John Hartson is a former footballer who in a 15-year career called clubs including Arsenal and Celtic his employers as well playing over 50 times for his country. Now a pundit and football speaker John talk about the highs and lows of his career as well as a personal battle with Cancer and is unmissable for any football fan.
John started his career at Luton Town before moving to Arsenal for a then British record fee for a teenager. He spent two years at Arsenal and his highlights include scoring the equaliser in the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup final. John left Highbury in 1997 and signed for West Ham United for a club-record fee at the time. He moved on for another club-record fee when he joined Wimbledon in 1999 for £7.5million. After struggling for fitness, he joined Coventry before sealing a £6million move to Celtic. John enjoyed his best spell at Celtic scoring 88 goals in 146 games for the Scottish side. While at Celtic Park he won three Scottish Premier Leagues, Two Scottish Cups, and a Scottish League Cup. He was also named Welsh Footballer of the year for a second and third time after first winning it back in 1998 and in 2005 he shared the Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year award with Fernando Ricksen and was voted Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year. John then moved to West Bromwich Albion in 2006 and had a loan spell at Norwich before calling time on his career in 2008. John was capped 51 times and scored 14 goals for Wales.
After retiring John has carved out a career as a pundit and commentator for leading broadcasters across the country. He joined Setanta Sports in the 2008-09 season as a pundit and appears regularly on S4C’s Sgorio due to his ability to speak Welsh. John was also a regular pundit for ITV during its FA Cup coverage and since 2016 he has been a regular on BT Score Centre. Away from his media work, John coached at Newport and the Welsh National Team. In his personal life, John battled Testicular Cancer that spread to his lungs but after several months of chemotherapy, he famously beat the illness.
Available to hire as a speaker, John Hartson provides both a funny and emotional talk that is sure to have an impact on everyone in the audience. He discusses the highs and lows of his 15-year long career as well as an open and honest talk on his battle with Cancer. A speaker whose knowledge of the game and charismatic style will grip the audience; John is the perfect choice for a football speaker.
How to hire John Hartson
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring John Hartson for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
See the feedback that was passed on regarding John's speeches, below.
"John was brilliant, fantastic speaker and very sociable outside of the dinner arena – would highly recommend." - Debs, CECA Wales
- 2016 - Named FAI International Personality of the year
- 2016 - Joined BT Sports' BT Score Centre
- 2011 - Named a part-time coach at Newport
- 2008 - Joined Setanta Sports as a pundit
- 2006 - Signed for West Bromwich Albion
- 2006 - Won the SPL and Scottish League Cup double
- 2005 - Shared PFA Scottish Footballer of the Year with Fernando Ricksen
- 2005 - Voted Scottish Football Writers Association's Player of the Year
- 2005 -Won the Scottish Cup for the second time
- 2004 - Won the SPL and Scottish Cup double
- 2003 - Named Welsh Footballer of the Year for the third time
- 2002 - Won the SPL for the first time
- 2001 - Named Welsh Footballer of the Year for a second time
- 2001 - Moved to Celtic
- 2001 - Signed for Coventry
- 1999 - Signed for Wimbledon for a club-record fee
- 1998 - Named Welsh Footballer of the Year
- 1997 - Joined West Ham United for a club-record fee
- 1995 - Scored the equaliser in the UEFA Cup WInner's Cup
- 1995 - Joined Arsenal for a then British record fee for a teenager
- 1993 - Made his professional debut for Luton Town
- Played 51 times and scored 14 goals for Wales