Peter James Crouch (born 30 January 1981) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Stoke City. He was capped 42 times by the England national team between 2005 and 2010, scoring 22 goals for his country in that time, and appearing at two World Cups.
Crouch is one of 26 players to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals, holding the record for the most headed goals in Premier League history. In cumulative transfer fees, Crouch is the fifth most expensive British footballer of all-time.
Crouch began his career as a trainee with Tottenham Hotspur. He failed to make an appearance for Spurs and after loan spells at Dulwich Hamlet and Swedish club IFK Hässleholm he joined Queens Park Rangers. After QPR were relegated at the end of the 2000–01 season, Portsmouth acquired Crouch on a transfer deal worth £1.5 million. He had a strong first season at Fratton Park, and after scoring 19 goals for the club, he joined Aston Villa in March 2002 for £5 million. He had a relatively poor spell at Villa, however, and was loaned out to Norwich City in 2003 before making a move to Southampton, where he re-gained his form, which would ultimately prompt his joining of Liverpool in July 2005. At Liverpool, Crouch enjoyed considerable success, winning the FA Cup and FA Community Shield in 2006 and also gained a runners-up medal in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final.