During a distinguished and long-lasting career, Rob Lee made over 700 club appearances in English Football and is best remembered for his considerable stints at Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United. He also earned 21 caps for England, including representing the team in the 1998 World Cup.
Lee trained at Charlton Athletic’s academy, and initially played in their first team in the 1984-85 season. He scored 59 goals for the club across his time there, and helped them to secure promotion to the First Division in 1986. He transferred to then-Division One club Newcastle in 1992 under Kevin Keegan, and scored 10 goals across his first season to aid their promotion to the Premier League. The team’s success continued, and the following season they finished third in the sport’s top division, their best league finish since 1927. The performance earned them their first opportunity to compete for the UEFA Cup in 17 years, with Lee famously scoring a hat trick in their 5-0 first-round win over Royal Antwerp. Lee spent a decade with the club, leaving in 2002, and would later spend periods with Derby County, West Ham United and finally Wycombe Wanderers before his retirement.
Internationally, Lee played 21 times for England between 1994 and 1998, including joining the squad for the 1998 World Cup in France. He has appeared on television many times, including on the show Premier League All Stars representing Newcastle United, and has worked as a pundit and commentator for TEN Sports and Singapore’s Football Channel. Lee was named in the PFA Team of the Year in the 1995-96 season, and was twice named Premier League Player of the month. In 2019, he was inducted into the Newcastle United Hall of Fame.
