
Career total 463 45 28 5 13 1 8 1 512 52 46 0