He was hailed as one of the worst players to ever grace the Premier League, but he was far more successful in his home country – on and off the pitch
Jozy Altidore was ranked as one of the worst ever Premier League signings after his disastrous spell at Sunderland.
The American striker, who last played for Major League Soccer club New England Revolution and turned 36 on Thursday, November 6, undoubtedly had a tough time in the North East. He scored just two goals in 70 Premier League appearances – one at Hull while on loan from Villareal in 2009-10 – and one for the Black Cats, as his time in England was hampered by injuries.
After banging in the goals for AZ in the Netherlands, Sunderland had paid roughly £10million for his services in the summer of 2013, on a four-year contract. Yet his single league strike, in a 4-3 defeat against Chelsea, was as good as it got for him at the club.
With two league cup goals his only other strikes for Sunderland, he left after two seasons for Toronto FC. However, he was far more successful for his national team, scoring an impressive 42 goals in 115 games for the United States.
And away from the pitch, he’s also bagged a beauty – American tennis superstar Sloane Stephens, the former No. 3 in the world.
Altidore and Stephens, famous for winning the 2017 US Open and losing the 2018 French Open final, were childhood friends, growing up together in Florida, but they drifted apart as they made their way in their respective sports.
However, a reunion in 2016 changed their lives. “I was doing a media scrum in the hallway during a US Mens National team camp,” Altidore told VOGUE.
“Sloane was there training for Fed Cup in Hawaii. Sloane turned the corner while having a loud conversation on FaceTime.
“We locked eyes and started talking during the scrum. We exchanged contacts and went to dinner after my game versus Iceland. The rest was history.”
Stephens, now 32, said: “Because Jozy is also a professional athlete, there is so much implied understanding about what is required for each of us to do to be and feel our best.
“It is so comforting to have that level of understanding in a partner.”
Stephens has also battled her fair share of injuries. After her first-round loss to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open in January, she did not appear on the WTA Tour between February and September.
She made her return at the Guadalajara Open Akron that month, where she lost in the opening round to Italian Lucrezia Stefanini.