Alan Thompson, born on 22 December 1973, weighs in at around 12st 8lb and stands at 6ft. A Geordie lad born and bred, he spent his career as a centre midfielder, often the motivator behind his teams' every move.
Thompson ended his professional career at Hartlepool United in the 2007-2008 season, clocking up seven appearances and scoring a single goal.
Before Hartlepool, he was plying his trade at Leeds United. Despite his limited 13 appearances in the 2007-2008 season, he knocked in three goals. The season prior, he turned up in Leeds' colours 11 times, scoring twice.
Thompson's time at Celtic was certainly prolific. He turned out 16 times in the 2005-2006 season, finding the back of the net on two occasions. The 2004-2005 season saw him make a whopping 32 appearances, scoring seven. The seasons prior to this saw him being consistently selected and delivering consistently good goal returns: 26 appearances and 11 goals in the 2003-2004 season, 29 appearances and eight goals in 2002-2003, and 25 appearances and six goals in 2001-2002. He had settled down well with the Bhoys, making 30 appearances and scoring thrice in his first season.
Before moving north to Celtic, Thompson was turning out for Aston Villa between 1998 and 2000. He played a total of 46 times for the Villans, hitting the net four times.
Bolton Wanderers had been Thompson's home before his stint with Villa. His time at Bolton, extending from 1993 to 1998, saw him net a commendable 33 goals from 157 appearances.
The early '90s saw Thompson honing his skills at Newcastle United. He made just 16 appearances for The Toon across his two seasons there.