Robert Earle

Robert Fitzgerald Earleis a former football player and current television commentator. Born in England, he represented Jamaica in international football. An attacking midfielder, he played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals.

Initially a youth player with Stoke City, Earle broke into the professional game with Port Vale in 1982. He spent nine years at the Burslem-based club, helping "The Vale" to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1982–83 and 1985–86, and out of the Third Division via the play-offs in 1989; he was later voted the club's PFA Fans' Favourite. He moved on to Wimbledon in 1991, where he also spent nine years. He played nearly 300 league games for each club, scoring 77 and 59 goals respectively. He represented Jamaica eight times between 1997 and 1998, scoring one international goal. He appeared in the 1998 World Cup, scoring the nation's first-ever goal in the finals.

Following his retirement in 2000, Earle established himself in football journalism. He was dismissed from his punditry role with ITV in 2010 after he passed ITV World Cup tickets to a third party. After spending time as television broadcast analyst for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, he is now a commentator for the Premier League on NBC Sports.