Eric Dier
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Midfielder Eric Dier was born in Cheltenham, England but was brought up in Portugal after his parents moved there in 2004. He was signed to Sporting Lisbon's Academy and progressed through the system to their first team, eventually making 30 appearances.
In July 2014, Eric made the move from Sporting Lisbon to Tottenham Hotspur. Upon joining Spurs, he gained instant hero status with a last-minute winner at West Ham on the opening day of the 2014/15 Premier League season, bursting through from right-back to finish in style. He followed that up with a goal on his home debut in a 4-0 win against Queens Park Rangers the following week and went on to feature 36 times in all competitions, including 28 appearances (25 starts) in the Premier League, switching between central defensive and right-back roles. He started at centre-half in the 2015 League Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
In the 2015/16 campaign, Dier started all but one of Spurs' Premier League games that season - only missing out on the Liverpool home game in October, 2015, through suspension. He scored four goals in all competitions including a memorable strike in a 4-1 home win over Manchester City and played his way into the senior England squad, making his debut against Spain in November, 2015.
The 2016/17 campaign yielded a Champions League debut for Dier and, in all, he scored two goals in 46 appearances, captaining Spurs for the first time at Liverpool in the EFL Cup in October, 2016, and then wearing the armband in the early rounds of a run to the FA Cup semi-finals.
The 2017/18 campaign saw him largely deployed back in the holding midfield role. In all, Eric played 47 times during that season. In 2018/19, Eric made 28 appearances in all competitions during that campaign, including a substitute appearance in the UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool in Madrid.
Capped by England at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 levels, he also earned nine Under-21 caps prior to his breakthrough into the senior international set-up. He played in all four of England's games at Euro 2016, scoring their first goal in the group stage. He was handed the England captain's armband for the first time in November 2017 and was part of the squad that finished fourth at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, scoring the winning penalty in a last 16 shootout win over Colombia."
In July 2014, Eric made the move from Sporting Lisbon to Tottenham Hotspur. Upon joining Spurs, he gained instant hero status with a last-minute winner at West Ham on the opening day of the 2014/15 Premier League season, bursting through from right-back to finish in style. He followed that up with a goal on his home debut in a 4-0 win against Queens Park Rangers the following week and went on to feature 36 times in all competitions, including 28 appearances (25 starts) in the Premier League, switching between central defensive and right-back roles. He started at centre-half in the 2015 League Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
In the 2015/16 campaign, Dier started all but one of Spurs' Premier League games that season - only missing out on the Liverpool home game in October, 2015, through suspension. He scored four goals in all competitions including a memorable strike in a 4-1 home win over Manchester City and played his way into the senior England squad, making his debut against Spain in November, 2015.
The 2016/17 campaign yielded a Champions League debut for Dier and, in all, he scored two goals in 46 appearances, captaining Spurs for the first time at Liverpool in the EFL Cup in October, 2016, and then wearing the armband in the early rounds of a run to the FA Cup semi-finals.
The 2017/18 campaign saw him largely deployed back in the holding midfield role. In all, Eric played 47 times during that season. In 2018/19, Eric made 28 appearances in all competitions during that campaign, including a substitute appearance in the UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool in Madrid.
Capped by England at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 levels, he also earned nine Under-21 caps prior to his breakthrough into the senior international set-up. He played in all four of England's games at Euro 2016, scoring their first goal in the group stage. He was handed the England captain's armband for the first time in November 2017 and was part of the squad that finished fourth at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, scoring the winning penalty in a last 16 shootout win over Colombia."
