# John Carew
**John Alieu Carew** (born 1979 in Lørenskog, Norway) is a Norwegian former footballer who played as a forward for Vålerenga, Rosenborg, Valencia, Roma, Beşiktaş, Lyon, Aston Villa, Stoke City, and West Ham United, and won 91 caps for Norway between 1998 and 2011[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) • [2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk). Standing 1.95 m tall, he was a physical target man who played in the 2001 [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) final with Valencia and won league titles in both Spain and France[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) • [2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk) • [3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/sosolid-carew-takes-giant-strides-towards-goal-of-fifth-place-816165.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979, Lørenskog, Norway; height 1.95 m, weight 89 kg[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) |
| Position | Forward[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) |
| Senior clubs | Vålerenga, Rosenborg, Valencia (loan Roma), Beşiktaş, Lyon, Aston Villa (loan Stoke City), West Ham United, 1997–2012[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) |
| Norway | 91 caps, 24 goals; first black player to represent Norway, November 1998[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk) • [4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-carew-why-football-will-never-be-more-important-than-life-and-death-769807.html) |
| Honors | La Liga title with Valencia (2001/02) and French league title with Lyon; UEFA club competition total of 81 appearances[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk) • [5](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Statistics/01/85/99/80/1859980_DOWNLOAD.pdf) |
| 2001 Champions League final | Played the full 120 minutes as Valencia lost to Bayern Munich on penalties; Carew scored his kick[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/sosolid-carew-takes-giant-strides-towards-goal-of-fifth-place-816165.html) • [6](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/28/que-fue-de-carew-el-gigante-de-mestalla-que-reino-en-noruega-antes-de-la-irrupcion-de-haaland-cadena-ser/) |
| Later life | 80 percent role with the Football Association of Norway working with children and young people; 2022 conviction for gross negligent tax fraud[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk) |
## Early career in Norway
Carew was born to a Gambian father, a former goalkeeper, and a Norwegian mother, and was picked up by his hometown club Lørenskog just outside Oslo[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-carew-why-football-will-never-be-more-important-than-life-and-death-769807.html). He signed for Vålerenga in January 1997; in his first season the club won promotion back to the top division and the Norwegian Cup, and followed that with a quarter-final place in the Cup-Winners' Cup[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) • [4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-carew-why-football-will-never-be-more-important-than-life-and-death-769807.html).
In November 1998, having just turned 19, he became the first black player to represent Norway[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-carew-why-football-will-never-be-more-important-than-life-and-death-769807.html). A move to Rosenborg, to the consternation of Vålerenga supporters, followed in January 1999, and he scored 19 goals in only 17 league games there, with a further five in the Champions League[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) • [4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-carew-why-football-will-never-be-more-important-than-life-and-death-769807.html).
## Valencia and the 2001 final
Valencia, beaten finalists in the 2000 Champions League final against Real Madrid, signed Carew from Rosenborg in July 2000 for a reported £5.0 million[7](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/1110/john-carew). Under [Héctor Cúper](https://www.edgepedia.org/hector-cuper) he was the reference point of an attack built around Kily González, Gaizka Mendieta, and [Pablo Aimar](https://www.edgepedia.org/pablo-aimar), and Valencia again reached the final, beating Manchester United, Arsenal, and Leeds United along the way[6](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/28/que-fue-de-carew-el-gigante-de-mestalla-que-reino-en-noruega-antes-de-la-irrupcion-de-haaland-cadena-ser/). In the 2001 final against Bayern Munich in Milan he completed the full 120 minutes and scored his penalty in the shoot-out, which Bayern won[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/sosolid-carew-takes-giant-strides-towards-goal-of-fifth-place-816165.html).
His first season produced 11 goals in 33 Primera Liga appearances plus 3 in 11 Champions League matches[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/). Under [Rafael Benítez](https://www.edgepedia.org/rafael-benitez) he was part of the 2001/02 squad that won Valencia's most recent league title at that time, and he scored 40 goals for the club across his three full seasons there[6](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/28/que-fue-de-carew-el-gigante-de-mestalla-que-reino-en-noruega-antes-de-la-irrupcion-de-haaland-cadena-ser/). A proposed £5 million move to Fulham in January 2002 collapsed after a medical revealed "jumper's knee" in both legs, a condition described at the time as potentially career-threatening; Valencia's medical director publicly disputed the finding[8](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/premier-league/injury-halts-carew-s-move-9240275.html).
## Roma, Beşiktaş, and Lyon
After leaving Valencia he moved between countries almost every year: a 2003–04 loan at Roma (10 [Serie A](https://www.edgepedia.org/serie-a) starts, 6 goals), a season at Beşiktaş, and then Lyon, where [Gérard Houllier](https://www.edgepedia.org/gerard-houllier) paid £5.1 million to sign him from Turkish football in 2005[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/norwegian-giant-carew-joins-villa-in-baros-swap-433280.html). Lyon won the French title in his time there[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk). His final season in France yielded one league goal, and he spoke of his discomfort with Houllier's rotation system[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/norwegian-giant-carew-joins-villa-in-baros-swap-433280.html).
## Aston Villa
In January 2007 [Martin O'Neill](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-oneill) brought Carew to Aston Villa from Lyon in a straight swap for Milan Baros, with both players valued at £4.3 million and each signing a three-and-a-half-year contract[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/norwegian-giant-carew-joins-villa-in-baros-swap-433280.html). Lyon's president Jean-Michel Aulas said Carew "could fit the English game perfectly"[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/norwegian-giant-carew-joins-villa-in-baros-swap-433280.html).
His four years at Villa were the longest spell of his career at a top-flight club[6](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/28/que-fue-de-carew-el-gigante-de-mestalla-que-reino-en-noruega-antes-de-la-irrupcion-de-haaland-cadena-ser/). His best league season was 2007/08, with 13 goals in 32 Premier League appearances; he added 11 league goals in 2008/09 and 10 in 2009/10[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/). His contract, originally to June 2010, was extended to June 2011 in August 2008[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/). In January 2011, after [Darren Bent](https://www.edgepedia.org/darren-bent)'s arrival at Villa, he joined Stoke City on loan for the rest of the season[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) • [10](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/stoke-open-talks-with-carew-2189827.html).
## West Ham and retirement
Carew signed for West Ham United in August 2011 and spent the 2011/12 season in the Championship, scoring 2 league goals in 19 appearances as the club won promotion to the Premier League; he retired in May 2012[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/) • [11](https://wikisida.no/index.php?title=John_Carew). In February 2013, as a free agent, he was reported to be close to a short-term deal with [Inter Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/inter-milan) as cover for [Antonio Cassano](https://www.edgepedia.org/antonio-cassano), with [Diego Milito](https://www.edgepedia.org/diego-milito) injured, but the sources describe only a proposed 300,000 euro contract pending a medical[12](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/transfers/former-aston-villa-striker-john-carew-to-join-inter-milan-8511878.html).
## Norway
Carew won 91 caps and scored 24 goals for Norway, and for many years was a key player in the national team[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk). His international career included a 1–0 win over Spain at the [UEFA European Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-european-championship) finals on 13 June 2000[1](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/). In 2003 an altercation with teammate [John Arne Riise](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-arne-riise) on the national team bus led the coach Nils-Johan Semb to banish him from the squad, though he later returned[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/norwegian-giant-carew-joins-villa-in-baros-swap-433280.html). Riise, asked years later about teammates he had fallen out with, described Carew as "scarier than Craig Bellamy"[13](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/john-carew-was-scarier-than-craig-bellamy-ex-liverpool-man-john-arne-riise-on-the-former-teammates-he-infamously-fell-out-with).
## Playing style and legacy
Carew's game was built on his 1.95 m frame, aerial strength, pace, and reading of the game; the Spanish sports daily Cadena SER describes him as a born area striker whose profile set the mold for the tall target forwards later produced by Norwegian academies[6](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/28/que-fue-de-carew-el-gigante-de-mestalla-que-reino-en-noruega-antes-de-la-irrupcion-de-haaland-cadena-ser/). He counted [Vicente del Bosque](https://www.edgepedia.org/vicente-del-bosque) and [Fabio Capello](https://www.edgepedia.org/fabio-capello) among the coaches he played under, and Capello called him a "great player" after a Champions League tie in 2007[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-carew-why-football-will-never-be-more-important-than-life-and-death-769807.html).
## After retirement
Carew has worked in an 80 percent engagement with the Football Association of Norway (NFF) on programs for children and young people[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk). In 2022 he was sentenced to one year and two months in prison for gross negligent tax fraud and ordered to pay a fine of 540,000 kroner[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk). NRK appointed him as an expert for its coverage of the summer World Cup, joining a panel that already included Eirik Horneland and Magnus Wolff Eikrem[2](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk).
## References
1. [John Carew Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/john-carew-7021/)
2. [Ny TV-jobb for John Carew: Blir VM-ekspert for NRK, VG](https://www.vg.no/sport/i/oEE8z7/ny-tv-jobb-for-john-carew-blir-vm-ekspert-for-nrk)
3. [So-solid Carew takes giant strides towards goal of fifth place, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/sosolid-carew-takes-giant-strides-towards-goal-of-fifth-place-816165.html)
4. [John Carew: Why football will never be more important than life and death, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-carew-why-football-will-never-be-more-important-than-life-and-death-769807.html)
5. [All-time player appearances in all UEFA club competitions, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Statistics/01/85/99/80/1859980_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
6. [Qué fue de... Carew, el gigante de Mestalla, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/28/que-fue-de-carew-el-gigante-de-mestalla-que-reino-en-noruega-antes-de-la-irrupcion-de-haaland-cadena-ser/)
7. [John Carew transfer history, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/1110/john-carew)
8. [Injury halts Carew's move, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/premier-league/injury-halts-carew-s-move-9240275.html)
9. [Norwegian giant Carew joins Villa in Baros swap, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/norwegian-giant-carew-joins-villa-in-baros-swap-433280.html)
10. [Stoke open talks with Carew, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/stoke-open-talks-with-carew-2189827.html)
11. [John Carew, wikisida.no](https://wikisida.no/index.php?title=John_Carew)
12. [Former Aston Villa striker John Carew 'to join Inter Milan', The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/transfers/former-aston-villa-striker-john-carew-to-join-inter-milan-8511878.html)
13. [John Carew was scarier than Craig Bellamy, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/john-carew-was-scarier-than-craig-bellamy-ex-liverpool-man-john-arne-riise-on-the-former-teammates-he-infamously-fell-out-with)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Nordic footballers › Norwegian, Finnish, and Icelandic footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license