Ugo Ehiogu

Ugochukwu Ehiogu (; 3 November 1972 – 21 April 2017) was an English professional football coach and player who played as a centre-back. After retiring, he became a record executive, jointly founding the successful record label, Dirty Hit. Ehiogu was the head coach of the Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s from 2014 until his death in 2017.

He played in the Premier League with lengthy spells at Aston Villa and Middlesbrough. He also played in the Football League for West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United and Sheffield United, as well as a spell in the Scottish Premier League with Rangers. He won two Football League Cups, with Aston Villa in 1996 and then with Middlesbrough in 2004.

Ehiogu was an England international, with a record of 4 caps and 1 goal. In 1993, playing for the England Under-21s, he became the first black player to captain an England team in a competitive match.

Ehiogu died on 21 April 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest at Tottenham's training ground. In February 2026, the U16 Ugo Ehiogu Memorial Cup was held by the Tottenham Hotspur Academy in his honour.

Club career

Early life

Ehiogu was born in Hackney, London, into a family of Nigerian background. He began his career at West Bromwich Albion as a trainee, turning professional in 1989.

Aston Villa

After just a few games for Albion in the Second Division, Ron Atkinson brought him to First Division club Aston Villa for a £40,000 fee in August 1991. By 1994, he had replaced Shaun Teale as the main central defensive partner to Paul McGrath.