Who is Robbie Fowler? The Jump 2017 star and Liverpool football legend eliminated from the show
LIVERPOOL legend Robbie Fowler was one of the celebrities risking injury by taking to the slopes for skiing reality TV show The Jump.
The former England striker retired from professional football four years ago. But after gamely taking part in the show he became the third celeb to be eliminated after losing against Louis Smith and Amy Willerton.
Here we tell you everything you need to know about the 41-year-old footie after he bowed out from the latest series of the Channel 4 winter sport smash.
Who is Robbie Fowler and where does he come from?
Fowler was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, in 1975. At the time, he was using his mother's surname - and went by Robert Ryder.
Fowler was living in the area during the 1981 Toxteth riots, which stemmed from tensions between local police and the black community, when he was just six years old.
As a kid, Fowler supported Everton FC - despite later going on to play for their local rivals.
As a school boy, Fowler played for youth team Thorvald - and once scored 16 times in a game which ended 26-0.
When did Robbie Fowler join Liverpool?
Fowler left school at 16, and signed with Liverpool as a youth player.
He signed as a professional player on his 17th birthday - 9 April 1992.
Fowler went on to help the England under-18 team win the 1993 European Championship.
What's Robbie's goal history?
Fowler made his first team debut in Liverpool's 3-1 League Cup win against Fulham on 22 September 1993, scoring in his first big match.
Amazingly, Fowler scored all five goals in the second leg at Anfield two weeks later, making him the fourth player in Liverpool's history to score five times in one game.
The young star scored 12 goals in his first 13 matches with the club, including a hat-trick against Southampton.
He was rewarded by being moved into England's under-21 team. In his first match, against San Marino in November 1993, Fowler scored the opening goal in the third minute.
By the end of his first season, Fowler was Liverpool's leading goal scorer - with 18 goals.
He went on to score 183 goals for Liverpool, 128 in the Premier League, and earned the nickname of God from the Anfield crowd.
When was Robbie voted PFA Young Player of the Year?
In the 1994-95 season, Fowler played in all 57 of Liverpool's competitive matches.
He also scored the Premier League's second fastest hat-trick ever, in four minutes and 33 seconds, against Arsenal.
Fowler held the record for 20 years, and was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996.
He is one of only three players to have won the title in consecutive years, along with Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney.
On 14 December 1996, Fowler scored four goals against Middlesbrough - including his 100th goal for Liverpool.
He also won a UEFA Fair Play award after adamantly denying that he had been fouled by Arsenal goalkeeper David Seamen, despite being unsuccessful in his attempts to get the referee to change his decision about the penalty.
Who were The Spice Boys?
In the mid 90s, Fowler was part of a group of Liverpool players dubbed The Spice Boys for their off-field antics.
The term stemmed from misplaced rumours that Fowler was dating Spice Girl Emma Bunton.
But it stuck around, and was later used to imply that the likes of Fowler, Jamie Redknapp, Stan Collymore, David James and Steve McManaman were underachieving playboys.
A knee injury kept Fowler off the pitch for half of the 1997-98 season, and forced him to miss the 1998 World Cup.
In his absence, Michael Owen rose to prominence as Liverpool's scoring star.
What about Robbie's career for England?
Fowler got his first England cap on 27 March 1996, when he was subbed on against Bulgaria.
His first start was against Croatia in the following match, and Fowler was included in the squad for Euro 1996 - playing twice.
Fowler has 26 England caps, and seven goals. He played in the Euros in 2000 and the 2002 Fifa World Cup.
What happened during the infamous sniffing incident?
In 1999, Fowler was fined £60,000 by Liverpool - for bringing the club into disrepute.
Fowler was celebrating a goal in the derby game against Everton, when he used the pitch's white line to simulate cocaine use.
In his defence, Fowler said he was responding to false accusations of drug use from Everton fans.
At an FA disciplinary hearing, Fowler was further chastised for taunting Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux by waving his backside at him, while his shocked wife and kids watched on from the sides.
He got a six-match ban and £32,000 fine from the FA.
Was Robbie's departure controversial?
Fowler was dropped by manager Gerard Houllier in the 2001-02 season, after a training ground confrontation with assistant manager Phil Thompson.
After this, he only played intermittently - and Fowler left Liverpool for Leeds United in 2001.
He later signed with Manchester City in 2003, before returning to Liverpool in January 2006.
Some 18 months later, Fowler moved to Cardiff City, and joined Blackburn Rovers in 2008.
When he left Blackburn, Fowler moved to Australia and played for North Queensland Fury and Perth Glory.
He joined Thai side Muangthong United in 2011 and soon became a player-manager, remaining with the side until his retirement in 2012.
Who is Robbie married to and what's his net worth?
Fowler married wife Kerrie in 2001 - with a wedding in Duns, Scotland.
They have four kids together - called Madison, Jay, Mackenzie and Jacob.
Fowler has invested in several race horses with long-term pal, and fellow England and Liverpool footballer, Steve McManaman.
Among their racing empire is 2003 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration Chase runner-up Seebald.
In 2005, Fowler was listed as one of the 1,000 wealthiest Britons by the Sunday Times Rich List.
The paper estimated that he had a property portfolio of more than 80, giving him a net wealth of £28 million.
The revelation led to the affectionate Man City chant 'We all live in a Robbie Fowler house', which is sung to the tune of The Beetles' Yellow Submarine.
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