Eric Dier

Eric Jeremy Edgar Dier (born 15 January 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Monaco.

Dier grew up in Portugal, where he came through the youth ranks at Sporting CP, making his reserve and senior debuts in 2012. In 2014, he moved to English club Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £4 million, going on to score 13 goals and total 365 appearances for the club, including in the 2015 Football League Cup final and the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. After ten years with Tottenham, he moved to Bayern Munich in January 2024, winning the Bundesliga in his second season at the club.

Despite interest from Portugal, Dier opted to represent England in international football. He made his debut for the senior team in November 2015, and was chosen for UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

Early and personal life

Dier was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire to Jeremy and Louise Dier. His father is a former professional tennis player. Dier is the grandson of Ted Croker, a former secretary of The Football Association (FA) and president of Cheltenham Town, and great-nephew of Peter Croker, who both played professionally for Charlton Athletic.

Dier moved to Portugal from England in 2001 with his parents and five siblings (two sisters and three brothers) when he was seven years old. They spent a year living in Lagos, Algarve region, where he briefly played in the youth football team of Esperança de Lagos, before moving to Lisbon. After the move, his mother was offered a job running the hospitality programme at UEFA Euro 2004. Dier was accepted by Sporting CP's youth academy, and in 2010, his parents returned to England while Dier remained in Portugal, living at Sporting CP's Academia Sporting in Alcochete.