Playing position Role Footballer Years Team Height 1.83 m | Position Forward Name Chris Armstrong | |
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Full name Christopher Peter Armstrong Similar People Ruel Fox, Ian Walker, Chris Bart‑Williams, Les Ferdinand, Jason Dozzell Date of birth (1971-06-19) 19 June 1971 (age 51) | ||
Christopher Peter Armstrong (born 19 June 1971 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear) is an English former England B international footballer who has played as a striker for Wrexham (twice), Millwall, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers between 1989 and 2005.
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Early career
Born in England to an Irish father and a Nigerian mother, Armstrong began his career in the Welsh National League, playing for Llay Welfare, before signing with Wrexham on a free transfer in March 1989. At Wrexham, Armstrong made his professional debut as a teenager during the 1989–90 Football League season in the old Fourth Division, and managed to score three times through the course of the season. In his two-year spell at the Welsh club, he went on to play 60 games, scoring 13 times, before moving to Millwall for £50,000 in August 1991.
Crystal Palace
After one season with Millwall, Armstrong found a home at Selhurst Park, where he was the club's top-scorer with 23 league goals in 1992 during the inaugural Premier League season.
In March 1995, Armstrong tested positive for cannabis, becoming the first ever Premier player to fail a drug test. However, he returned to the game within a month after attending a brief rehab programme. He finished the season on 18 goals, not enough to save the Eagles from relegation.
Tottenham Hotspur
After interest from FA Cup holders Everton, he then joined Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £4.5 million. At the time, this made him both Tottenham's most expensive signing (until the signing of Les Ferdinand for £6 million in 1997) and Palace's most expensive player sold (until Andrew Johnson was sold for £8.6 million in 2006).
Armstrong's time at Spurs was not as successful as he might have hoped. Although a reasonably frequent scorer, he never managed to gain the level of popularity that the likes of Gary Lineker and Teddy Sheringham had during their time at the club.
Final years
Armstrong signed for Bolton Wanderers for the 2002–03 Premier League season. His only appearance came on 2 October 2002, in a 1–0 home defeat to Bury in the second round of the League Cup.
He returned to Wrexham, where he retired in 2005.
International career
Armstrong received a call up to the England squad by Kevin Keegan to play Poland in March 1999, but was ultimately never capped for the senior side.