James, David Benjamin (1970– )

English goalkeeper who was England's first-choice goalkeeper during the 2004 European Championships. He started his career at Watford, where he won the FA Youth Cup in 1989 and made 98 appearances for the club before he was signed by Liverpool in July 1992 for £1 million. He played over 200 times for the club over the next seven years, including a victorious appearance in the 1995 League Cup final, before he moved to Aston Villa in June 1999. He made his international debut in 1997 against Mexico but was often second-choice behind David Seaman. He became England's first-choice goalkeeper at the end of 2002 until he was replaced by Paul Robinson in September 2004. He won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008.

Career highlights

International appearances (1997–2008) 39

English FA Cup 2008

English League Cup 1995

In Aston Villa's run to the 2000 FA Cup final, he proved to be the hero in the semifinal match against Bolton, saving two penalties in the shoot-out, but he was criticized for conceding the only goal of the final as his team lost 1–0 to Chelsea. In 2001 he was transferred to West Ham United for £3.5 million and made over 100 appearances for the club before a move to Manchester City in January 2004. In August 2006 he moved to Portsmouth for £3.5 million.