Market value
—
Centre-Forward Attack
Career snapshot
17
clubs played for
04/05
debut season
0.2
goals / match
Coventry City
top club · 104 apps
Career highs
€3.00m
peak value · 2012
€3.80m
top transfer fee · 12/13
17
best season · 06/07
10 / 0
int'l caps / goals
Born the same day
Shares 1986-09-19 · 6 players total
324Appearances
64Goals
25Assists
42Yellow cards
2Red cards
44Full matches (90′)
| Full name | Leon Best |
|---|---|
| Name in home country | Leon Julian Brendan Best |
| Date of birth | 1986-09-19 (39 yrs) |
| Place of birth | Nottingham, Ireland |
| Citizenship | Ireland England |
| Position | Attack - Centre-Forward (main: Attack) |
| Foot | right |
| Height | 187.00 m |
| Current club | Retired |
| Joined | 2018-01-28 |
| Contract expires | — |
Jan 2018
Transfer: Charlton → Retired
17/18 · Transfer
Jan 2018
Injury: unknown
19 games missed
Nov 2017
Transfer: Without Club → Charlton
17/18 · Transfer
Jul 2017
17/18 — Charlton Athletic
7 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2017
Transfer: Ipswich → Without Club
17/18 · Transfer
Aug 2016
Transfer: Rotherham → Ipswich
16/17 · Transfer
Jul 2016
16/17 — Ipswich Town
12 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 2 competitions
Nov 2015
Transfer: Without Club → Rotherham
15/16 · Transfer
Jul 2015
Transfer: Blackburn → Without Club
15/16 · Transfer
Jul 2015
15/16 — Rotherham United
16 matches · 4 G · 0 A · across 1 competition
May 2015
Transfer: Brighton → Blackburn
14/15 · Return from loan
Jan 2015
Transfer: Blackburn → Brighton
14/15 · Loan
Jan 2015
Transfer: Derby → Blackburn
14/15 · Return from loan
Nov 2014
Injury: unknown
1 games missed
Oct 2014
Injury: unknown
1 games missed
Aug 2014
Transfer: Blackburn → Derby
14/15 · Loan
Jul 2014
14/15 — Brighton & Hove Albion, Derby County, Brighton & Hove Albion U21
34 matches · 0 G · 1 A · across 4 competitions
May 2014
Transfer: Sheff Wed → Blackburn
13/14 · Return from loan
Feb 2014
Transfer: Blackburn → Sheff Wed
13/14 · Loan
Jul 2013
13/14 — Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers
24 matches · 7 G · 2 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2012
Transfer: Newcastle → Blackburn
12/13 · Transfer · €3.80m
Jul 2012
12/13 — Blackburn Rovers, Blackburn Rovers U21
10 matches · 1 G · 0 A · across 3 competitions
Feb 2012
Injury: unknown
7 games missed
Jul 2011
11/12 — Newcastle United
21 matches · 4 G · 3 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2010
10/11 — Newcastle United, Newcastle United Reserves
13 matches · 6 G · 2 A · across 3 competitions
Feb 2010
Transfer: Coventry → Newcastle
09/10 · Transfer · €2.30m
Jul 2009
09/10 — Newcastle United, Coventry City
42 matches · 10 G · 6 A · across 2 competitions
Jul 2008
08/09 — Coventry City
35 matches · 4 G · 1 A · across 2 competitions
Jul 2007
Transfer: Southampton → Coventry
07/08 · Transfer · €960k
Jul 2007
07/08 — Coventry City
40 matches · 9 G · 5 A · across 3 competitions
Feb 2007
Transfer: Yeovil Town → Southampton
06/07 · Return from loan
Nov 2006
Transfer: Southampton → Yeovil Town
06/07 · Loan
Nov 2006
Transfer: Bournemouth → Southampton
06/07 · Return from loan
Aug 2006
Transfer: Southampton → Bournemouth
06/07 · Loan
Jul 2006
06/07 — Southampton FC, AFC Bournemouth, Yeovil Town
43 matches · 17 G · 5 A · across 5 competitions
May 2006
Transfer: Sheff Wed → Southampton
05/06 · Return from loan
Jan 2006
Transfer: Southampton → Sheff Wed
05/06 · Loan
Aug 2005
Transfer: Sheff Wed → Southampton
05/06 · Return from loan
Aug 2005
Transfer: Southampton → Sheff Wed
05/06 · Loan
Jul 2005
05/06 — Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton FC
16 matches · 2 G · 0 A · across 1 competition
Jan 2005
Transfer: QPR → Southampton
04/05 · Return from loan
Dec 2004
Transfer: Southampton → QPR
04/05 · Loan
Jul 2004
04/05 — Queens Park Rangers, Southampton FC U18, Southampton FC
11 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2004
Transfer: Notts Co. U18 → Southampton U18
04/05 · Transfer
Jul 2004
Transfer: Southampton U18 → Southampton
04/05 · Transfer
Jan 1970
Peak market value: €3.00m
Highest valuation recorded in dataset
Minutes played by club
Charlton Athletic
0.0%
Ipswich Town
0.0%
Rotherham United
5.4%
Derby County
0.0%
Brighton & Hove Albion U21
0.0%
Brighton & Hove Albion
0.0%
Blackburn Rovers
5.2%
Sheffield Wednesday
15.6%
Blackburn Rovers U21
3.6%
Newcastle United
10.4%
Newcastle United Reserves
0.0%
Coventry City
44.6%
AFC Bournemouth
9.1%
Yeovil Town
3.3%
Southampton FC
3.0%
Queens Park Rangers
0.0%
Southampton FC U18
0.0%
| Club | Seasons | First | Last | Matches | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Athletic | 1 | 17/18 | 17/18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ipswich Town | 1 | 16/17 | 16/17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rotherham United | 1 | 15/16 | 15/16 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 215 |
| Derby County | 1 | 14/15 | 14/15 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion U21 | 1 | 14/15 | 14/15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 | 14/15 | 14/15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 2 | 12/13 | 13/14 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 206 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2 | 05/06 | 13/14 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 622 |
| Blackburn Rovers U21 | 1 | 12/13 | 12/13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 144 |
| Newcastle United | 3 | 09/10 | 11/12 | 46 | 10 | 6 | 416 |
| Newcastle United Reserves | 1 | 10/11 | 10/11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Coventry City | 3 | 07/08 | 09/10 | 104 | 23 | 10 | 1,781 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 1 | 06/07 | 06/07 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 364 |
| Yeovil Town | 1 | 06/07 | 06/07 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 130 |
| Southampton FC | 3 | 04/05 | 06/07 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 118 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 04/05 | 04/05 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Southampton FC U18 | 1 | 04/05 | 04/05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career trajectory — goals, assists & market value
Goals by season
Assists by season
| Season | Competition | Club | Matches | Goals | Assists | YC | RC | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17/18 | EFL Trophy | Charlton Athletic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17/18 | FA Cup | Charlton Athletic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17/18 | League One | Charlton Athletic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16/17 | Championship | Ipswich Town | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16/17 | FA Cup | Ipswich Town | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15/16 | Championship | Rotherham United | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 215 |
| 14/15 | Championship | Brighton & Hove Albion | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14/15 | Championship | Derby County | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14/15 | FA Cup | Derby County | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14/15 | League Cup | Derby County | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14/15 | U21 PL | Brighton & Hove Albion U21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13/14 | Championship | Sheffield Wednesday | 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 269 |
| 13/14 | Championship | Blackburn Rovers | 8 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 206 |
| 13/14 | FA Cup | Sheffield Wednesday | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 |
| 13/14 | League Cup | Blackburn Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/13 | Championship | Blackburn Rovers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 12/13 | FA Cup | Blackburn Rovers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/13 | U21 PL Qualificationsgr. 1 | Blackburn Rovers U21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 144 |
| 11/12 | FA Cup | Newcastle United | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/12 | League Cup | Newcastle United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/12 | Premier League | Newcastle United | 18 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 291 |
| 10/11 | FA Cup | Newcastle United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/11 | Premier League | Newcastle United | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 125 |
| 10/11 | Reserve League | Newcastle United Reserves | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 09/10 | Championship | Newcastle United | 13 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 09/10 | Championship | Coventry City | 27 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 244 |
| 09/10 | FA Cup | Coventry City | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108 |
| 08/09 | Championship | Coventry City | 31 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 720 |
| 08/09 | FA Cup | Coventry City | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 154 |
| 07/08 | Championship | Coventry City | 34 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 305 |
| 07/08 | FA Cup | Coventry City | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 07/08 | League Cup | Coventry City | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 250 |
| 06/07 | Championship | Southampton FC | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 118 |
| 06/07 | Championship Play-Offs | Southampton FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 06/07 | EFL Trophy | AFC Bournemouth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 06/07 | League Cup | AFC Bournemouth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 06/07 | League One | Yeovil Town | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 130 |
| 06/07 | League One | AFC Bournemouth | 15 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 364 |
| 05/06 | Championship | Sheffield Wednesday | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 263 |
| 05/06 | Championship | Southampton FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 04/05 | Championship | Queens Park Rangers | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 04/05 | FA Youth Cup | Southampton FC U18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 04/05 | League Cup | Southampton FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 04/05 | Premier League | Southampton FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Season | Date | From | To | Type | Market value | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/05 | 2004-07-01 | Southampton U18 | Southampton | Transfer | 0 | — |
| 04/05 | 2004-07-01 | Notts Co. U18 | Southampton U18 | Transfer | 0 | — |
| 04/05 | 2004-12-17 | Southampton | QPR | Loan | 0 | — |
| 04/05 | 2005-01-17 | QPR | Southampton | Return from loan | 50000 | — |
| 05/06 | 2005-08-05 | Southampton | Sheff Wed | Loan | 50000 | — |
| 05/06 | 2005-08-10 | Sheff Wed | Southampton | Return from loan | 50000 | — |
| 05/06 | 2006-01-31 | Southampton | Sheff Wed | Loan | 50000 | — |
| 05/06 | 2006-05-31 | Sheff Wed | Southampton | Return from loan | 50000 | — |
| 06/07 | 2006-08-03 | Southampton | Bournemouth | Loan | 50000 | — |
| 06/07 | 2006-11-03 | Bournemouth | Southampton | Return from loan | 50000 | — |
| 06/07 | 2006-11-23 | Southampton | Yeovil Town | Loan | 50000 | — |
| 06/07 | 2007-02-23 | Yeovil Town | Southampton | Return from loan | 50000 | — |
| 07/08 | 2007-07-06 | Southampton | Coventry | Transfer | 50000 | €960k |
| 09/10 | 2010-02-01 | Coventry | Newcastle | Transfer | 750000 | €2.30m |
| 12/13 | 2012-07-02 | Newcastle | Blackburn | Transfer | 3000000 | €3.80m |
| 13/14 | 2014-02-14 | Blackburn | Sheff Wed | Loan | 2300000 | — |
| 13/14 | 2014-05-31 | Sheff Wed | Blackburn | Return from loan | 2300000 | — |
| 14/15 | 2014-08-04 | Blackburn | Derby | Loan | 2300000 | — |
| 14/15 | 2015-01-06 | Derby | Blackburn | Return from loan | 2000000 | — |
| 14/15 | 2015-01-21 | Blackburn | Brighton | Loan | 2000000 | — |
| 14/15 | 2015-05-31 | Brighton | Blackburn | Return from loan | 1500000 | — |
| 15/16 | 2015-07-08 | Blackburn | Without Club | Transfer | 1500000 | — |
| 15/16 | 2015-11-16 | Without Club | Rotherham | Transfer | 1500000 | — |
| 16/17 | 2016-08-30 | Rotherham | Ipswich | Transfer | 750000 | — |
| 17/18 | 2017-07-01 | Ipswich | Without Club | Transfer | 500000 | — |
| 17/18 | 2017-11-28 | Without Club | Charlton | Transfer | 500000 | — |
| 17/18 | 2018-01-28 | Charlton | Retired | Transfer | 500000 | — |
| Season | Injury | From | To | Days missed | Games missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/12 | Knee injury | 2012-02-05 | 2012-03-20 | 45 | 7 |
| 14/15 | Tonsillitis | 2014-10-27 | 2014-10-30 | 4 | 1 |
| 14/15 | Ill | 2014-11-28 | 2014-12-01 | 4 | 1 |
| 17/18 | Knee injury | 2018-01-01 | 2018-12-31 | 365 | 19 |
Current—
Peak€3.00m
Low—
Δ since start−€50k
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan 1, 1970 | — |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €500k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €750k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €750k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.50m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €2.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €2.30m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €2.50m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €2.50m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €3.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €3.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €2.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €750k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €750k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €175k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €50k |
| Team | Shirt | Matches | Goals | Debut | Age at debut | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team #37709 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #23132 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #23102 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #21103 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #3509 | — | 7 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Teammate | PPG played with | Joint goals | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aron Gunnarsson | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Danny Fox | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Patrick van Aanholt | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Single-season peaks across competitions in this player's career.
Top goalscoring seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/07 | League One | Yeovil Town | 13 | 30 |
| 09/10 | Championship | Newcastle United | 9 | 40 |
| 07/08 | Championship | Coventry City | 8 | 34 |
Top assist seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/10 | Championship | Newcastle United | 6 | 40 |
| 07/08 | Championship | Coventry City | 4 | 34 |
| 06/07 | League One | Yeovil Town | 3 | 30 |
Every loan spell across this player's career.
| Season | Date | From | To | Type | Fee | Value at transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/15 | 2015-05-31 | Brighton | Blackburn | Return from loan | — | €1.50m |
| 14/15 | 2015-01-21 | Blackburn | Brighton | Loan | — | €2.00m |
| 14/15 | 2015-01-06 | Derby | Blackburn | Return from loan | — | €2.00m |
| 14/15 | 2014-08-04 | Blackburn | Derby | Loan | — | €2.30m |
| 13/14 | 2014-05-31 | Sheff Wed | Blackburn | Return from loan | — | €2.30m |
| 13/14 | 2014-02-14 | Blackburn | Sheff Wed | Loan | — | €2.30m |
| 06/07 | 2007-02-23 | Yeovil Town | Southampton | Return from loan | — | €50k |
| 06/07 | 2006-11-23 | Southampton | Yeovil Town | Loan | — | €50k |
| 06/07 | 2006-11-03 | Bournemouth | Southampton | Return from loan | — | €50k |
| 06/07 | 2006-08-03 | Southampton | Bournemouth | Loan | — | €50k |
| 05/06 | 2006-05-31 | Sheff Wed | Southampton | Return from loan | — | €50k |
| 05/06 | 2006-01-31 | Southampton | Sheff Wed | Loan | — | €50k |
| 05/06 | 2005-08-10 | Sheff Wed | Southampton | Return from loan | — | €50k |
| 05/06 | 2005-08-05 | Southampton | Sheff Wed | Loan | — | €50k |
| 04/05 | 2005-01-17 | QPR | Southampton | Return from loan | — | €50k |
| 04/05 | 2004-12-17 | Southampton | QPR | Loan | — | — |
Teams faced most often by Leon Best's clubs during seasons he played in those competitions (team-level results, not personal head-to-head goals — see disclaimer above).
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Athletic | 56 | 14 | 18 | 24 | 69 | 77 | -8 | 25% |
| Queens Park Rangers | 54 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 63 | 60 | +3 | 37% |
| Huddersfield Town | 54 | 15 | 14 | 25 | 68 | 85 | -17 | 28% |
| Preston North End | 54 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 71 | 77 | -6 | 28% |
| Ipswich Town | 54 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 72 | 79 | -7 | 26% |
| Nottingham Forest | 52 | 14 | 14 | 24 | 56 | 64 | -8 | 27% |
| Blackpool FC | 52 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 37% |
| Derby County | 52 | 10 | 21 | 21 | 56 | 68 | -12 | 19% |
| Brentford FC | 52 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 68 | 51 | +17 | 42% |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 52 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 57 | 62 | -5 | 33% |
| Watford FC | 52 | 16 | 13 | 23 | 66 | 88 | -22 | 31% |
| Barnsley FC | 50 | 28 | 13 | 9 | 89 | 51 | +38 | 56% |
Auto-detected milestones based on cumulative career totals.
| Season / Year | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 04/05 | Senior debut season | |
| 05/06 | First senior goal | |
| 11/12 | Goal #50 (career) |
Yellow / second-yellow / red cards per season. Only seasons with at least one card are shown.
| Season | Matches | Mins | YC | 2nd YC | RC | Cards / 90′ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/16 | 16 | 215 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.84 |
| 13/14 | 24 | 565 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 |
| 12/13 | 10 | 144 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.88 |
| 11/12 | 21 | 291 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.93 |
| 10/11 | 13 | 125 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.72 |
| 09/10 | 42 | 352 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1.79 |
| 08/09 | 35 | 874 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.31 |
| 07/08 | 40 | 555 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.78 |
| 06/07 | 43 | 612 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.18 |
| 05/06 | 16 | 263 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.34 |
Output by competition
Career goals and assists broken down by tournament.
Championship
219 apps
35 G
16 A
League One
35 apps
13 G
3 A
Premier League
32 apps
10 G
3 A
FA Cup
18 apps
4 G
2 A
League Cup
11 apps
1 G
0 A
U21 PL Qualificationsgr. 1
2 apps
1 G
0 A
Reserve League
1 apps
0 G
1 A
More on Leon Best
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Frequently asked about Leon Best
Who is Leon Best?
Leon Best is an Ireland professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for Retired.
How old is Leon Best?
Leon Best is 39 years old. He was born on September 19, 1986 in Nottingham.
What position does Leon Best play?
Leon Best plays as a centre-forward (Attack - Centre-Forward).
What club does Leon Best play for?
Leon Best currently plays for Retired.
How many career goals has Leon Best scored?
Across all senior club competitions in our dataset, Leon Best has scored 64 goals in 324 appearances.