Lee Bowyer, nicknamed ‘Norris’, is an international football midfielder who was born on January 3, 1977 in Canning Town, England. As a boy, he supported the West Ham United football club and studied at the Langdon Park school.
He played 13 matches for the England Under-21 from 1996 to 1998 and made his senior team debut for England in a friendly against Portugal in September 2002. Lee Bowyer started his career as a trainee with Charlton Athletic in April 1994 and became a regular first-team player. In 1996, Leeds United signed Lee Bowyer for £2.8 million, which was then a record transfer fee for a British teenager.
Since the 1998-99 season, Lee Bowyer became Leeds United’s first-team regular and was voted the club’s Player of the Year by the supporters. He helped the team to reach the semifinal of the 1999-00 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup and to qualify for the 2000-01 UEFA Champions League. Leeds United finished in third place in the 1999-00 season and Lee Bowyer was nominated for the Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) Young Player of the Year award. The club reached the semi final of the Champions League in the 2000-01 season, and Lee Bowyer was voted the club’s Player of the Year for the second time by the supporters. He ended his Leeds United’s career with 62 goals in 257 appearances before joining West Ham United in January 2003 on a six-month contract. West Ham United was relegated at the end of the 2002-03 season, and Lee Bowyer joined Newcastle United on a free transfer in July 2003. He made 98 appearances for Newcastle United with 11 goals under his belt.
In June 2006, Lee Bowyer rejoined West Ham United for an undisclosed fee and made 22 appearances for the club during the 2006-07 season. From the beginning of the 2007-08 season, he was a regular first-team player and scored his first goal for West Ham United against Wigan Athletic and scored a brace in the 5-0 win over Derby County on November 10, 2007.
