Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones was born on 5 January 1965 in Watford to a father who worked as a gamekeeper. He started his football career in 1984 at Alliance Premier League side Wealdstone, during which time he combined playing football with being a hod carrier. He played one season with second-level Swedish club IFK Holmsund in 1986 and helped them win the league.
Later that year he moved to Wimbledon for a £10,000 fee. He was part of the ‘Crazy Gang’ team that won the 1988 FA Cup Final against Liverpool, arguably the club’s greatest achievement. He subsequently played for Leeds United, Sheffield United, and Chelsea, before moving back to Wimbledon again in 1992. He played over 250 games for the Dons, before briefly becoming player/coach of QPR in 1998. When overlooked for the vacant post of manager of QPR, he announced he would move to Manchester United.
While a footballer, he became quickly infamous for his brutal “hard man” image, which frequently brought great criticism of his play. He was sent off 12 times in his career (second only to Roy Keane with 13), and holds the record for the quickest booking, having been booked after only three seconds of play. In one notorious incident he distracted Paul Gascoigne by grabbing his testicles. During another match, he ended the career of Tottenham defender Gary Stevens with a vicious tackle.
During his football career he resided in Dronfield, near Sheffield. Despite his reputation as a lothario, he currently lives with his wife, Tanya, and their two children in Los Angeles; they also have a home in Hertfordshire. His son Aaron is now a member of the British Army. In 2005, he became president of Hertfordshire Agricultural Society. Jones is also President of NOBs (the National Organisation of Beaters and Pickers-up) and is a keen countrysports enthusiast.
After participating in a charity football match alongside fellow British Hollywood film actor Jason Statham, Jones was approached by a Los Angeles Galaxy scout and asked whether he would go for a trial at the club. Jones laughed off the offer by saying “You’re 15 years too late”.
He has had several brushes with the law. He was convicted of assaulting a neighbour in 1998. In December 2003, Jones was convicted of air rage offenses committed on a flight the previous May. Following his conviction, Bacardi withdrew the ads in which Jones appeared. In December 2008 he was treated for injuries and arrested after a bar fight at Wiley’s Tavern in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The fight is alleged to have been started over Jones attempting to join a game of pool with patrons Juan Barrera and Jesse Bickett. Jones was alleged to have dealt a headbutt to Barrera, while Bickett allegedly struck Jones with a beer glass. Jones was charged with misdemeanor assault which could have landed him in jail for one year if he had been convicted. Jones was found not guilty after a two-day trial on May 15, 2009.
