Dwight Yorke
Dwight Yorke is a forward from Tobago who scored 123 Premier League goals for Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn, Birmingham and Sunderland. In 1998/99 he was the league's joint top scorer and its player of the season as United won the treble.
- Clubs
- Aston Villa (1989 to 1998), Manchester United (1998 to 2002), Blackburn Rovers (2002 to 2004), Birmingham City (2004 to 2005), Sydney FC (2005 to 2006), Sunderland (2006 to 2009)
- Premier League
- 375 appearances, 123 goals
- Honours
- Premier League 1999, 2000 and 2001, Champions League 1999, FA Cup 1999, League Cup 1996, Premier League Golden Boot and Player of the Season 1998/99
- International
- Trinidad and Tobago, 72 caps, 19 goals; captain at the 2006 World Cup
- Fantasy price
- £9.0m in 1995/96
Who did he play for?
He joined Aston Villa from Tobago in 1989 and scored 73 league goals in nine seasons. He scored in the 1996 League Cup final win over Leeds, was Player of the Month in February 1996, and scored 17 league goals in both 1995/96 and 1996/97.
Villa refused to sell him in the summer of 1998 until, as reported at the time, he refused to play. United paid £12.6 million on 20 August 1998.
He scored 18 league goals that season, sharing the Golden Boot with Michael Owen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and 35 with Andy Cole between them. He was the Champions League's top scorer with eight, including two at the Camp Nou in a 3-3 draw with Barcelona in November 1998. He scored 20 league goals the next season and won three titles in a row.
Blackburn signed him for £2 million in July 2002, and he scored eight league goals in his first season. He had a few months at Birmingham, then a season in Australia with Sydney FC, where he won the A-League title.
Roy Keane took him to Sunderland in August 2006 for £200,000. They were promoted in his first season and he played two more years in the Premier League before retiring in 2009.
He captained Trinidad and Tobago at their first World Cup in 2006 and was man of the match in the 0-0 draw with Sweden.
The moment: Arsenal, 25 February 2001
Old Trafford, Sunday 25 February 2001. Manchester United 6-1 Arsenal.
Yorke scored inside three minutes. Thierry Henry equalised on 16, and by the 22nd minute Yorke had a hat-trick. He then set up Roy Keane for the fourth on 26. Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Teddy Sheringham added the fifth and sixth, and United went 16 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
Five years earlier he had scored a hat-trick in a losing cause: Newcastle 4-3 Aston Villa, St James' Park, 30 September 1996.
Why the streets won't forget
His 123 Premier League goals were the most by a player from outside Europe until Sergio Agüero passed him in 2017.
The stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, is named after him.
Tommy Docherty said in 1991 that if Yorke made a First Division footballer, he was Mao Tse-tung.
He was Trinidad and Tobago's head coach from November 2024 until February 2026, and has been a Sky Sports pundit since 2011. His autobiography, Born to Score, came out in 2009.
Which seasons can you draft him in?
Eleven. His few months at Birmingham in 2004/05 don't make the game's squads.
| Season | Club | Price | His real league season | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995/96 | Aston Villa | £9.0m | 35 games, 17 goals, 10 assists | Pick him |
| 1996/97 | Aston Villa | £8.5m | 37 games, 17 goals, 6 assists | Pick him |
| 1997/98 | Aston Villa | £7.5m | 30 games, 12 goals | Worth a look |
| 1998/99 | Manchester United | £11.5m | 32 games, 18 goals, 11 assists | Pick him |
| 1999/00 | Manchester United | £10.0m | 32 games, 20 goals | Pick him |
| 2000/01 | Manchester United | £7.0m | 22 games, 9 goals | Worth a look |
| 2001/02 | Manchester United | £4.5m | 10 games, 1 goal | Leave him out |
| 2002/03 | Blackburn Rovers | £6.5m | 33 games, 8 goals | Worth a look |
| 2003/04 | Blackburn Rovers | £5.5m | 23 games, 4 goals | Leave him out |
| 2007/08 | Sunderland | £5.0m | 20 games, 1 goal | Leave him out |
| 2008/09 | Sunderland | £5.0m | 7 games, 0 goals | Leave him out |
His best value is 1995/96: 17 goals and 10 assists for £9.0m, £1.0m cheaper than Fowler and £0.5m cheaper than Ferdinand. His biggest numbers are the two United seasons at £11.5m and £10.0m.
Want him in your retro fantasy football team for 1995/96? He'll cost you £9.0m.
Draft a squad from 1995/96