William Smith

**Sir**

William Smith

GBE GCWO GCH
Sir; William Smith; GBE GCWO GCH
Born	William Geoffrey Thomas Jack Smith; May 11, 1979 (age 45); Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality	British; American; Spanish;
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles (BSS); City, University of London (MSS)
Occupation	Footballer; Manager; Actor;
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Spouse(s)	Anne Hathaway (m. 2012)
Partner(s)	Cameron Diaz (2003 - 2004); Gisele Bündchen (2004 - 2007)
Children	William; Anne;
Parents	King Thomas (father); Jaclyn Smith (mother);
Relatives	Claudia Schiffer; Jodie Foster; (aunt-in-laws); Charles Rodman (cousin)
Height
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1992 - 1997	IMG Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team
1997 - 2003	LA Galaxy
2004 - 2010	Manchester United
2010 - 2016	Atlético Madrid
Total
International career
1999 - 2000	United States U20
2000 - 2003	United States
2004 - 2014	England
2012	Great Britain
Managerial career
2019 -2023	Tottenham Hotspur
Honours
Men's football
Representing England and United States
FIFA World Cup
UEFA European Championship
FIFA Confederations Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Representing Great Britain
Olympic Games
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sir William Geoffrey Thomas Jack Smith GBE GCWO GCH (born 11 May 1979) is an American-English actor, former professional football manager and former player. Known for his explosive pace, exceptional playmaking abilities, strong link-up play, and formidable goalscoring prowess, Smith is generally regarded to be one of the greatest footballers of all time. Nicknamed "The General" for his leadership qualities and commanding presence on the pitch, with a total of 70 senior titles to his name, Smith is the most decorated player in football history and is also one of the few players to have made over 1,000 professional career appearances as well as the only player to have scored over 1,000 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the highest goalscorer of all time. In 2004, Smith was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living footballers, becoming the only male American player on the list. Most notably, prior to the discontinuation of the FIFA Confederations Cup and the subsequent introduction of the UEFA Nations League, Smith is the only European footballer in history representing a top football club to have won all the available titles on both club and international levels including the Premier League/La Liga, FA Cup/Copa del Rey, EFL Cup, William Smith Shield/Supercopa de España, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, and the FIFA Confederations Cup. Moreover, he is also the only player to have achieved a sextuple with two different clubs, namely with Manchester United and Atlético Madrid. With a net worth of $2.09 billion, Smith is considered to be the richest footballer, active or retired, with his wealth being derived from a series of highly lucrative sponsorships as well as the high wages and bonuses he received during his playing years.

The only son of actress Jaclyn Smith and King Thomas, Smith joined IMG Academy at the age of thirteen. After a five-year period, at the age of eighteen, he was selected by Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy with whom he went on to become one of its most talented and successful players, winning three straight U.S. Open Cup titles in a row, the MLS Cup twice in 2002 and 2003 respectively as well as the CONCACAF Champions Cup once in 2000. By the end of his time with LA Galaxy, Smith had racked up a total of 232 goals in 190 appearances, making him the leading all-time goalscorer both in Major League Soccer and for LA Galaxy. In 2005, he was named in the MLS All-Time Best XI alongside the likes of Landon Donovan and Carlos Valderrama.

In 2003, for a world-record fee of £68 million that was also then a British record and currently an unbroken Major League Soccer record, Smith joined Premier League club Manchester United on a six-year contract. With the club, he went on to achieve unprecedented success, winning the Premier League five seasons in a row, the FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup thrice, the UEFA Champions League four times, and the EFL Cup a total of five times during which he also helped Manchester United to a historic sextuple in the 2008-09 season in a first for a European and English club. With a total of 217 goals in 192 appearances, Smith is the all-time goalscorer for Manchester United and the third-highest goalscorer in the Premier League behind Harry Kane and Alan Shearer along with having the sixth-most assists in the league with 98 assists behind Frank Lampard. On the other hand, Smith previously held the record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season with 39 goals which was later broken by Arsenal's Richard who scored a record 45 goals in the 2022–23 season and was formerly the second-highest all-time goalscorer before being surpassed by Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane. In 2021, along with Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, Smith was among the first three players to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

In 2010, following a hugely successful period with Manchester United, Smith joined La Liga side Atlético Madrid for a then world-record transfer fee of £82.5 million, becoming one of the few players to have broken the world record twice. With the club, he went on to win the La Liga thrice in a row, the Copa del Rey twice, the Supercopa de España four times in a row, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup five seasons in a row, the UEFA Super Cup six times in a row, and the UEFA Europa League once during which he helped the club to a first sextuple for a Spanish side in his final season, making him the only player to achieve such a feat with two different clubs after having previously done so with Manchester United. Considered to be the most successful and talented forward in the club's history, along with Diego Simeone, Smith is considered an instrumental figure in the club's revival amidst an extended period of Real Madrid and Barcelona dominance in the La Liga to become a major force or a "third power" against the two clubs during which they bested both clubs on several occasions in both domestic and European football. With 241 goals scored in 208 appearances, Smith is the all-time goalscorer for Atlético Madrid as well as La Liga's fourth-highest all-time top scorer while also holding the record for the fifth-most assists in the league with a total of 85 assists. Among fans and supporters, Smith is famously nicknamed "San Guillermo" ("Saint William") in honour of his role alongside Diego Simeone in reviving the club's fortunes after a period of mediocrity and underachievement. The current home ground for Atlético Madrid, Estadio de los Santos, was named in honour of Smith and Simeone. Since October 2020, Smith has served as the club's life president.

On the international level, Smith began his career via a brief stint with the United States under-20 national team, with whom he won the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in which he scored the lone winning goal in the finals against Japan. The following year, Smith was then promoted to and also captained the senior team in which he won several competitions including the 2000 and 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cups, the 2001 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cups, and most notably the 2002 FIFA World Cup in which Smith famously scored a hat-trick in the finals to deliver the United States' first and only World Cup title via a memorable 5-0 win over Brazil. In 2003, Smith departed the United States, and in the following year, joined the England national team, which he led to an equally historic victory at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where a 5-2 win over Italy in the finals secured England their second World Cup title in forty years since their first title back in 1966. Following this, Smith went on to achieve further back-to-back success with England, winning their first-ever UEFA European Championship title in 2008 by defeating Germany 4-2 in the finals, as well as a second consecutive World Cup title in 2010 via a 5-0 win over the Netherlands, followed by a second consecutive European Championship win in 2012 in which Smith contributed a hat-trick to deliver a 4-2 victory over Spain in the finals. In 2014, Smith went on to deliver a record-breaking third consecutive World Cup title for England via a 4-2 win on penalties against Argentina while also personally becoming the first-ever player to win four World Cups, beating the previous record held by Pelé with three World Cup titles. In addition to his international stints with the United States and England, Smith also briefly captained the Great Britain national football team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, which he successfully led to a 2-0 win over Mexico in the finals, thereby earning a gold medal in the process.

With 124 total appearances, Smith is the sixth-most-capped England player while otherwise its leading goalscorer with 160 goals. Similarly, although not necessarily the United States' most capped player with only 64 appearances, Smith is nonetheless the country's all-time goalscorer with 109 goals. Among others, Smith is also the first and only player to win a World Cup title with two different countries, the first and only one to win four World Cups, the first captain to win more than one World Cup title and two UEFA European Championship tournaments in a row. Moreover, Smith is just the second player after Geoff Hurst to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final and also just the second after Luis Monti to have played in a World Cup final with two different countries. Meanwhile, Smith is the record holder for the most goals scored in both the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship with forty and thirty-six goals respectively, as well as for the most matches played at the FIFA World Cup with a total of twenty-eight matches played from 2002 to 2014. With a total of 269 goals scored on the international level, Smith is the world's all-time leader for international goals and otherwise formerly the all-time leader for international appearances with 194 appearances until surpassed by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, with Smith currently the fourth-most-capped male footballer behind Malaysia's Soh Chin Ann. Together with former England compatriots Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard, Smith is one-fourth of the famous "Ferocious Four", the four core members of the England national team that won three straight World Cups and two consecutive UEFA European Championships from 2006 to 2014.

Around November 2019, in his first and only managerial stint, Smith was appointed head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, succeeding Mauricio Pochettino after an initial poor start to the 2019-20 season. Initially appointed on an interim basis, Smith subsequently won the club's first UEFA Champions League title in his debut season while also achieving a second-place finish in the league, thereby leading him to become the club's full-time manager over the next three seasons where in addition to a FA Cup and an EFL Cup title he won the UEFA Champions League two more times with Tottenham Hotspur as well as the Premier League for two consecutive seasons, becoming the first and only English and American manager to ever win the Premier League since its inception, the first and only one to do so consecutively, as well as one of five English and the only American manager to have won the UEFA Champions League. Considered to be the most successful Tottenham Hotspur manager of the modern era and popularly nicknamed "The Underdog King" by fans and supporters, Smith is well-known for his strict brand of professionalism and sportsmanship, tactical ingenuity, direct and fluid attacking play, as well as his preference for "mind games" through chants and songs. A self-professed "coach of the underdogs", Smith has received a number of honours and awards as head coach including LMA Manager of the Year, The Best FIFA Men's Coach, Onze d'Or Coach of the Year, and IFFHS World's Best Club Coach. At 42 years old, Smith is the joint-youngest manager with José Mourinho to have won the Premier League and is also tied with José Mourinho for the youngest manager to have won the UEFA Champions League at 41 years old.

Throughout his nearly two-decade-long career, Smith came to be the record holder for a number of feats including the record for the most goals scored in a season of both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League with 22 and 20 goals respectively, the highest number of Ballon d'Or awards won with ten in total (during which he became the first and only American player to win the award), and the single highest number of wins for several other awards including FIFA World Player of the Year (4), The Best FIFA Men's Player (4), Premier League Golden Boot (5), European Golden Shoe (8), and the MLS Golden Boot (7). Moreover, Smith is the only footballer so far to have received a Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award with a record of three awards won to date. Most notably, in 2019, he was awarded the Ultra Ballon d'Or for his "extremely significant and incomparable contribution to football in the 21st-century".

Since retiring from professional football, Smith has served as president of The Football Association as well as an honorary advisor to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. As one of the most well-known and marketable football icons of his generation, Smith has embarked on a string of product endorsements since his retirement with the most notable instance being Adidas' King Smith sneakers that were introduced in 2015 to massive commercial success and are often considered as a direct rival to Nike's Air Jordans. In addition, he has also appeared in shows including the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso and Netflix documentary The June 30th Miracle: Ten Years On while actor Jude Law portrays him in The Final Tournament. Moreover, he was also featured in Amazon Prime Video's All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur and its subsequent follow-up The Spursy Fantasy. Meanwhile, as an actor, Smith has appeared in several critically acclaimed films including Operation Finale, Ocean's 8, Dark Waters, and Knives Out.

Since 2012, Smith has been married to American actress Anne Hathaway, with whom he has two children. Often likened by the media to English poet William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, the couple are popularly known together as "Will and Anne".

Early Life

The American actress Jaclyn Smith, best known for her role in the 1970s television series Charlie's Angels. She is Smith's biological mother through her nearly two-decades-long relationship with the future King Thomas

Born William Geoffrey Thomas Jack Smith on 11 May 1979, Smith was the oldest of two children of actress Jaclyn Smith and the heir to the British throne Prince Thomas. Having been born out of wedlock and from a largely secretive romantic affair between his parents, Smith, unlike his later half-siblings, was never officially made a prince, and therefore, despite being the firstborn son and a biological descendant of a member of the British royal family, was never included in the British line of succession to the throne. Reportedly named William after his paternal great-grandfather William Bacall, Smith, who officially took his mother's surname, was given three middle names in which two of them were in honour of his own parents (with "Jack" being the masculine form of "Jacqueline") while the remaining one was deliberately chosen by his father in honour of the English footballer Geoff Hurst who famously scored a hat-trick in England's 4-2 win over West Germany in the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final. In a 2017 interview with the BBC, Smith said, "In a way, it was almost sort of prophetic or inevitable that for someone named after the only footballer to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final, I would ultimately end up doing the same myself as well. In hindsight, my father was definitely right to name me in such a way and for whatever reason behind it the naming did certainly achieve its intended purpose".

Despite the need for near-constant secrecy in regard to his true identity, so as to avoid attracting unnecessary media attention, Smith nonetheless grew up in relative comfort and wealth under the care of his biological parents, who despite never being married to one another, agreed to raise their firstborn child together. In later interviews, Smith himself would describe his childhood as "a rather strange one, but nonetheless, one that I have many happy memories of", while also recounting that his father who despite being born of royalty was said to have "greatly encouraged me to be humble and true to who I am, that being the son of a middle-class woman from Houston, Texas". Additionally, his mother's paternal Jewish roots, which mirrored that of his father's maternal Jewish roots, are said to have also greatly instilled in him a considerable sense of Jewish identity although he never did necessarily converted to Judaism and instead mostly identified as a Protestant.

Early on, his father's native English roots, coupled with the United Kingdom having football as its most popular sport, consequently led a young Smith to be exposed to the sport at a rather early age, with Thomas himself even going so far as to set up a small football field at the back of their family home for his son's pleasure. Afterwards, Smith later noted, "While he wasn't exactly a devout fanatic or the sort when it comes to football, he would absolutely be the most thrilled person in the world whenever I put my feet on the ball". In addition to this, Smith was also taught in other sports such as swimming, tennis, and golfing, in line with his father's own sports-centric upbringing, which came about as a result of his grandfather King Charles III's own deep love for sports. Nonetheless, amidst all this, it was said that academic matters themselves were also given considerable importance, given that up to that point, no member of the British royal family has ever received a "normal" form of education nor has any of them ever officially graduated from either a public or private university. In this, despite his deep athletic leanings, Smith proved to be a fairly intelligent and well-educated student with a knack for discipline and mostly finishing his homework on time. Although a fairly all-rounder student, his favourite subjects include English, Physical Examination, and Mathematics.

In 1982, when he was around three years old, Smith would be joined by a younger sister Jacqueline, born on 22 June 1983, and who is named after her mother, albeit in a slightly varied way. Consequently, it later became a common practice to refer to Jacqueline as "Jack" or "Jackie" so as to distinguish her from her similarly-named mother with the most commonly used nickname is "Little Jackie". Meanwhile, during a 2017 interview with the BBC, Smith recounted that the two siblings "got along very well" and added that the departure of their father when they were only fourteen and ten respectively led Smith to assume a more leader-like role for the now family of three, stating, "Of course, not long after my father left, my mother finally remarried to another man meaning that in any case we were a family of four once again. Regardless, for as long as I could remember, when it came to Jackie, I was essentially the one protecting her and looking after her whenever possible which was something that I quickly learned from my biological father early on". Later on, Smith has credited such circumstances in shaping him into a natural leader especially during his subsequent football years, stating, "The fact that if anything, I had to take charge and ensure that those I care about are fine and protected early on meant that when others were perhaps still struggling, I was already familiar with handling people which was admittedly a very helpful extra help for my career".

Teenagehood

"There are only three reasons as to why I love playing football and they are myself, family, and glory. Some do it for the money but I do it strictly for those three things from which I never wavered until the very last moments of my career."

Smith on why he pursued a career in professional football

When Smith was around sixteen years old, amidst pressure upon his father to marry an eligible woman in order to secure the future of the British monarchy, and the fact that Smith's mother Jaclyn Smith was, by virtue of her ex-husband, the actor Roger Davis still being alive at the time, therefore canonically ineligible to marry her beloved romantic partner, the small family of four was thus met with an unexpected setback when Thomas later departed the family, albeit in a heavily reluctant manner, in order to marry the American supermodel Christy Turlington, who the former had been seeing for some time and who was deemed a prospective candidate as a legitimate wife, given that unlike Smith, the former had never been divorced before, a condition that was reportedly the very obstacle to a potential marriage between Thomas himself and his then-romantic partner. Evidently, according to Smith himself, their father's departure was "one of the most difficult things in my life and one that tested our small family of four greatly with something that we could probably not have anticipated". Moreover, it was said that actress Jaclyn Smith herself later cried for "days on end" in the days following her romantic partner's departure although the presence of and support from her two children otherwise proved a comforting counterbalance to the actress's grievances. Therefore, for almost the next ten years or so, the now family of three continued to live in relative obscurity in Los Angeles, California, where the family had already made their home for a few years prior to Thomas' departure.

In the years since their romance officially came to an end, Smith's mother Jaclyn later remarried to American surgeon Brad Allen who Smith later described as a "kind and very caring stepfather" while asserting that "absolutely no one will ever come to replace my own biological father", adding that despite the two enjoying a relatively cordial relationship, both Smith and his sister were still mostly emotionally attached to their biological father, with whom the two longed on reuniting in the nearby future. In this, Smith sought to use his own football career as a means to do so by hopefully making himself noticeable in the eyes of major European football clubs, especially Manchester United, a club that he had supported since childhood and which would crucially allow him to move to England where his father mainly resides.

Club Career

LA Galaxy (1992 - 2003)

Youth Prospect (1992 - 1997)

An aerial view of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida

Having already shown a deep-seated interest in football at a rather young age, at thirteen, Smith was enrolled by his father at the IMG Academy in Florida, one of the country's most well-known sports academy that was first established in 1978. Early on, having quickly earned a reputation as a "hardworking" and "tenacious" youth prospect, Smith was able to quickly impress both his teammates and the officials at the academy, during which he quickly gained a reputation for an excellent playing style as well as a strong sense of discipline, with one of Smith's former educators at the academy later recounting the former as a "very dutiful" and "extremely hardworking" player while another described the California-born teenager as "someone who always wants to achieve all that he could and who also doesn't easily give up in doing so at the first sight of defeat". Eventually, at eighteen years old, Smith was finally granted a much-awaited senior soccer career when he was then chosen for LA Galaxy in just the second season of Major League Soccer.

During an interview with Sky Sports in 2018, Smith revealed that around the time he began his senior professional career as a footballer, he also attended university so as to simultaneously further his education while concentrating on his growing football career. To that end, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a bachelor's degree in the field of sports science which he later supplemented with a master's degree from the University of London that he pursued after retiring from professional football. In the meantime, despite his lifelong passion for football, back in his early years and even today, Smith also enjoyed other forms of sports including golf, boxing, and cycling.

Senior Team (1997 - 2003)

Following his promotion to the senior team, Smith soon made his debut in the club's first match in the 1997 season, namely a home match against D.C. United, where he scored his first goal for the club at the 23rd-minute, giving his team an initial 1-0 lead before a subsequent goal by D.C. United midfielder Richie Williams resulted in the match ending in a 1-1 draw. Then, in the following match against Kansas City Wizards, Smith, who initially started as a substitute, was called onto the pitch early on in the twelfth minute as a substitute for midfielder Coby Jones following which he proceeded to score a goal at the 49th-minute, thereby raising the scoreline to 3-3 before following it up with a brace at the 87th minute, with Smith's brace proving to be the essential tiebreaker that resulted in LA Galaxy achieving a dramatic 4-3 win over their opponents. Deservedly so, Smith himself was then lauded as the man of the match and would proceed to feature almost regularly in the rest of the matches that season, during which he scored his first hat-trick in his professional career in another comeback victory, this time against FC Dallas, who LA Galaxy defeated 4-2 as a result of Smith's hat-trick. By the end of it, with twenty-eight appearances in total that season, Smith had managed to score a total of thirty-six goals, a number far higher than any other players in the league. Despite this, in overall terms, LA Galaxy itself failed to win any title that year although Smith's overall performance, which far outclassed those of his peers in the league, quickly gained much attention from the American media with The New York Times touting Smith as a "potential World Cup winner" while CNN described him as "the long-awaited answer and key to America's World Cup setbacks". Despite this, presumably due to his extremely young age, being only nineteen at the time (the youngest at the tournament was 18-year-old Michael Owen), Smith would not be included in the national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France where the United States met an early exit from the tournament in the group stages following three straight defeats whereas England, which Smith later switched to, were eliminated in the round of 16 by Argentina on penalties in a fixture where David Beckham was infamously sent off after a brief altercation with Argentine player Diego Simeone.

The Brazilian football legend Pelé playing for the now-defunct North American Soccer League club New York Cosmos. His two-year presence at the club has been widely attributed to the sudden surge in popularity for soccer in the United States around the late 1970s

Meanwhile, the following 1998 season would prove to be of some success, with LA Galaxy topping both the Western Conference table as well as winning the Supporters' Shield that year. In the meantime, Smith personally proved successful in bettering his record from the previous season, scoring a total of forty-five goals in thirty appearances, during which he gained much attention for having scored two hat-tricks in a row on two separate occasions. This, coupled with the American public's vivid memories of Brazilian legend Pelé's time as a footballer in the United States roughly two decades prior during the 1970s, led media outlets to begin drawing comparisons between the young Smith and the Brazilian legend. Then, in the 1999 season, Smith also led the club to win its first U.S. Open Cup trophy with himself notably contributing two consecutive hat-tricks in a row to help LA Galaxy defeat both Rochester New York FC and the Colorado Rapids 3-1 in the semi-finals and finals respectively. In addition to this, Smith also provided the lone goal for his team in the MLS Cup 1999 match against D.C. United although this proved insufficient after a comeback by the latter ultimately sealed the match in their favour with a narrow 2-1 win over LA Galaxy. In the meantime, despite personally scoring a memorable hat-trick for LA Galaxy to break a 1-1 deadlock in the 1999 CONCACAF Champions Cup qualifying playoff match against Mexican club Necaxa, and later two important goals in a 2-1 win over Deportivo Saprissa in the quarter-finals, Smith's club was ultimately eliminated in the semi-finals once again by D.C. United who later won the tournament 3-0 in the finals against Alajuelense.

In contrast, while his initial years at the club had been of mixed success despite his consistently promising performance, his last three years at LA Galaxy proved to be a more successful period, with Smith himself captaining the club to three straight U.S. Open Cup wins in a row, as well as back-to-back MLS Cup wins in 2002 and 2003 respectively. In addition to that, following the previous failure in the year beforehand, Smith finally saw much-awaited success in the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup where despite scoring just one goal this time around, that being a tiebreaking goal in the semi-finals against rivals D.C. United, he would ultimately win the tournament thanks to the club's 3-2 win over Olimpia in the finals. Then, after previously missing out on the 2002 edition, Smith would return to the tournament for one final time in 2003 where he began with a hat-trick against Motagua in the round of sixteen, thereby guaranteeing a dominant 6-2 victory before promptly following it up with four goals in the quarter-finals against Necaxa who initially appeared dominant with four goals in the first leg but who were ultimately forced into a penalty shootout thanks to Smith's four consequential goals, which later ended in a 4-2 win for LA Galaxy. Following this, a 6-2 win over another Mexican club Atlético Morelia in the semi-finals saw them reach the finals for the second time where they later drew 4-4 with another Mexican side Club Toluca, with the ensuing penalty shootout resulting in a narrow 3-4 loss to their opponents, thereby effectively ending Smith's hope of winning a second CONCACAF Champions Cup title. Meanwhile, despite having won the 2000 edition which would automatically qualify them for the FIFA Club World Championship, Smith and LA Galaxy were ultimately unable to participate in the ensuing 2001 edition after it was unexpectedly cancelled by FIFA amidst financial difficulties.

With a total of 184 appearances, Smith had ultimately racked up a total of 227 goals, consequently making him the all-time goalscorer for both LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, with the runner-up being Chris Wondolowski with 177 goals. In the meantime, with the end of the 2003 Major League Soccer season, Smith promptly announced his departure from LA Galaxy following a six-year-long period with his next move quickly becoming a subject of much media interest and speculation with one media outlet speculating on a rather unusual move to the Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, the parent club of fellow United States international Landon Donovan, who had then been on loan at San Jose Earthquakes, another Major League Soccer side. Nonetheless, several more well-known football clubs were also touted as Smith's likely destination with the illustrious Premier League club Manchester United being a likely candidate, especially given the fact that it was the very football club that Smith himself grew up supporting and which he had also publicly voiced his desire to play for in the near future. Aside from this, La Liga giants Real Madrid were also touted as a likely candidate owing to club president Florentino Pérez's Galácticos philosophy that revolves around signing talented big-name players to the club which saw the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and David Beckham arrive at the club in recent years.

Florentino Pérez, chairman of La Liga club Real Madrid from 2000 to 2006 and again since 2009 during which he made two unsuccessful attempts to bring William Smith to Real Madrid as part of the Galácticos project

In the end, on 1 August 2004, the BBC would be the first to announce that Smith had signed for the Premier League side Manchester United for a world-record £68 million, the news of which quickly drew much attention to the already well-known and decorated Premier League club, whose fans and supporters later crowded Old Trafford to personally witness the unveiling of Smith as the club's newest player with the stadium itself later said to be at almost full capacity as each seat was taken up by anxious fans waiting to see the rising American-born footballer. In the meantime, Real Madrid chairman Florentino Pérez was said to have been "extremely distraught" and according to some "somewhat livid" upon learning of the news given that the club's scouting agents alongside its well-known players such as Ronaldo and David Beckham have all initially attempted to convince the young American star to sign for the La Liga giants under the premise of playing with some of football's greatest talents around. Later, according to Beckham, despite the allure of potentially playing with some of football's greatest talents in one team, Smith reportedly remarked, "Real Madrid sounds nice but I'm a Manchester United fan and I'm going to sign for that club no matter what". Meanwhile, in his autobiography, Smith revealed that the famous German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, reportedly impressed by Smith's performance at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, attempted to convince him to sign for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich (which Kahn himself is a part of), stating, "When Oliver heard that I was coming to Europe he gave me a phone call once and told me to come to Bayern because with the way I played he said I could definitely be the American version of Gerd Müller who is an indisputable legend in German football". In response, while admitting his flattery by such a comparison, Smith himself later expressed his desire to "not be the American or English version of some great legend but just myself in all my own glory and success".

Afterwards, in 2010, when Smith then bid farewell to Manchester United, Real Madrid, having then signed Cristiano Ronaldo from the English club the year before, once again attempted to lure Smith with a contract much luxurious than that offered to his Portuguese teammate but which was once again rejected as the latter subsequently chose Atlético Madrid instead in his move to La Liga. In the words of former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, Smith was, in the eyes of Real Madrid supporters, "the one that got away", and in Pérez's eyes, "the holy grail that he never achieved". Even more so, as Smith himself would later spearhead Atlético Madrid to five straight UEFA Champions League titles, Real Madrid's ultimate inability to ever acquire Smith's services became ever more consequential and hard-hitting, with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola once stating, "Undoubtedly, all three of us had our own greatest player but Diego, judging by the titles that he won, was definitely the luckiest and as some people would say had struck gold in getting him when others instead failed". Similarly, BBC Sport later dubbed it "The Steal of the Century", adding, "Truly, for someone of his stature at the time, one would mostly ever consider between Real Madrid and Barcelona but instead he did the opposite and will certainly have a rare legacy to speak of for generations".

Manchester United (2004 - 2010)

Early Years

"Without a doubt, bringing him to the club straight from Major League Soccer was one of or if not the best decision I've ever made as manager in my entire life."

Former Manchester United head coach Sir Alex Ferguson on signing Smith for the club

On 1 August 2004, just a day after a friendly match against A.C. Milan, Smith, by then a free agent and who was then on a temporary break from professional football following his historic triumph at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, was officially announced to have joined Manchester United with his transfer to the club said to have then brought "extreme delight" for longtime head coach Sir Alex Ferguson who later remarked in a 2014 interview, "The fact that a recent World Cup champion and the man who scored a hat-trick to defeat the mighty Brazil was just walking around as a free agent waiting for a club to sign him is like a dream come true and the fact that Manchester United was the one who did it will always be something that I'll be proud of for the rest of my life". Soon enough, on 8 August 2004, Smith would make his debut for the club just a week later in the 2004 FA Community Shield match against Arsenal, where he was called in early on at the 19th-minute as a substitute for Paul Scholes, who had to be subbed off following an unfortunate injury on his left thigh. Then, following an initial 55th-minute goal by Alan Smith, Smith himself netted a late goal, his first ever for the club, in the 91st-minute following a successful run down the right flank past Arsenal defenders although this proved not enough to ultimately avoid a narrow 2-3 defeat at the hands of Arsenal who ultimately won the match by a rather thin 3-2 margin.

Nonetheless, not long after his debut at the FA Community Shield match, Smith was then featured in Manchester United's first Premier League match of the season that year, where after once again coming on as a substitute at the 25th-minute, Smith proceeded to immediately make a name for himself in the English football scene by scoring a hat-trick in the 84th minute, thereby allowing The Red Devils to easily beat Chelsea 4-1, after they were initially down by 0-1. Following this, Smith was once again employed as a "super sub" in the next two matches, before an injury during his third league match led him to miss the next few subsequent games. However, shortly after his return, Smith, now a regular starter for the club, once more caught the football world by storm when in his returning match against Portsmouth, Smith scored his second hat-trick to save the club from a 0-2 defeat, something which he came to emulate in the next three matches against Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Charlton Athletic respectively. However, this too ultimately proved not enough to win The Red Devils the Premier League season that year, with the club finishing as runner-up behind rivals Chelsea. Nonetheless, his overall performance for the club, made especially notable by the thirty-five goals he scored, the highest ever that year in both the Premier League and in European football saw him receive both a Premier League Golden Boot award and an European Golden Shoe award that year, which only further raised his image in the wider footballing community. In that same season, Smith also made his mark in the UEFA Champions League, where throughout the course of the competition, he recorded a total of three separate hat-tricks, whilst notably scoring the lone goal in the finals against Liverpool, thereby avoiding a narrow 0-1 defeat, before proceeding to beat their English rivals 4-2 in a penalty shootout, awarding the club their third Champions League title.

Peak of Success and Departure to Atlético Madrid

The Manchester United squad celebrating their historic sextuple triumph

For the following season, Smith continued to display a consistently positive performance, helping The Red Devils to finally win the Premier League albeit by their narrowest margin yet, that is by just one point ahead of runners-up Chelsea. Similarly, the club also found much success in the FA Cup and EFL Cup respectively but otherwise fell short of winning the UEFA Champions League for a second consecutive time following a narrow 4-5 defeat via penalty shootouts to Barcelona in the quarter-finals after both teams were tied at 5-5. Then, following the next two seasons where Manchester United continued to see much consistent success in the domestic scene, Smith's time with the club came to a high point when in 2009 the club became the first-ever European team to achieve a sextuple by winning the 2008-09 Premier League season, the 2008-09 FA Cup season, the 2009 FA Community Shield, the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League season, as well as the 2009 UEFA Super Cup and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup. In the following season, as well as the season beforehand, Manchester United surprisingly came close to achieving another sextuple if not for an unfortunate loss in the FA Cup in both seasons in a testament to the club's overall dominance at the time.

Following the end of the 2009-10 season, after it was reported by the BBC that Smith did not wish to renew his six-year contract with Manchester United, rumours quickly arose regarding his next destination with several of Europe's biggest clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Juventus being touted as his next club. In addition, derby rivals Manchester City, whose new owner Sheikh Mansour once reportedly thought of acquiring the Manchester United forward's services in what was then considered a "direct sabotage" of their biggest rivals, was also briefly considered until Smith himself promptly refuted such rumours, stating, "I'll be leaving Manchester United soon but never for its own rivals in my entire life". Eventually, in a move that sparked much surprise from many observers, it was announced by the Spanish newspaper Marca that Atlético Madrid had acquired Smith for a world-record transfer fee of £82.5 million (€96 million), an amount that slightly surpassed that of the previous world-record fee of £80 million paid by Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo the previous year, in a lucrative contract that would see him remain with the club for a total of five years with the option of an additional year while also including a €1 billion buy-out clause in a deliberate attempt to ward off encroaching competitors especially city rivals Real Madrid who were similarly interested in acquiring Smith's services for themselves. During his ensuing presentation ceremony to club supporters at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, Smith subsequently spoke of a "bittersweet feeling" of leaving his much-beloved club of Manchester United, who he had dreamt playing for since childhood, while adding that Atlético Madrid's "underdog" status as opposed to the traditionally dominant Real Madrid and Barcelona ultimately lured him to the club in the pursuit of new challenges abroad. In his closing statement to supporters, Smith remarked, "Around a decade ago, I wanted to and successfully proved to everyone that out of all countries the United States could win the World Cup. Now, for the next few years that I'm here, I'm going to prove to everyone that Atlético Madrid can win the league just as much or even more than the times that Real Madrid and Barcelona have done in the past as well as the ever prestigious UEFA Champions League". Later, during a 2017 interview with Sky Sports, when asked behind his rationale in choosing Atlético Madrid over Real Madrid, he remarked, "If I wanted money I would go to Real Madrid but if I wanted glory then I'll go to Atlético Madrid".

"Out of all the players that left during my time, Smith leaving was definitely the hardest I had to take and the most difficult one that I had to come back from. Truth be told, we were never the same without him anymore."

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reflecting on Smith's departure from Manchester United in 2010

At the time of his departure, Smith's total goal tally of 463 across all competitions established him as the all-time goalscorer for Manchester United while his 217 goals scored in the Premier League initially made him the second-highest all-time goalscorer behind Alan Shearer with 260 goals before Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane surpassed him to become second-highest himself with 221 goals which he ironically did so while Smith himself was head coach of Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, until 2023, Smith formerly held the record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season with 39 goals until Arsenal's Richard surpassed it with 45 goals in the 2022-23 season during which Manchester City's Erling Haaland also came close to breaking his record with 36 goals scored in that same season. Regardless, among fans of Manchester United, Smith remains a hugely popular figure and is popularly nicknamed "The Red Prince" in reference to his royal lineage and the traditional red colour of Manchester United.

Atlético Madrid

Debut season & Europa League triumph

On August 30th, Smith made his La Liga debut in a home match against Sporting Gijón in which Smith, despite not scoring a goal himself, played an active role in the club's dominant 4-0 win over their opponents. Nonetheless, in the following match against Athletic Bilbao on September 11th, Smith soon made his mark at the club by scoring a hat-trick in the 76th minute, allowing Atlético Madrid to easily defeat their opponents 5-1. However, throughout the next few matches or so, Smith experienced a temporary goal draught that saw the club lose to both Barcelona and Sevilla while otherwise drawing with Valencia although this soon came to an end when Smith subsequently scored just his second hat-trick for the club in a dramatic 3-2 win over Villareal who initially led 2-0 by the 52nd minute before a subsequent hat-trick from Smith in the 58th minute turned the match upside down in Atlético Madrid's favour. Then, a third hat-trick followed in a November 13th fixture against Osasuna along with his first brace for the club just a week later against Real Sociedad, the latter which he wasted no time in following up on by scoring a fourth hat-trick in a dramatic 5-3 win over Espanyol. A fifth hat-trick followed in a 3-0 win over Racing Santander although this itself was followed by a heavy 1-4 defeat to Hércules and an ensuing 4-0 win over Mallorca. Following this, amidst a string of poor performances which saw the club lose once again to Barcelona by 3-0 via a Lionel Messi hat-trick, Smith nonetheless proved vital in scoring a decisive 47th-minute goal that helped them draw 2-2 against Valencia. Then, after scoring two consecutive hat-tricks that allowed Atlético Madrid to defeat Sevilla and Getafe 5-2 and 4-1 respectively, Smith soon scored his first goal against La Liga giants Real Madrid in a 2-2 draw on March 29th, which he followed up with a tiebreaking brace in the 69th minute against Espanyol, who the club ultimately defeated 4-2 thanks to a separate brace from Sergio Agüero in the 61st minute. In the end, Smith would cap off his first season with Atlético Madrid through yet another hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Deportivo La Coruña, a brace in a 2-3 loss to Málaga, and his final brace of the season in a 6-3 win over Mallorca on the final day at which point he finished as the club's leading goalscorer with 34 goals in 36 appearances, the second-highest behind Cristiano Ronaldo and ahead of Lionel Messi. In the meantime, with a total of 74 points, Atlético Madrid also qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage alongside giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, which hosted the 2011 Europa League Final between Atlético Madrid and Porto

Separately, on December 22nd, Smith also made his Copa del Rey debut in a much similar fashion, scoring a hat-trick in the second leg of the round of 32 to mark a final 9-1 win on aggregate against Universidad de Las Palmas although he did not otherwise score any further with Atlético Madrid subsequently losing 4-1 on aggregate to Real Madrid. Meanwhile, on September 16th, Smith scored his first two goals in the UEFA Europa League in a 3-1 win over Greek side Aris, which he soon followed up with another brace in a 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, followed by one goal in a 3-1 win over Rosenborg and another single goal in a 3-3 draw against Aris. Then, following a narrow 6-5 win on aggregate against Dynamo Kyiv, Atlético Madrid, courtesy of a hat-trick from Smith in both legs of the round of 16, marked a dominant 11-3 victory over Manchester City, followed by 6-3 and 6-2 demolitions of Portuguese sides Braga and Benfica, and eventually culminating in a 4-0 win over another Portuguese side Porto in the finals to win their second UEFA Europa League title in a row after their first one that was achieved by a 2-1 win over English side Fulham, thereby qualifying them once again for the UEFA Super Cup in which Atlético Madrid narrowly defeated Barcelona 3-2 to follow up on their previous 1-0 win over Smith's former club Manchester United in the previous edition.

Diego Simeone Era

"From the beginning, I knew that together we're going to do something special and remarkable at the club, and during those five years we certainly did a lot."

Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone on his five-year partnership with Smith

In his second season with the club, Smith began rather promisingly, scoring an important tiebreaking goal in the opening match against Osasuna and a hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Racing Santander although this was soon met by a heavy 0-5 loss to Barcelona. Nonetheless, in the next two matches against Sevilla and Granada respectively, Smith proved to be a vital player, scoring one goal on both occasions to break the 0-0 deadlock each time and later a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano that followed a previous 1-4 defeat to Real Madrid in which at least five Atlético Madrid players were booked while two, including goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, were sent off. Then, on January 7th, his first match under newly-appointed manager Diego Simeone, Smith scored a memorable brace to mark a 2-0 win over Malaga following a previous poor run of form before going on to score at least two further consecutive braces against Villareal and Real Sociedad respectively and later a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over CA Osasuna. Soon enough, in what was seen by many as a "return" to his full potential under the new management of the tactically sound Diego Simeone, Smith scored at least two further goals to break deadlocks against Valencia and Sporting Gijón respectively before soon following it up with a brace in a dramatic 3-2 win over Barcelona, his first since arriving in La Liga. Following this, two consecutive hat-tricks were also produced in wins against Sevilla and Granada respectively, followed by a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Mallorca and a brace in a narrow 3-4 loss to Real Madrid in which a late 88th-minute goal from José Callejón which followed a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick beforehand saw the latter narrowly edge over their opponent. Nonetheless, a hat-trick in the final match against Villareal, who consequently lost 0-4 to Atlético Madrid, saw Smith rack up a total of 40 goals in 34 appearances, breaking his own personal record of 39 goals for Manchester United in the Premier League although this itself was far surpassed by Lionel Messi's 50 goals that season. In the meantime, despite a brace from Smith in the second leg, Atlético Madrid were otherwise eliminated from the Copa del Rey following a 3-4 loss on penalties to Albacete although they otherwise made much progress in the UEFA Champions League, topping their group and advancing all the way to the finals where they later defeated Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich 2-0 to win their first-ever UEFA Champions League title during which they notably overcame rivals Barcelona 4-2 on penalties following a 4-4 draw in the round of 16 which preceded a narrow 4-3 win in the quarter-finals against AC Milan and a dramatic 5-3 win over Chelsea in the semi-finals. Following up on this, the club then defeated fellow Spanish side Athletic Bilbao 5-2 in the UEFA Super Cup via an 83rd-minute hat-trick from Smith and later Brazilian club Corinthians 4-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the FIFA Club World Cup, also a first for the club.

For the 2012-13 season, his first full season under Diego Simeone, Smith started off rather promisingly, scoring a hat-trick in a 7-3 win over Rayo Vallecano along with a goal in a dominant 5-2 win over Real Betis. Soon enough, despite subsequent losses to Valencia and Real Madrid, Smith himself enjoyed a consistent goalscoring form with 16 goals in 15 appearances that led to Atlético Madrid briefly enjoying a streak of nine unbeaten games. Then, following yet another impressive performance in a narrow 3-4 loss to Barcelona on December 16th, Smith soon scored his first hat-trick of the season in a 4-0 win over Celta Vigo, followed by another one in a 3-3 draw against Athletic Bilbao, and a third one which crucially helped them defeat Rayo Vallecano 4-2. Then, Smith also provided decisive tiebreaking goals against Valencia and Getafe to initially make it five games unbeaten and later six games unbeaten when a hat-trick from the former in an April 27th fixture saw him defeat Real Madrid 4-2 for the first time since arriving in the top Spanish football league at which point by season's end Smith had scored a total of 40 goals for the second consecutive time, making him once again the second-highest goalscorer that season behind Lionel Messi whilst Atlético Madrid finished second with 86 points behind Barcelona, their best finish in two decades since they last won the league in the 1995-96 season. In the meantime, Smith also proved to be a much valuable component in the club's Copa del Rey victory that season, during which he scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the round of 16 to defeat Getafe 6-0 on aggregate while also contributing one goal of his own in the finals where they defeated Real Madrid 3-1. Similarly, a 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund saw Atlético Madrid win just their second UEFA Champions League title in a row during which a hat-trick from Smith in both legs saw them defeat Barcelona 10-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals while rivals Real Madrid were otherwise eliminated in the semi-finals by a 3-4 loss on aggregate to runners-up Borussia Dortmund. Then, a hat-trick from Smith saw them defeat UEFA Europa League winners Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup which they duly followed up on by defeating Moroccan club Raja Casablanca 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw. Moreover, having won the Copa del Rey, the club also faced La Liga champions Barcelona in the Supercopa de España where they narrowly defeated their opponent 3-1 courtesy of a tiebreaking brace from Smith in the second leg that broke the 1-1 deadlock in the first leg.

Final Years

For the 2013-14 season, Smith once again made a generally promising start, scoring two consecutive braces against Real Sociedad and Almería respectively, a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Real Madrid and a single goal in a 1-1 draw with Espanyol which saw Atlético Madrid go ten matches unbeaten, their best start in decades, and which only extended further to twenty-three games in total during which he scored a further two hat-tricks in the process. Then, despite a 0-2 loss to Almería, the club proved quick to re-establish their unbeaten streak with a hat-trick from Smith in a 3-3 draw against Osasuna proving vital in maintaining the aforementioned streak. Moreover, another hat-trick from Smith soon afterwards also saw Atlético Madrid defeat Real Madrid 5-2 and later Barcelona 4-1 on the final day of the season which they eventually came to win to mark their first La Liga title in almost two decades. Despite this, hopes for a historic sextuple were quickly quashed following a 1-5 defeat to Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. On the other hand, following a hat-trick from Smith that saw Atlético Madrid mark a dominant 5-1 win over Barcelona in the quarter-finals, the club otherwise avenged their initial defeat by triumphing over Real Madrid in a narrow 2-1 win in the UEFA Champions League final to mark the third consecutive European title for Atlético Madrid who later defeated Sevilla 5-4 on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup and also San Lorenzo 4-2 in the FIFA Club World Cup, the latter in which Smith himself scored a hat-trick on both occasions to also mark a dominant 7-2 victory over Mexican side Cruz Azul. To top it off, the club also won the ensuing Supercopa de España match, defeating Real Madrid 4-1 on aggregate.

In the following season, which would also be his penultimate season with the club, Smith started rather brilliantly early on, scoring a hat-trick in the opening match against Rayo Vallecano, over whom they subsequently won 3-0. However, despite a second hat-trick from Smith on September 27th which saw Atlético Madrid defeat Sevilla 7-0, the club otherwise met their first defeat in the following match against Valencia to whom they narrowly lost 2-3. Regardless, another hat-trick and a brace from Smith saw them quickly rebound to especially deal a heavy 4-0 defeat to Getafe while also drawing 2-2 with Real Sociedad in the process. Then, Smith himself went on to deliver two consecutive hat-tricks that saw Atlético Madrid defeat Deportivo La Coruña and Elche 5-0 each while a lone goal from the former also help them to draw 1-1 against Villareal. Moreover, a hat-trick from Smith on January 11th also saw them overcome rivals Barcelona once again in a narrow 4-3 win which Smith quickly capitalised upon by providing a second consecutive hat-trick in a following 5-0 win over Granada before later following it up with yet another hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Real Madrid on February 7th. Following this, Smith would eventually cap off an ultimately successful season once more with a hat-trick in the penultimate match against Barcelona and another one in the final match of the season against Granada, who Atlético Madrid defeated 3-1 and 3-0 respectively to ultimately win the La Liga for an unprecedented second season in a row during which he also achieved a new personal record of 48 goals in 36 appearances which saw him share the Pichichi Trophy as the season's top goalscorer alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, having also won it the season before over the Portuguese. In the meantime, with their second consecutive league title win, Atlético Madrid became the first Spanish club in almost three decades that is neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona to win the La Liga two seasons in a row since Athletic Bilbao last won the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons in a row themselves. On the other hand, Atlético Madrid otherwise found itself eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey via a narrow 3-4 loss on aggregate to Barcelona although they soon earned their revenge in a 5-2 win against the latter in the UEFA Champions League to claim a record-breaking fourth UEFA Champions League title in a row, making them just one of two clubs alongside Real Madrid to have won it more than three consecutive times. Then, as per tradition, the club subsequently defeated Sevilla 1-0 in the UEFA Super Cup and later River Plate 5-2 in the FIFA Club World Cup in which Smith scored a brace in the process. Moreover, the club also defeated Barcelona 3-1 in the ensuing Supercopa de España with Smith himself scoring three goals in total to override their opponents' lone goal through Lionel Messi.

The San Siro in Milan, Italy, which hosted the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final between Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid, with the former subsequently winning the match 4-1 and later going on to achieve a historic sextuple in a first for a Spanish side and the second in European history after Manchester United

In his final season with the club, despite not scoring in the first two matches, Smith proved quick to return to his goalscoring form by scoring a memorable brace in the third fixture of the season against Barcelona on September 12th who Atlético Madrid defeated 3-1 to mark another rare victory over the La Liga giants. Then, after scoring yet another brace that overturned an initial 1-0 defeat into a dramatic 2-1 win for the club over Villareal, Smith soon scored his first hat-trick of the season in a November 8th fixture against Sporting Gijón that ended in a 4-0 win, which he followed up on with another brace in a 3-0 win over Levante, a lone equalising goal in a 1-1 draw with Málaga, and a second hat-trick in a dominant 6-0 win over Las Palmas. Following this, Smith then further provided a lone equalising goal in a 2-2 draw against Barcelona on January 30th, followed by a third hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Getafe and a brace that broke the 0-0 deadlock in a February 21st fixture against Villareal that preceded a 1-0 win over Real Madrid just six days later. Eventually, a hat-trick, followed by a separate brace from Smith in his penultimate La Liga appearance for Atlético Madrid which saw the club notably become the third Spanish side in history to win a season undefeated as they were soon crowned La Liga champions for a record-breaking third consecutive time while also setting the record for the most points accumulated in a La Liga season with a grand total of 106 points during which the club won thirty-four matches while only drawing four and sustaining zero defeats in the process. In the meantime, the club also won the Copa del Rey that season, defeating Barcelona 4-1 in the finals courtesy of a brace from Smith who also scored a consequential goal in the quarter-finals that resulted in a subsequent 5-3 win on penalties over Celta Vigo which preceded a 4-2 win on penalties in the semi-finals over Sevilla. Moreover, in the UEFA Champions League, a 5-0 demolition of PSV Eindhoven in the quarter-finals, followed by 3-2 and 4-2 wins over Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, soon culminated in a 4-1 win over rivals and La Liga giants Real Madrid where Smith, in his final appearance for the club, scored a decisive 51th-minute hat-trick to deliver a record-breaking fifth consecutive UEFA Champions League title for Atlético Madrid, a feat it shares with Real Madrid, while also notably becoming the first Spanish side to achieve a domestic treble which the club later upgraded to a historic sextuple through a 3-0 win over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, a 4-0 victory over Kashima Antlers in the FIFA Club World Cup, and lastly, a dramatic 3-2 win over Barcelona in the Supercopa de España where the club scored thrice in the second leg after initially being two goals down in the first leg to become the first Spanish and just the second European club after Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United to achieve a sextuple. In the midst of this, despite having officially left the club after their record-breaking fifth consecutive UEFA Champions League glory, Smith was later awarded a winner's medal by manager Diego Simeone for the club's subsequent triumphs in his absence, thereby making him the only player to have officially achieved a sextuple with two different clubs. Moreover, in a major personal milestone, his hat-trick against Real Madrid in the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final marked Smith's official 400th goal for the club, becoming the only player to achieve such a feat in the club's history.

"Without a doubt, Real Madrid can say they have Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona can say they have Lionel Messi. In the end, we had William Smith, and judging by our successes and the sextuple, we were the lucky ones and the others couldn't necessarily say the same"

Atlético Madrid captain Koke on Smith's impact at the club

By the time he departed the club, having scored 241 goals in 208 appearances, Smith had officially become the all-time goalscorer for Atlético Madrid, surpassing the previous record of 172 goals by Luis Aragonés, whom Smith subsequently paid a personal tribute to upon breaking the latter's goalscoring record, stating, "As great as I could have been in my five years at the club, there is surely no one better than the one and only Luis Aragonés". In the meantime, his total goal tally also notably makes him La Liga's fourth-highest all-time goalscorer, becoming the only English or American player to be included in the top ten in a list mostly dominated by Spanish players and led in the top two by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively. Among club supporters, Smith is popularly known by the nickname of "San Guillermo" ("Saint William") as a tribute to his extraordinary successes with the club similar to how former longtime Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas is popularly known as "San Iker" ("Saint Iker") among the club's fans. Otherwise, among his teammates, Smith was often reportedly referred to by the nickname of "El Capitán" as a sign of endearment and respect especially from younger players.

Later on, in his 2019 autobiography Why I Kicked The Ball, Smith revealed that just prior to his move to Atlético Madrid, he was initially asked by Manchester United chairman Avram Glazer to agree to a world-record transfer fee to La Liga giants Real Madrid whose president Florentino Pérez had reportedly submitted a lucrative and record-breaking fee in order to acquire the former's services at the club just a year after the club had also bought Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in a similar record-breaking transfer. However, having personally found himself attracted to Atlético Madrid's "underdog" status while otherwise finding Real Madrid's dominant status in the La Liga "terribly boring", Smith instead opted for the "underdog" club which subsequently signed him on a world-record transfer fee to much success in the years that followed. In the meantime, it was also revealed that fellow England international David Beckham also once attempted to convince Smith to return to Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy in a move that would have seen him reunite with his boyhood club while also joining the likes of Beckham himself and former USMNT teammates Landon Donovan and Gregg Berhalter. Ultimately, such a move never actually materialised with Smith later stating in his autobiography, "Without a doubt, the sentimental value behind it was truly undeniable and would have probably actually convinced me to return but at the same time I felt that my time in European football isn't over yet and so, as sweet as it would have been for me to come back at that moment, I still had a lot of unfinished business and I intend to finish all that before I ever return". However, despite apparent suggestions of him returning to his boyhood club of LA Galaxy, Smith officially retired from professional football outright after concluding a historically successful season with Atlético Madrid. Nonetheless, on 22 & 26 November 2019, a two-legged exhibition match was held between Los Angeles' two rival Major League Soccer clubs LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. Attended by Smith himself along with various celebrities, the ultimately goalless two-legged occasion ended in a narrow 4-3 win on penalties for LA Galaxy whose midfielder Sebastian Lletget scored the winning penalty shortly after Danilo Silva's unsuccessful attempt in a contest that saw several unsuccessful penalty attempts including one from the celebrated Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimović early on.

International Career

United States U-20

The National Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, which hosted the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship Final between the United States and Japan. The United States later won the match 1-0 via a tiebreaking goal from Smith in the 76th minute

In 1999, two years into his career as a professional footballer for LA Galaxy, Smith, by virtue of his fast-rising popularity and talent, was called up for the under-20 national team, with the national call-up proving vital in exposing Smith to his first-ever international tournament, namely the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria. It was later reported that the callup, at least initially, was opposed by Smith's mother, the actress Jaclyn Smith, who was said to have been personally concerned for her son's wellbeing in such a foreign country at a relatively young age. Ultimately, repeated assurances that the twenty-year-old Smith's well-being would be well taken care of, coupled with Smith's own personal insistence on participating in the tournament, eventually gave way to the national team call-up.

Soon enough, having been grouped with the likes of England, Japan, and Cameroon, Smith quickly made his mark for the national team by scoring a brace in the first group stage match against England although this was then followed by a 1-3 defeat to Japan. However, in what would be a vital match towards securing qualification to the knockout stages, Smith went on to score his first hat-trick for the United States against Cameroon in a 6-0 win. Not long afterwards, a late 93rd-minute goal from Smith proved vital in avoiding a narrow 2-3 defeat to Spain in the round of 16 following which the United States proceeded to defeat the Spaniards 4-1 on penalties to advance to the quarter-finals. Then, after scoring two goals to complete a narrow 3-2 victory over hosts Nigeria in the quarter-finals, Smith scored his second hat-trick for the United States to complete a dominant 6-0 win over Mali in the ensuing semi-finals, thereby allowing them to progress to the finals where they faced Japan. In this, after a relatively long period which saw both the United States and Japan unsuccessfully attempt to score against the other, at precisely the 76th minute, Smith, shortly after having dribbled past several Japanese players, proceeded to unleash a powerful long-range shot from just outside of the penalty area, giving the United States a vital breakthrough in the closing minutes of the game amidst subsequent unsuccessful attempts by Japan to equalise the scoreline. Soon enough, having personally contributed to the United States' first-ever FIFA World Youth Championship title with his tiebreaking goal in the finals, Smith's profile as a relatively unknown soccer player immediately rose to an unprecedented high with some media outlets gradually beginning to tout Smith as a "future World Cup winner" especially so given that just a year prior the United States suffered a humiliating exit in the group stages of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Later on, Smith publicly spoke of the effects caused by the rapid rise in his profile as a soccer player, adding that his talents and early successes, which then led to expectations of him being a potential World Cup winner, "troubled" him early on, stating, "By chance, at just twenty years old, I somehow now have almost the entire country on my shoulders begging me to somehow create the ultimate miracle and win the World Cup against all the odds. Undoubtedly, that really stressed and terrified a lot because if I did succeed then I'd be a living legend of the sorts but what if I fail and all those extremely high expectations go to waste? It's safe to say that I probably can't even go to the closest grocery store without someone reminding me of it". In this, Smith has credited his "very loving" and "extensively supportive" family members in helping him overcome his "darkest days", stating, "In an alternate universe, I could've been long dead from a drug overdose or the sort like Michael Jackson but fortunately, owing to all the things my family did to help me through it all, I'm now well alive and kicking and enjoying the best things that my life has to offer so far". In addition, despite having parted ways, Smith nonetheless thanked his former romantic partner, Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bündchen, for helping him through said years, with the former England forward stating, "At that point, we were both rather uneasy and having some issues with our own respective lives. Luckily, we found each other and instead of just simply spiraling out of control, we both knew that we had each other's backs and would do our best to see through each other's problems so that by the end of it we would both be content and at peace with ourselves and where we both are as a couple. For me, if I didn't have someone back then to lie down on and to talk about things in an honest and straightforward way, I don't really know where I'll even be right now".

United States

"As ridiculous as it might sound, he was our star, our captain, our engine, and our everything."

Former head coach Bruce Arena on Smith's time at the USMNT

In the following year, by then a talent-proven soccer player in the Major League Soccer scene, and most recently, the winner of the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, Smith was officially called up for his first-ever international duty as part of the United States national team, with then-manager Bruce Arena hoping to utilise the young and rising soccer star as the national team's primary goalscorer in future competitive matches, especially in light of the upcoming 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. On 16 January 2000, Smith made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against Iran, where following an initial 1-1 deadlock between the two sides, Smith proceeded to score two goals throughout the course of the second half, ultimately giving the United States a 3-1 win over their Iranian opponents. Then, around a month later, for the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, Smith, who initially did not score in the first two matches against Haiti and Peru respectively, went on to score a hat-trick, his first-ever for the United States' senior team, in the quarter-final match against Colombia, allowing the United States to break the initial 2-2 deadlock and therefore achieve a resounding 5-2 victory. This was soon followed by a heavy 4-0 demolition of Peru in the semi-finals, in which Smith otherwise scored only one goal to add on to the other three goals by his teammates. In the end, a brace from Smith in the final match against Canada, whose initial 1-0 lead was consequently overturned as a result, proved to be the decisive factor that awarded the United States their second CONCACAF Gold Cup title. Then, just a year later, as a regular starter for the United States, Smith famously contributed two consecutive hat-tricks in the knockout stages to demolish both France and Japan 5-0 and 5-1 respectively, allowing the United States to also win their first-ever FIFA Confederations Cup tournament. Soon enough, with a year left until the upcoming World Cup tournament, Smith was named the United States' new team captain, becoming the youngest-ever American captain in history at just twenty-two.

The Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, which hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final and which saw the United States achieve a historic 5-0 win over Brazil to lift their first and only World Cup title to date

In the following year of 2002, Smith saw further success when the United States went on to win their second consecutive CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, defeating Costa Rica in the finals by an impressive 5-0 margin thanks to a hat-trick from Smith himself following a previous 0-0 tie with Canada in the semi-finals that was later settled on penalties. Soon enough, for the group stage matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Smith became a regular presence for the United States, scoring twice in a 5-2 win over Portugal and a crucial goal in a 1-1 draw with South Korea thereby allowing the Americans to advance to the knockout stages despite a subsequent 1-3 loss to Poland. In the ensuing round of 16, Smith provided one additional goal to complete a 3-0 rout of Mexico before following it up with a crucial hat-trick to complete a remarkable 3-1 win over Germany thereby allowing them to progress further to the semi-finals for just the second time in almost seventy years where the United States dealt co-hosts South Korea a heavy 5-2 defeat to then reach a World Cup final for the first time ever. In this, Smith's individual brilliance, coupled with rigid and resolute defending from the American backline in an effective 4-4-2 counter-attacking system, saw the United States achieve a historic 5-0 victory over a star-studded Brazil national team consisting of the likes of goalkeeper Marcos, defenders Cafu and Roberto Carlos, midfielders Rivaldo and Kaká, and forwards Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, in what later came to be nicknamed by Brazilians as the "Desastre de Yokohama" (English: "Yokohama Disaster") given the heavy-handed and unexpected nature of their national team's defeat while American supporters otherwise came to refer to it as the "June 30th Miracle", a term that was even echoed by then-manager Bruce Arena who later said during the post-match press conference, "Under normal circumstances, with the players that Brazil had fielded, we definitely didn't stand a chance but this turns out to be not a normal match at all and by all means, we certainly did a miracle here that everyone will remember for generations". Most significantly, this marks the first and only time to date that the United States, as the first and only CONCACAF member state to do so, has ever won a World Cup trophy since they first participated in the tournament in its inaugural 1930 edition where they finished in third place behind Uruguay and Argentina, their highest-ever finish in the tournament prior to their victory in the 2002 edition. In the meantime, his 75th-minute hat-trick saw Smith become just the second player after England's Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final as well as the only American player to do so in what was the country's only appearance to date in a World Cup final.

Shortly afterwards, despite later suddenly announcing that the 2002 FIFA World Cup would be his first and only World Cup tournament with the United States, an announcement that quickly caught many by surprise, Smith continued to remain with the national team for another year to then successfully guide it to a first-place finish at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in which a hat-trick from the former in the finals saw the United States deliver a 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica, who beforehand had recorded an unexpected 3-0 victory over France in the semi-finals, thereby securing a second consecutive win in the FIFA Confederations Cup, with the United States itself becoming the first nation to win the tournament twice in a row, followed by Brazil afterwards. In the end, amidst much speculation and expectation that he would retire from the United States national team, Smith announced his much-anticipated departure that would precede a subsequent move to England the following year. Since then, the somewhat abrupt nature of Smith's retirement from the national team, that is at the mere age of twenty-five, coupled with the fact that the national team itself would never go on to win another World Cup or reach the same heights as they previously did, has led many American sports commentators to describe it as a "watershed moment" for the United States national team who had effectively lost their star player right after a major and historic triumph. Evidently, former LA Galaxy and United States teammate Cobi Jones later remarked, "Without a doubt, he (Smith) was one of or if not the best soccer player I've ever played with in my entire life and it was truly a loss to see him go so soon especially when it became clear that we needed him so much later on". Since then, the United States has failed to progress beyond the round of 16 in subsequent editions during which they were twice eliminated in the group stages in 2006 and 2022.

For his success at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Smith, along with other players in the national team, were each awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a lavish state dinner by then-President George W. Bush although Smith himself later chose to personally return the award given to him following the controversial US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, reportedly as a sign of protest against the country's role in the invasion. Nonetheless, he would later be awarded the medal a second time in 2016, this time by then-President Barack Obama, shortly after his retirement from professional football that year. In that same year, a bronze statue of Smith was erected in his honour in front of the United States Soccer Federation headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Moreover, American supporters and fans are known to have famously nicknamed Smith "Captain America" in recognition of his success with the national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup coupled with his pre-eminent status in the American soccer scene as perhaps its most talented and most successful player ever with no other American soccer player in history capable of equalising the former in terms of success and recognition, a view shared by former soccer player Cobi Jones who remarked, "The truth is that there were eleven of us that won the World Cup that year but as it would happen only one will be remembered for generations to come by almost everyone around the world".

Former USMNT manager Bruce Arena at the 2002 FIFA World Cup where he led the country to its first-ever World Cup title

In a 2015 interview with CNN, former United States head coach Bruce Arena revealed that shortly prior to Smith's departure for England, he, along with then-president of the United States Soccer Federation Robert Contiguglia painstakingly tried to convince the World Cup-winning striker to remain with the United States for the foreseeable future given the uncertainties around the national team's immediate feature but to no avail in an effort that reportedly included various financial bonuses as well as a luxurious set of accommodations reportedly ranging from a mansion in Los Angeles to a personal driver for Smith himself. Ultimately, Arena revealed that Smith "really wanted to leave and not because he didn't necessarily enjoy winning the World Cup for the United States but because he wanted to be closer to his father in the United Kingdom and that meant being part of the England team itself so that he doesn't have to needlessly travel back and forth for international training". On the other hand, during an interview with Sky Sports in 2018, Smith revealed that he "absolutely had no intention of staying with neither LA Galaxy nor with the United States forever", stating, "From the beginning, thanks to what I've learned about football from my father, I've always wanted to play for Manchester United, a club with so much history and a long list of silverware to speak of. To that end, when I first joined LA Galaxy, I knew from the start that I was not going to be there forever but eventually at Manchester United for which I sought to be the best I could playing football in a country where it's not even the national sport". Meanwhile, on his switch from the United States to England, Smith remarked, "When I would later win a World Cup, I want the person holding it with me in celebration to not be some random politician who I probably didn't even vote for but rather my one and very own father who was the primary reason as to why I even started playing football in the first place". Despite this, Smith has since spoke positively of his time with the United States, stating that the feat of winning a World Cup with an "underdog" country was an "undoubtedly memorable experience" and also one that he personally sees as "one of the biggest achievements in my entire life".

2002 Ballon d'Or eligibility controversy

"Regardless of where the player comes from or where he plays football, if he scored a hat-trick against Brazil in a World Cup final, he absolutely deserved the award (Ballon d'Or) without question."

Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldo on Smith winning the Ballon d'Or in 2002

Around November 2002, following his historic success with the United States national team at the World Cup tournament just several months prior, controversy ensued when Smith, who was then playing for a North American side, was reportedly nominated for the Ballon d'Or award that same year so as to honour his achievement of winning the United States' first-ever World Cup title. Almost immediately, given that the award itself normally featured players who were playing at top European clubs, Smith's nomination soon sparked a great debate among the award's organisers who were divided on whether to allow a player from the recently-established Major League Soccer to ever win the award, given the league's drastically young age compared to its European counterparts hence leading to questions over the league's level of professionalism and the overall quality of its players, to which supporters replied by pointing to Smith's remarkable performance with the United States that even managed to defeat heavyweights Brazil 5-0 in the finals owing to a memorable hat-trick by Smith himself.

Eventually, amidst allegations that Smith, purely due to the nature of the league that he was playing in, was "robbed" of the award that he seemingly deserved, coupled with public support and threats of boycott from fellow nominees Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, with the former pledging to give the award to Smith should he win the award himself, France Football, which has presented the award since its inception in 1956, announced that players from Major League Soccer, provided that they are deemed "worthy enough" for the award, would be eligible to win the award if nominated. Subsequently, Smith later received the award as expected that year, making him the first and only American player to ever win the award. In response, both Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos expressed much support and positive sentiment towards Smith's win, with Ronaldo later stating in a 2015 interview with Sky Sports, "Regardless of where the player comes from or where he plays football, if he scored a hat-trick against Brazil in a World Cup final, he absolutely deserved the award (Ballon d'Or) without question".

England

"If I was going to win a World Cup, I want it to be with my own father who will celebrate with me on the stage when it's over and not with some random politician that I probably didn't even vote for."

Smith on his decision to switch his international allegiance from the United States to England

In early 2004, shortly after he had signed for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, Smith, who by then was carrying a recent reputation as the winner of the 2002 FIFA World Cup during which he famously led the United States to an infamous 5-0 victory over football giants Brazil in the finals, quickly caught the attention of then-England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who has previously seen his England side exit that same World Cup tournament in the quarter-finals beforehand, was said to have been "extremely jubilant than ever" upon learning of Smith's arrival in England and his departure from the United States national team. To that end, Eriksson then promptly had England and Manchester United midfielder David Beckham approach Smith so as to convince him to agree to a call-up for the national team, which Beckham did so shortly after catching sight of the latter at a January 2004 friendly match against Bolton Wanderers. Almost immediately, the meeting proved to be an instant success, with Smith later making his debut for the England in a friendly match on 18 February 2004 against Portugal, an occasion in which Smith himself did not actually score a goal. However, he soon made his impact for England when in an ensuing friendly match against Sweden, Smith personally orchestrated a dramatic comeback to overcome Sweden's initial 1-0 lead by scoring two goals in the second half to ultimately conclude the fixture in England's favour with a final 2-1 win.

Then, following a three-month-long break, Smith soon returned to England where for the following group stage matches of the UEFA Euro 2004, he first scored a brace in the match against France, allowing England to manage a successful comeback and deal a 3-2 defeat to their opponents, before following it up with two consecutive hat-tricks against Switzerland and Croatia respectively, them being his first two hat-tricks for England. Once more, in the round of 16 fixture against Portugal, Smith's late 116th-minute goal, which came around just a minute after an earlier goal by Frank Lampard, proved vital in breaking the 2-2 deadlock, thereby avoiding an ensuing penalty shootout whilst allowing England to progress to the quarter-finals to meet the Netherlands to whom they narrowly lost 2-3. However, despite this setback, when later asked by a BBC journalist over his feelings about the defeat, Smith famously replied, "It's alright, I'm just getting started", to which several British media outlets promptly highlighted Smith's "unfazedness" at his national team's defeat with The Guardian stating, "At just twenty-five years old, the young World Cup winner seems completely undisturbed and otherwise ever-more motivated by this recent setback not least with the chance for another World Cup glory just four years after his first one that undoubtedly proved a historic and memorable moment for all and especially for England waiting for World Cup glory for over four decades".

The Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, where England defeated Italy 5-2 to win their first World Cup title in forty years

Despite the Euros setback, in anticipation of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Smith, a guaranteed regular starter under manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who also appointed him as the new England captain, succeeding David Beckham in that position, quickly proved his worth via a series of goals scored in the qualifying campaign for the upcoming World Cup tournament where almost all of their opponents, save for Northern Ireland, to whom England narrowly lost 0-1, were comfortably defeated each time by comfortable margins. Similarly, in the following group stage matches on June 2006, England, grouped alongside Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sweden, easily managed their qualification to the knockout stages with victories against both Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, while a fixture with Sweden ended in a 2-2 draw, with Joe Cole and Steven Gerrard providing the two England goals. Then, in the following round of 16, England comfortably managed a resounding 4-0 victory over Ecuador, with Smith himself providing his first hat-trick for the national team in the match. However, a 0-0 draw with Portugal in the following quarter-final match almost saw England's journey at the tournament cut short before a remarkable performance by goalkeeper Paul Robinson during the subsequent penalty shootouts saw England progress to the semi-finals with a final 4-2 win over their opponents. Following this, Smith went on to provide two decisive goals in the semi-final match against France, before later adding two goals of his own to complete a 5-2 rout of Italy in the finals, thereby securing England their second World Cup title in history while also ending a forty-year-long trophy drought since their first World Cup triumph in 1966 for which he was then appropriately awarded both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards. Moreover, Smith also personally gained fame for being the first player to win a World Cup for two different countries as well as the second to win two consecutive World Cup trophies after former Brazilian footballer Pelé.

Meanwhile, shortly after the final whistle was blown, Smith himself led a giant impromptu "concert" including both England players and supporters at the Olympiastadion that featured two particular songs namely "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" by the English rock band Queen. Later, when asked about his motive behind the impromptu performance, Smith replied, "When I was about ten years old or so, my dad, a big and massive fan of Queen, knew well that his oldest son wanted to play football and represent England at the World Cup one day when he grew up. For that, he recommended and taught me those two songs almost every month so I'll never forget them when the time comes because to him those two are not just the songs of victory but the songs of England's victory on the world stage". The performance, which was mostly unplanned and spontaneous in nature, was widely received and became the subject of international media coverage with The Guardian describing it as a "one-of-a-kind football spectacle" while the BBC hailed it as "the most memorable end to a World Cup in history". Following this, the gesture was later observed again during England's subsequent victories with the most notable instance being at the UEFA Euro 2020 Final in which England players and supporters performed the gesture after defeating Spain 3-0 at Wembley Stadium, London.

The Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, Austria, where England defeated Germany 4-2 to win their first-ever European title in just two years after their first World Cup title in forty years

In 2008, just two years after their historic World Cup triumph, England, now led by none other than Smith himself as captain and Sven-Göran Eriksson as manager, saw further success in the UEFA Euro 2008, where after being initially grouped alongside the likes of Spain, Sweden, and Greece, England, thanks to a resouding 5-3 victory over Spain, a similarly big 4-1 victory over Greece, and a narrow 1-0 win over Sweden, easily progressed to the following knockout stage, where in the following quarter-final match, thanks to a hat-trick by Smith, England comfortably defeated their Dutch opponents 5-3 to meet Spain once more in the semi-finals, who they then defeated 5-2 with Smith himself contributing a vital hat-trick to break the 2-2 deadlock. Eventually, in the final match against Germany, who initially appeared dominant in the first half with goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Christoph Metzelder respectively giving them an initial 2-0 lead, was ultimately defeated by a dramatic comeback from England in the second half, in which Smith's hat-trick, along with an additional goal by midfielder James Milner allowed England to overcome their two-goal deficit and ultimately win the tournament outright 4-2, and therefore, the country's first-ever UEFA European Championship title in what was then heavily compared to England's inaugural World Cup glory where they defeated West Germany 4-2 to win their first World Cup title. The following year, as team captain, Smith guided England to a second-place finish at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa where following a 6-4 victory over Germany in the semi-finals, a 1-3 defeat to Brazil in the finals forced England to settle for a second-place finish instead.

England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard whose infamous "ghost goal" in the round of 16 against Germany was erroneously denied by the referee amidst claims pointing to the contrary. England later went on to win the match 7-6 on penalties following a 4-4 draw courtesy of a hat-trick from Smith

Two years later, coming off their recent World Cup and UEFA European Championship triumphs, and despite some challenge in the group stages against the likes of the United States, Algeria, and Slovenia, England proved quick to secure qualification to the knockout stages, winning against all except the United States where the two sides drew 1-1 in what was a reunion between Smith and former compatriot Landon Donovan but on opposite teams. In the following round of 16 fixture against Germany, which notably saw Frank Lampard's infamous "ghost goal" controversially disallowed by the referee, Smith established himself as one of the tournament's most memorable players when he later scored a decisive hat-trick in the 87th minute that effectively nullified the initial 4-1 lead the Germans had previously enjoyed to then bring the match to a penalty shootout which England ultimately won 7-6 in what was later popularly referred to as the "Bloemfontein Miracle" in reference to the city that the match had taken place. A subsequent brace from Smith soon added to a resounding 4-0 victory that knocked out Argentina in the quarter-finals which he then followed up on with a crucial assist in the semi-finals where England defeated Spain 2-0 to advance to the finals for the second consecutive time where Smith went on to score yet another brace to mark England's dominant 5-0 win over the Netherlands. Consequently, along with Brazil and Italy, England became just one of three nations to have ever won two World Cups in a row. Meanwhile, in the following year, Smith also captained England to a third-place finish at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, where a narrow 1-2 loss to Mexico in the semi-finals saw England successfully rebound to then deal Uruguay a heavy 4-0 defeat in the third-place playoffs, thereby securing a third-place finish in the tournament.

The Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which saw England defeat Argentina 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in what was famously called the "Falklands derby" in reference to the Falklands War conflict between the two countries that lasted from 1982 to 1984

Following their success in the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, England, which Smith would come to captain for one final time, saw themselves managing to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil. For the tournament, England found itself grouped with the likes of Italy, Uruguay, and Costa Rica. Subsequently, victories against Italy and Uruguay, despite a subsequent 0-0 draw with Costa Rica, saw the national team progress further to the knockout stages, with their first opponent being Colombia in the round of 16, against who England initially managed a narrow 7-6 win via penalty shootouts following an initial 2-2 draw with their opponents. Following this, the national team then faced hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals, who they proceeded to deal a crushing 5-1 victory, with Smith himself scoring a hat-trick for England at the 88th minute. For the ensuing semi-finals fixture against Germany, the two sides initially found themselves tied 1-1 after an early Wayne Rooney goal was then equalised by a second-half goal from Miroslav Klose afterwards until a 65th-minute goal from Smith proved to be the essential tiebreaker, thereby allowing them to progress to the finals to face Argentina where following a 53rd-minute goal from Smith and a 79th-minute counter-goal from Enzo Pérez, the two sides subsequently faced one another in a penalty shootout that England ultimately won it 4-2 to secure a record-breaking third consecutive World Cup title. Shortly after the tournament concluded, Smith soon announced his retirement from international football while also clarifying that although he would continue to play at the club level for two more years he would otherwise not seek to participate in the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 with the World Cup that year itself being his last ever for England and which he had intended to be his "last hurrah". In his absence, England were later defeated 0-1 by hosts France in the quarter-finals after having previously annihilated Iceland 5-0 in the round of 16 thereby resulting in the resignation of longtime head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson shortly afterwards following an almost fifteen years long tenure, the longest of any England managers. Regardless, Eriksson's immediate successor Sir Gareth Southgate went on to achieve much success afterwards, becoming just the second English manager after the late Sir Alf Ramsey to win the World Cup and notably the first English manager to win the UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.

With a total of 109 goals scored during his time with the United States in 64 appearances, Smith is the country's all-time goalscorer. Meanwhile, his 160 goals also make him England's all-time goalscorer as well as its sixth-most-capped player with 124 appearances. Moreover, Smith is the only player to have scored more than a hundred international goals be it for either the United States or England respectively. In this, he also holds the special distinction of being the all-time goalscorer for two football confederations namely UEFA with England and CONCACAF with the United States.

Great Britain national football team

Former English player and manager Stuart Pearce, who managed the Great Britain's football team at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Following the United Kingdom's successful bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, which would take place in the capital city of London, in the months leading up to the event, Smith, owing to his largely successful track record with England, was quickly touted as a likely candidate for selection to the Great Britain men's Olympic football team. However, on December 2011, in light of the impending UEFA Euro 2012 tournament that same year, it was announced by The Football Association that none of the players chosen for the England squad for the tournament would be chosen for Great Britain as well in order to reduce potential player fatigue caused by the relatively short twenty-day gap between the end of the Euro 2012 tournament and the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Consequently, the potential omission of Smith from the final Great Britain lineup proved to be a source of great controversy with pundit Gary Lineker bemoaning the "missed opportunity for Britain to display perhaps their greatest footballer ever not just at the World Cup but also at the Olympics, an international event that is of much similar prestige and visibility". Despite this, some otherwise defended the decision to omit Smith from the Olympics, citing the obvious issue of player fatigue and fixture congestion, with then-Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt stating, "As delightful it would have been for Mr. Smith to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, we cannot absolutely forget that he also has his own duties for England in the World Cup and Euros, ones that are perhaps more important by comparison". However, Stuart Pearce, the head coach appointed to manage Great Britain at the ensuing Olympics, said that Smith's inclusion, in spite of the risks and worries, "remains a possibility", adding, "Clearly, even getting a player onboard, especially one like Smith, is not an easy task with many factors at hand to consider. Ultimately, the final decision will be made after a few rounds of quick and productive talks that will help clarify the situation and put it to rest for good".

Eventually, during a February 2012 interview with Sky Sports, Smith revealed that he had been officially chosen for and is expected to captain the Great Britain national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, stating, "Without a doubt, there's the real issue of player fatigue and all that but for me, I have yet to personally experience that fatigue myself, meaning that even if it takes place just twenty days after another major tournament, I'll be ready to show the world a familiar face and the style of football that everyone has come to know and love me for". On 26 July 2012, Smith soon made his debut for Great Britain in a group stage match against Senegal at Old Trafford which ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw following a late 82nd-minute equaliser by Moussa Konaté. Nonetheless, in the following group stage match against the United Arab Emirates at Wembley Stadium, Smith went on to score his first and only hat-trick for Great Britain to seal a commanding 6-1 victory over the Emiratis before proceeding to score a brace in the third and final group stage fixture against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium which saw the match end in a 3-0 win for Great Britain. Then, in the ensuing quarter-final match against South Korea, Smith scored a decisive 46th-minute tiebreaking goal shortly into the second half, allowing Great Britain to reach the semi-finals via a narrow 2-1 win in which Smith, together with Neil Taylor and Ryan Bertrand helped deliver a crushing 5-0 win over Brazil, thus qualifying them further to the finals where they proceeded to defeat Mexico 2-0 to win the tournament outright with Smith personally adding a 40th-minute goal onto a previous 32nd-minute goal by teammate Aaron Ramsey to deliver Great Britain's 2-0 victory in the finals. In the end, with a total of nine goals scored, Smith finished as the tournament's top scorer while his performance, described by the BBC as "classy and brilliant as always", was mostly met with a positive reception by many with Gary Lineker jokingly calling Smith "Great Britain's ultimate cheat code at the Olympics" while The Guardian hailed him as the 2012 Summer Olympics' "grand performer". Meanwhile, on his part, Smith remarked, "Some will say I should've done it and some will say I shouldn't have done it but at the end of the day I gave the fans what they wanted and frankly speaking I feel great!".

Post-Retirement

Ultra Ballon d'Or

On 11 May 2019, in honour of his 40th birthday, France Football, in recognition of his "outstanding and one-of-a-kind achievement in football", exclusively awarded Smith the Ultra Ballon d'Or, a one-off prize considered to be more prestigious than the standard Ballon d'Or (of which he currently has ten) and even the equally rare Super Ballon d'Or awarded to Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano who was notably crucial in establishing the club's dominance both domestically and abroad throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Featuring a gold-laden ball on top of a gold-laden vase with four outstretched "arms" covering the ball and which symbolically represents Smith's four record-breaking World Cup trophies, the award has since been in his private possession along with his other footballing honours.

Around September 2021, several media outlets reported that Smith had personally acquired the prestigious Super Ballon d'Or formerly belonging to Alfredo Di Stefano whose children opted to sell the late Argentine footballer's memorabilia with the Super Ballon d'Or, among other things, ended up being bought by an anonymous buyer during an auction event. In response, while neither confirming nor denying his rumoured ownership of the award, Smith remarked, "Wherever it is now, I dare say that an award of such incomparable prestige and status is currently in the hands of someone who deserves it the most among many others". On the other hand, one of Di Stefano's children, in an interview with Marca, appeared to subtly suggest that Smith is indeed in possession of the award, stating, "Of course, out of principle, I won't say who actually bought it but the person who did was very special and who, by all means, really deserves to own it now".

Football Honours

In the aftermath of his retirement from football, The Football Association announced that the FA Community Shield, beginning from the 2015 edition, would instead feature Smith's own name on the trophy similar to that of the Johan Cruyff Shield in the Netherlands. To that end, the first edition since the rebranding was contested between Premier League winners Chelsea and FA Cup winners Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, London, with Arsenal ultimately winning it 1-0 via a 24th-minute goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Meanwhile, on 16 September 2017, as a respected ex-player of Atlético Madrid, Smith personally attended the first match held at the club's new stadium Estadio de los Santos (English: Stadium of Saints) in which Atlético Madrid defeated Málaga 1-0 via a lone goal from Antoine Griezmann to commemorate the opening of their new home ground. In addition, a bronze statue depicting the two was also unveiled at the entrance to the stadium as a tribute to the duo's hugely successful collective effort in establishing Atlético Madrid as a true fighting force in La Liga against the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Meanwhile, on 30 August 2020, in commemorating the tenth anniversary of his first match for Atlético Madrid, the club further named him "Life President" with club president Enrique Cerezo stating, "For much of its existence, none other than William Smith have proven to be an unquestionably consequential and important player in delivering some of the club's greatest successes for which it is only right that he should be honoured with an extremely rare appointment of the kind". The occasion, held remotely via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions, saw the attendance of the club's president and chief executive officer Enrique Cerezo and Miguel Ángel Gil Marín as well as current and several former Atlético Madrid players with Smith himself being the event's guest of honour.

On 22 July 2016, a testimonial match between two of Smith's former clubs Atlético Madrid and Manchester United was held at the Michigan Stadium in Michigan, United States. Intended to commemorate the former striker's contributions to both football clubs, the match recorded an official attendance of 109,614 spectators, a new record crowd for a soccer match in the United States, having surpassed the previous record of 109,318 spectators that attended the 2014 International Champions Cup match between Real Madrid and Manchester United on 2 August 2014. Meanwhile, in addition to the record crowd, the match also saw the attendance of various celebrities including David Beckham, Serena Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, former soccer players Landon Donovan, Alexi Lalas, Claudio Reyna, as well as US President Barack Obama while Smith, together with his wife and children, attended the match as guests of honour. Kicking off at 9:30 a.m., the match first saw Atlético Madrid initially take the lead in the 3rd minute via a goal from striker Kevin Gameiro before Manchester United right-back Antonio Valencia then scored an equalising goal just a minute later to level the score. Then, an own-goal in the 20th minute by midfielder Yannick Carrasco saw Manchester United instead take the lead for the first time but not before Atlético Madrid later equalised with a goal in the 27th minute from striker Antoine Griezmann with assistance from Carrasco himself after which the Spanish club proceeded to break the deadlock and establish a 3-2 lead to conclude the first half with a goal in the 39th minute from center-back Diego Godín with assistance from attacking midfielder Nicolás Gaitán. Then, in the ensuing second half, Gaitán provided yet another assist for a 53rd-minute goal from Carrasco to make it 4-2 while a goal from left-back Filipe Luís with the assistance of right-back Juanfran in the 60th-minute saw Atlético Madrid make it 5-2 which remained that way until the end of the match and ending in a firm victory for Atlético Madrid whose midfielder Nicolás Gaitán was later named player of the match. In the end, the testimonial match itself successfully raised an estimated total of $22 million in revenue with the vast majority of it going to charity.

On May 2019, in honour of his 40th birthday, Smith was made an honorary field marshal in the United Kingdom's British Army. The gesture, a first for a former athlete, was reportedly done in reference to his most popular nickname of "The General" among football fans and supporters who began using the nickname in reference to Smith's exemplary leadership as captain for both club and country particularly in reference to his commanding presence and ability to inspire a team under any circumstances. Then, amidst debates over the merit of an ultimately honorary appointment, British Army's Chief of the General Staff General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith defended the honorary promotion, stating, "Ultimately, as everyone knows, it is nothing more than an honorary appointment rather than an actual one which means the British Army will continue to operate as it has been even if a former athlete was made a field marshal or the sort. However, in light of his absolutely outstanding achievements, it is not exactly wrong to say that even for an honorary promotion, such recognition is arguably warranted especially for someone who is rightfully known as 'The General'".

In 2021, along with longtime rival Thierry Henry and the Premier League's all-time goalscorer Alan Shearer, Smith was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, with The Football Association chairman Peter McCormick lauding Smith as the "greatest player in Premier League history with an incomparable goalscoring prowess and an unmatched all-around talent". Similarly, La Liga president Javier Tebas hailed Smith as a "revolutionary player who effectively changed the landscape of La Liga" while United States Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone described Smith as "the greatest player to have ever come from Major League Soccer", adding, "Undoubtedly, all Major League Soccer players, new or old, will be holding themselves to the highest standard in none other than William Smith himself". In this, owing to his American background, ESPN once wrote, "In the United States, where basketball and American football each has its icons in Michael Jordan and Tom Brady, soccer has William Smith as its very own face and icon".

Business Interests

Since his retirement from professional football, with the main stated aim of achieving financial stability post-retirement while also building up his own wealth independent from that of his father's, Smith has embarked on a multitude of business ventures himself, signing various lucrative sponsorship deals with companies including Armani, Mercedes-Benz, and Louis Vuitton. In addition, he is also the founder of his own "exquisite" wine brand named "The King's Drink" which he first launched in 2020 in honour of England's victory in the UEFA Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium, London.

In addition to his various sponsorship deals, Smith has since also acquired a stake as a minority shareholder in several sports clubs including his former club, the La Liga side Atlético Madrid, Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC, National Football League's San Francisco 49ers, National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers, and National Women's Soccer League's Angel City FC.

Honorary Advisor & The FA President

Chloe Smith, Member of Parliament for Norwich North and currently Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport since 2016

Shortly after his retirement, given his overall success and recognition in the sport, Smith was initially considered for the position of an "honorary advisor" to the British government, specifically in matters relating exclusively to sports. However, out of an apparent desire to distance himself from football for some time, such an appointment was rejected by Smith. However, in 2018, it was then announced that Smith had accepted the position of an honorary advisor to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which has been held by Chloe Smith since 2016. In that same year, Smith was also appointed as the new president of The Football Association, replacing his uncle Prince Nelson in that position.

As an honorary advisor to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Smith has largely taken to advise the government on issues concerning sports, primarily football, a sport that he himself is personally connected to. Regarding this, Smith has been a vocal figure for further expansion of access to the sport for both genders, male and female, stating, "As we've come to see in recent years, it's been well proven that both our men's and women's national teams are of winning quality and with the right manager and players can win whatever tournament they seek to. To only prioritise one over the other on the basis of rather dubious or questionable reasons is just criminal and it would be more or less like cutting one's hand off while leaving the other intact which makes absolutely no sense at all and is ultimately self-defeating". Following England Women's back-to-back victory at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, Smith announced the start of a nationwide initiative called "One England" with the primary aims of "ensuring access to football for over 50% and onwards of English boys and girls", "develop productive academy systems for future prospects of both genders", and "achieving as well as maintaining both continental and global success in both men's and women's football". Speaking during the launch of the initiative at the St George's Park, Smith remarked, "From this point onwards, as it should have been, England will strive to and look to ensure its inevitable dominance in football, be it men's or women's, for the sport is now not only played by ome group of people but ultimately by all where in the immediate feature England will be the undisputed masters be it in the men's youth and seniors as well as the women's youth and seniors and essentially all there is to take".

In his capacity as The Football Association president, Smith is known to be a somewhat vocal figure on a number of issues including equal pay and player fatigue, having occasionally proposed several measures and initiatives meant to address both issues respectively. In this regard, Smith has also come to be known for his somewhat confrontational approach with the international governing body of FIFA, who he has at times vocally criticised, especially those relating to the controversial hosting rights awarded to Russia and Qatar for the World Cup, as well as the organisation's decision to expand the size of major international tournaments including the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup which he argued was placing more physical strain on players, especially those who have already played a considerable number of matches at club level. During a 2023 interview with Sky Sports, Smith remarked, "The clear and unmistakable problem with these bloated and glorified expansions is that to some extent these decisions felt like it was about making more money for the executives at the top than it is to rather meaningfully better the game of football itself which is undoubtedly upheld by the tens of players around the world who will now surely be looking at playing a much larger number of physically demanding games or being temporarily excluded from some so as to prevent them from essentially getting hurt from doing too much work than what the human body can take".

In recent years, Smith has also been a vocal figure against what he deemed to be the "oilification" of the Premier League, pointing to the state ownerships of football clubs Manchester City and Newcastle United by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia respectively in which both countries are similarly authoritarian states in the Middle East. In addition, Smith has also spoken against the trend of famous European football stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kanté, Karim Benzema, and Neymar to the Saudi Pro League. Describing the trend as "Chinese Super League 2.0", Smith remarked, "Not too long ago, we saw a particular country trying to jump-start their footballing industry by bringing in big European names often with huge salaries and whatnot. Now, it's clear that such a trend has emerged once again, and unless a sudden miracle arises, it's safe to say that this one will perhaps meet the same impending demise as its predecessor had". In this, Smith has also occasionally criticised the move of perceived young talents to Saudi football including Celta Vigo's Gabri Veiga in which the former echoed German footballer Toni Kroos calling Veiga's move to Saudi club Al-Ahli "embarrassing", stating, "At just twenty-one and even being apparently in the radar of some of Europe's biggest clubs, to even move to some unknown club in a subpar league is just baffling and dare I say idiotic. At around that age, I was already looking to move to Manchester United, my childhood club, and not to some unknown club in China or in this case Saudi Arabia". Meanwhile, during his farewell speech as Tottenham Hotspur head coach, in a subtle reference to state-owned clubs such as Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Newcastle United, Smith publicly warned them to "not make me come back" while pointing to his successes as head coach over both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League which included a 4-1 win over the former in the 2021 finals and a 4-2 win on aggregate over the latter in the 2019-20 semi-finals.

Politics & Social Causes

Ivan Toney, who currently plays as a forward for Premier League club Brentford. As of present, he is currently suspended by The Football Association for gambling offences

A vocal environmentalist, Smith has been an advocate of a "green market economy", supporting "eco-friendly" alternatives such as nuclear energy as well as electronic vehicles (EVs), the latter for which he has also advocated for mass commercialisation so as to lessen its traditionally expensive and luxurious status and therefore make it generally affordable for many, stating, "Just as how there are luxurious cars as well as the standard affordable ones running on gasoline, electric cars should also be the same way and not a strictly luxurious commodity for the ultra-rich but rather for all who will stand to benefit much in the future from acquiring it". In the meantime, Smith has also vocally expressed support for "cheap but effective" public transport as well as being in favour of nuclear energy, stating in a 2019 interview, "By pure logic, it is a bit weird that the United Kingdom, one of the world's major nuclear powers, is not seemingly exploiting its status for non-military purposes. After all, nuclear energy is obviously not just for bombing cities but to also power them more effectively than traditional energy sources". Since 2016, Smith has been a registered party member of the Liberal Democrats and has also actively supported the ultimately successful Remain campaign in favour of the United Kingdom remaining within the European Union. Regardless, in spite of his party affiliation, Smith is said to be "close friends" with former Conservative prime minister David Cameron whom he once referred to as "a close friend of mine named David but not the one who plays football".

Around May 2023, in response to a temporary ban imposed on English footballer and Brentford forward Ivan Toney by authorities on several counts of rule-breaking betting, Smith has vocally advocated for a "complete purge" of gambling-related entities from football, particularly Sky Bet which has been the main sponsor for the EFL Championship, stating, "Admittedly, the Championship might not be as prestigious as the Premier League but that's not exactly and should not be the sole reason as to why a different company not related to gambling at all could not be chosen as the new sponsor". Pointing to the sponsorship of the Ligue 2 and Serie B leagues by Indian tyre company Balkrishna Industries, Smith has at times called for a "British non-gambling alternative" to be considered as the new sponsor and successor to Sky Bet. Later, Smith would again call for the "complete eradication of the disease of gambling from football" after Italian footballer Sandro Tonali, who plays as a midfielder for Newcastle United, was also banned from footballing activities over gambling offences.

During a 2023 interview with Sky Sports, citing ex-England teammate David Beckham's controversial ambassadorship role for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Smith declared that he would not take up such a role for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, United States, and Mexico should the United States re-elect controversial Republican politician Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, stating, "While I'm well aware of the stature and prestige I hold among American soccer fans I could never truly bring myself to participate as an ambassador or the like if the country I was to promote has an extremist leader like Donald Trump or any of his far-right mates in power". Otherwise, Smith, a supporter of the Democratic Party and to an extent, incumbent President Joe Biden, has pledged that he will "do his best" should Biden be re-elected for a second term, stating, "It's been a while since I've been away from the American soccer scene and I think the World Cup in 2026 is a good time for me to finally come back after almost thirteen years long".

Around August 2023, amidst rumours that Smith's former club Manchester United was potentially seeking to reintroduce suspended academy graduate Mason Greenwood back into the first team after an almost year long absence caused by his arrest over charges of rape and assault (which were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service), Smith, along with a host of other influential figures, vocally opposed the club's decision with the former Manchester United forward calling it "the new biggest mistake from the wretched Glazers since the European Super League". In addition, during an interview with Sky Sports that same month, Smith publicly expressed his opposition towards Greenwood's return, stating, "Under no circumstances shall I ever see a damn rapist at my beloved football club". Moreover, the former Manchester United captain also threatened to hand over his season ticket back in protest over the move although this was never ultimately carried out when the club announced that Greenwood would be loaned to minor La Liga side Getafe for the ensuing 2023-24 season before eventually returning to his parent club at the end of his loan.

Owing to his Jewish roots through his father, Smith has vocally spoken out against anti-Semitism, calling it "one of the great terrible diseases in existence". In this, regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Smith has occasionally expressed support for the Jewish citizens involved in the conflict while also urging both sides to adhere to the two-state solution. Speaking during the funeral of former Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, Smith remarked, "There is no doubt among many that the only end goal of this conflict is for both countries to co-exist in peace and with mutually accepted borders. To say otherwise is to only invite much further harm and trouble that will only persist to no end".

US Soccer Reforms

Owing to his history of being a former United States international and whose footballing career initially started in the United States with Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy, Smith has been a vocal figure for reforms concerning the country's soccer scene, stating, "As much as I'm an Englishman now, I'll never forget my American roots especially when it comes to football because I started my career not in the Premier League but in Major League Soccer, something that I hope young Americans playing soccer today could one day emulate in their own way". Incidentally, a number of professional footballers from Major League Soccer have since gone on to either the Premier League or other major European football leagues including Nottingham Forest's Matt Turner, Borussia Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna, Bournemouth's Tyler Adams, and Juventus' Timothy Weah, son of the Liberian politician and former professional footballer George Weah who is considered to be one of the greatest African players of all time.

Domestically, Smith has argued for either a phasing out or a complete abolition of Major League Soccer's longstanding draft system with its preferred substitute being the academy system seen in most European football leagues. In a 2019 interview with ESPN, he said, "Personally, I was rather fortunate to have been chosen for LA Galaxy because that's the team I wanted to actually play for but at the same time, in an alternate scenario, I could have been chosen for some other team and legally I cannot do anything to change that unless the club I wanted is willing to trade a player for me instead". Moreover, Smith has also criticised the draft system's concentration on college players, stating, "As someone who has spent at least a decade abroad playing for some of the biggest European clubs, I can safely say that most of the players that one would call greats of the game didn't even go to college. With that in mind, back in the United States, it is safe to say that these players wouldn't have even touched the ball for a minute given the circumstances".

Meanwhile, on the international side, Smith has also particularly advocated for a change in confederation for the United States, currently a member of CONCACAF alongside the likes of Canada, Mexico, and smaller Caribbean nations. Citing the perceived "uncompetitive" nature of the confederation, Smith has called for the United States to either switch to CONMEBOL where it would face the likes of footballing powerhouses Argentina and Brazil or UEFA where they would otherwise face several World Cup champions including the likes of England, France, Germany, and Italy which Smith argued would serve as better opposition for the United States especially in anticipation of future World Cup tournaments. In this, Smith has also criticised the apparent elitism present in the American soccer scene, citing the incident between former United States internationals Claudio Reyna and Gregg Berhalter, the latter currently serving as head coach of the United States men's national team, over playing time and treatment towards the former's son and current Borussia Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna, stating, "People used to believe and sometimes joke about how these things usually happen during soccer practices involving children and teenagers but now it's just rather shameful and embarrassing to see that this disease of sports elitism has directly made its way into the country's very own national team". Then, he also added, "Quite ironically, my own father was the literal king of a country and yet he never really interfered or tried to stick his nose into things that he shouldn't like my football career even if I'm his own son who could have pretty much got anything I wanted simply due to who my father was".

Future Prospects

During a 2022 interview with Sky Sports, when asked about his future plans after leaving Tottenham Hotspur as manager, Smith indicated that he would be "taking a step back for a good few years or so" while also suggesting that he would be returning once more to football potentially as a sports pundit in the footsteps of Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Roy Keane. Meanwhile, when asked if he would be seeking to become a manager of a different club or return back to Tottenham Hotspur for a second stint as head coach, Smith said, "If it were to happen one day, sure, but as I've said before I personally won't go for clubs that have already won a lot and are guaranteed to do so again and again because for me where's the fun and challenge in that? Otherwise, managing a capable team that just happens to be down on their luck, I'll take that chance in a heartbeat to prove the doubters and critics wrong once again like the previous three times already". In a separate interview, when asked if he would ever consider becoming England head coach himself, Smith replied by suggesting that he would be "somewhat open" to such a job out of "heartfelt patriotism" while again asserting that he will only do so at the right time given the job's highly-demanding nature.

On the other hand, Smith has strongly ruled out the possibility of him running for an elected office for sports organisations such as UEFA or FIFA in spite of his extensive popularity, stating, "Based on what I've seen so far and after an honest reflection of myself, I don't think I'll really fit in with all those bureaucratic people in suits at all". In the meantime, Smith himself has been a vocal critic of FIFA, particularly over their controversial awarding of World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar as well as the planned expansion of the World Cup which he criticised on the basis of players' welfare. During a 2023 interview with Sky Sports, he said, "At the end of the day, footballers are humans themselves and if there's one thing I'm sure about when it comes to humans is that they aren't tireless robots and you shouldn't therefore treat them like they are robots yourself. As of now, the bureaucrats at FIFA and UEFA seem to think otherwise and that players' welfare appears to come second in favour of entertainment and money".

Managerial Career

Tottenham Hotspur

The Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, where Tottenham Hotspur won its first-ever UEFA Champions League title following a 2-1 win over Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in a match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic

A self-professed "champion of the underdogs", following his retirement, Smith had initially voiced interest in coaching perceived "underdog" clubs such as the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Soon enough, the firing of Tottenham Hotspur's Mauricio Pochettino amidst a poor start to the 2019-20 season on November 19th provided the much-awaited opportunity with Smith himself being quick to apply for the now vacant position of club manager which he was subsequently granted the following day by club chairman Daniel Levy with the promise of establishing a "beautiful and deadly attacking style of play" and "achieving the impossible". Following this, Smith's first match in charge came to be an away fixture against West Ham United on November 23rd that ended in a 3-2 win for Tottenham Hotspur which was then followed just a week later with a similar 3-2 win over Bournemouth and a 2-1 win on December 4th at Old Trafford with Smith emerging triumphant against his former club of Manchester United. Then, after a dominant 5-0 win over Burnley on December 7th, Smith also secured a victory against another major club in Chelsea, who the club defeated 1-0 via a 37th-minute goal from Christian Eriksen. Following this, wins against Brighton & Hove Albion and Norwich City, the latter particularly falling to a Harry Kane hat-trick, saw him manage to make it eight matches unbeaten by the end of the year in stark contrast to the club's otherwise poor start to the season beforehand. Then, following an unexpected 0-0 draw against Southampton on January 1st, Smith was dealt his first defeat just ten days later in a 0-1 loss to Liverpool although this was promptly compensated for with a dramatic 2-1 win over Watford in which a 94th-minute goal from Christian Eriksen in extra time saw Spurs successfully come back from defeat after a Harry Kane equaliser. Following this, a sixteen-match unbeaten streak which included 1-1 draw against Chelsea on February 22nd, coupled with dominant 3-0 wins over Manchester United and Leicester City and a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace in the final day saw Tottenham Hotspur achieve a remarkable second-place finish with 87 points ahead of Manchester City in third and behind Liverpool in first. Meanwhile, a 1-4 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup and a narrow 2-3 defeat on aggregate to Manchester City in the EFL Cup saw Smith unable to win either domestic cups in his maiden season with the club. In spite of this, a shock 4-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals and a dramatic 2-1 win over Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the finals, in which Tanguy Ndombele scored the tiebreaking goal in extra time after an early Hary Kane goal was cancelled out by an Ivan Perišić counter-goal, saw Tottenham Hotspur make history with their first-ever UEFA Champions League title in an occasion described by Peter Drury as "the biggest shock of the decade" and by Martin Tyler as "the greatest football fantasy of the 21st-century". To that end, the club later defeated UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla 3-1 in the UEFA Super Cup and Mexican side Tigres 3-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup, resulting in Smith, who initially took office on an interim basis until the end of the season, to soon formalise a four-year contract amidst rumours of several major clubs looking to poach him from the club.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane in action during a 3-0 win over Manchester United where he scored twice through penalties

In the following 2020-21 season, Smith started off rather promisingly with a dominant 4-1 win over Everton, which he soon followed up on with an equally dominant 5-2 win over Southampton. Then, despite a 0-1 loss to Newcastle United, Smith proved quick to steer the club back onto a dominant winning streak, defeating among others his former club Manchester United 6-1, Manchester City 2-0, and Chelsea 3-0 while otherwise drawing 0-0 with defending champions Liverpool. Regardless, on December 20th, the club was met with a shock 1-4 defeat to Leicester City that ended a thirteen-match unbeaten streak although this was promptly made up for with a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers just a week later that preceded a subsequent 3-0 win over Leeds United and a following 1-0 win over Fulham. In the meantime, the club also drew once again with Liverpool while otherwise defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 and losing to Chelsea 1-2. Meanwhile, a shock 3-1 win over Manchester City would precede a 1-1 draw against West Ham United, bringing much-renewed hope as Spurs then marked a dominant 4-0 victory over Burnley along with a 2-1 win over Arsenal and most notably a 3-0 win over Manchester United which saw two penalties awarded to Tottenham Hotspur and defender Harry Maguire being sent off in the 76th minute. In the end, despite a momentary 0-1 loss to Aston Villa on the penultimate day which preceded an otherwise triumphant 4-2 win over Leicester City, the club notched a record-high of 91 points to become Premier League champions for the first time in history, a feat that Smith himself described as "inevitable" owing to the club's second-place finish the season before. In the meantime, a narrow 2-3 loss to Chelsea saw Smith once again unable to win the FA Cup with Tottenham Hotspur with a similar fate being met in the EFL Cup finals with a 1-2 loss to Manchester City once again barring the club from winning either domestic cups. Nonetheless, a dramatic 7-6 win on aggregate against La Liga giants Real Madrid, followed by a firm 4-1 win over Manchester City in which Harry Kane scored twice with Gareth Bale and an Aymeric Laporte own-goal following suit, saw Tottenham Hotspur mark an unprecedented back-to-back UEFA Champions League glory while also being just one domestic cup short of achieving an equally historic domestic treble. With this, the club then faced UEFA Europa League winners Arsenal in the UEFA Super Cup, defeating them 5-3 on penalties following a 3-3 draw, followed by a 1-0 win over Brazilian side Palmeiras in the FIFA Club World Cup and a 0-1 loss to Leicester City in the William Smith Shield.

In the meantime, amidst positive on-pitch progress that included the club's first-ever UEFA Champions League title, around April 2021, Smith notably threatened to resign from his position as head coach in response to Tottenham Hotspur's initial participation in the controversial European Super League project alongside the likes of other English clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. In clarifying his stance during a Sky Sports interview that same month, Smith remarked, "Ask me now or even tomorrow and I'll always say that I love this club to the fullest as its manager but at the same time I cannot bear to see it being involved in such a bad project like the ESL. For me, to even keep going on is like swimming through a big ocean of lava which is something that most people would obviously want to avoid or would not enjoy at all despite its rewards". In the end, all but the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus later withdrew from the project amidst overwhelming backlash with Tottenham Hotspur being one of the earliest to do so amidst reports that club chairman Daniel Levy, facing a threat of resignation from Smith who had then led the club to its first UEFA Champions League glory in just his first year, was soon compelled to withdraw from the project over worries of looking for a capable successor to replicate Smith's unprecedented success with the club. Later, when asked about the club's subsequent withdrawal from the project, Smith said, "To simply put it, what happened is that I and Daniel had a talk behind closed doors where we both came to mutually understand that a project like the ESL is objectively bad for football and that a club like Spurs, or any other club for that matter, should not be contributing to it any further hence the withdrawal". In the meantime, Smith also thanked the club's supporters for "publicly making their voices heard", stating, "Regardless of whoever owns a football club, be it a local or a foreigner, they cannot and must not ignore the voices of the fans because as things stand they are the ones who give clubs a life and a soul and who importantly contributes to the players getting paid by paying for tickets and attending matches".

In the ensuing 2021-22 season, despite an initial loss to Leicester City in the William Smith Shield, traditionally considered to be the new season's curtain-raiser, Smith's Tottenham Hotspur otherwise made a rather promising start, defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the opening match and Crystal Palace 3-2. However, on September 19th, Smith's club was dealt with a heavy 1-4 defeat to Chelsea, followed by a 1-1 draw with Arsenal and a 2-1 win over Aston Villa and a 3-1 win over West Ham United in which Harry Kane scored all three penalties to mark a hat-trick in the process. In the meantime, the club also snatched a 2-1 win over Smith's former club Manchester United in spite of a Cristiano Ronaldo return to the latter club along with a 3-0 win over Norwich City. However, Tottenham Hotspur was then met with a 0-2 defeat to Liverpool which otherwise preceded a 3-0 comeback win over Crystal Palace and an ensuing 4-0 win over Southampton. Further down the road, in addition to a dominant 5-0 win over Burnley, the club also defeated the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United 3-2 and 3-1 respectively to make it twelve matches unbeaten which they only extended via dominant 5-1 and 4-0 wins over Newcastle United and Aston Villa respectively to then make it sixteen unbeaten before a 0-2 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion brought an end to the streak. Nonetheless, over the last few days remaining, Spurs promptly rebounded with a 2-1 win over Brentford, a 3-1 win over Leicester City, and a 3-0 win over Arsenal before eventually concluding the season with a dominant 5-0 win over Norwich City at which point the club once again emerged Premier League champions with a record 99 points. Meanwhile, despite a loss to Chelsea that effectively cut short their FA Cup ambitions, Smith's Tottenham Hotspur promptly avenged their defeat at the hands of The Blues to then defeat Liverpool 1-0 to win the EFL Cup for the first time since the 1998-99 season, almost twenty four years before. In the meantime, Smith himself came close to achieving a third consecutive UEFA Champions League title for Tottenham Hotspur, defeating the likes of Inter Milan, Benfica, and Villareal before a 0-1 loss to Real Madrid in the finals saw them settle for second place. Following this, as Premier League champions, Spurs subsequently contested the William Smith Shield with FA Cup winners Liverpool to whom they narrowly lost 2-3.

The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, where a grueling penalty shootout saw Tottenham Hotspur defeat Arsenal 12-11 on penalties to claim their third UEFA Champions League title in just three years

On 6th August 2022, Smith started off his final season as Tottenham Hotspur manager rather promisingly, grabbing a 4-0 win over Southampton on the opening day. Then, a 1-1 draw against Chelsea on the second day, followed by several further victories along the way including a dominant 6-1 win over West Ham United, saw Smith make it seven matches unbeaten straight while major victories afterwards over both Arsenal and former club Manchester United saw him therefore make it eleven matches unbeaten with a 1-3 loss to Newcastle United on October 23rd bringing an end to the streak. Then, on January 1st 2023, Smith began the new year with a dominant 4-0 win over Aston Villa which he quickly followed up on just three days later with an equally dominant 4-0 win over Crystal Palace although the new year momentum was quickly cut short by subsequent defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal respectively. Then, amidst a 0-0 draw against Leicester City and a 2-3 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest and a 4-2 win over Everton saw the club under Smith rediscover their winning ways by the last few months during which they recorded a dominant 4-0 win over Bournemouth and a 3-0 win over Newcastle United although this was then followed by a 1-3 loss to Manchester United and a 0-1 loss to Liverpool respectively. Nonetheless, a draw against Aston Villa and a 3-0 win over Brentford in the closing days ensured that Tottenham Hotspur would finish the season with no further defeats as a 4-1 win over Leeds United on the final day ensured a third-place finish with just one point behind runners-up Manchester City while Arsenal secured their first league title in almost two decades. Meanwhile, after previous unsuccessful attempts, a dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium saw Smith finally win the FA Cup with Tottenham Hotspur with the title itself being their first in almost three decades since they last won it in the 1990-91 season. In the meantime, a shock 3-1 win on aggregate over Real Madrid and a similarly dramatic 5-4 win on aggregate over Manchester City saw Tottenham Hotspur advance to the UEFA Champions League finals once again where they faced league winners Arsenal in a fixture that was eventually settled on penalties with Spurs eventually winning it 12-11 following a long and grueling contest. Shortly afterwards, Smith announced the end of his tenure as Tottenham Hotspur head coach, stating that he wished to "take a humble step back after an undeniably challenging as well as a both physically and mentally taxing period", adding, "Four years ago, I came with the clear intention and mission of proving that underdogs like Tottenham Hotspur can win major titles with the right players and manager. Now, it is without a doubt that I have lived up well to my intentions with the club that I rightfully saw so much potential in and therefore it is with a heavy and humble heart that I say goodbye while also expressing all my gratitude to those who stood with the club at not just its highest highs but also its lowest lows throughout these amazing four years together".

"Even if it's just for four years long, I undoubtedly won and did things that others before me couldn't and by all means it was certainly a hundred times better than spending twenty years and winning nothing in the process."

Smith on his time with Tottenham Hotspur

In the aftermath of his retirement, the ensuing pre-season matches were overseen by former player Ryan Mason who took over as interim coach until the club subsequently appointed former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou in time for the later 2023-24 season. Prior to his appointment, Postecoglou had also previously managed the Australia men's national team from 2013 to 2017 as well as A-League sides Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar and J1 League side Yokohama F. Marinos. Meanwhile, as the most decorated and successful Tottenham Hotspur manager of recent times, supporters of the club initially launched a proposal to have the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium renamed after Smith himself, citing the decision of Atlético Madrid to name their new stadium after Smith and head coach Diego Simeone. However, the proposal itself was never fully implemented with an eventual compromise instead having the stadium's "North Stand" renamed to "Sir William Smith Stand" in his honour while a bronze statue depicting his likeness was also erected in front of the stadium's entrance. In the meantime, on 19 August 2023, for the opening to Tottenham Hotspur's first home match since Smith's departure, a commemorative montage was played prior to kick-off which depicted the club's notable victories under his past tenure along with several of his memorable public moments before later concluding with the phrase "Thank You For Everything, Boss". Ironically, the club then defeated Smith's former club Manchester United 2-0 to secure their first win of the season after a previous 2-2 draw against Brentford. However, despite a somewhat positive start that saw them lose only twice so far, namely to Arsenal and Chelsea, they were otherwise eliminated early on by Fulham on penalties in the EFL Cup and placed last in their UEFA Champions League group.

Owing to him effectively being a free agent since his departure from Tottenham Hotspur, Smith, in light of his record-breaking successes at the club, was afterwards the subject of rumours linking him to several potential managerial jobs with the most notable being a rumour claiming that Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, having then fired Julian Nagelsmann in March 2023, was potentially looking towards employing Smith as the new head coach given his successes with Tottenham Hotspur. However, in response, Smith himself strongly denied any links to the Bundesliga club, adding that his Tottenham Hotspur stint is his first and only one, with the latter eventually hiring former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel as the new head coach while the English club itself, following unsuccessful attempts with Brighton's Graham Potter and former player Frank Lampard, later hired Mauricio Pochettino, Smith's predecessor at Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, even beforehand, Smith was also reportedly considered by several other parties to become their new head coach, including the United States national team, Manchester United, and Borussia Dortmund. In particular, a move to Manchester United was said to be the most likely option but which ultimately fell short of becoming a reality when Smith, following a "thorough and detailed inspection", demanded a major overhaul of the club's current squad along with having greater personal input and influence over player transfers, requests that were said to have conflicted with the Glazer brothers' vision and which therefore killed any chance of Smith becoming the manager of his former club. In the meantime, Smith has occasionally expressed interest in returning to La Liga side Atlético Madrid as manager given his previous success at the club as a player and his close relationship with current manager Diego Simeone who Smith once expressed interest in succeeding as head coach in the near future.

Around October 2023, in response to calls from Liverpool head coach Jürgen Klopp for replays of several matches involving his club amidst mounting criticism over refereeing decisions, Smith publicly challenged Klopp to a rematch of the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final in which Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur under Mauricio Pochettino 2-0, stating, "If replays of matches are a possibility now then I sure would like to have the 2019 finals be played again so I could get a fourth Champions League title as manager next".

Acting Career

Shortly after his retirement from professional football came into effect, Smith, who reportedly took private acting lessons in the years leading up to his retirement, made his acting debut in 2017's American Thriller alongside Michael Keaton, playing the role of CIA agent Mitch Rapp. The film, while a modest commercial success and earning mixed reviews from critics, saw Smith receive some praise in his debut role with Rotten Tomatoes describing him as a "believable action star with untapped hidden potential in the genre" while IGN similarly commended his acting in his first-ever role while otherwise criticising the "formulaic" and "predictable" script that hampered Smith's abilities. In the following year, Smith was cast as Israeli politician and intelligence officer Rafi Eitan in Operation Finale which chronicles the successful capture of Nazi fugitive Adolf Eichmann by Mossad agents. Describing the film as "somewhat personal" given his paternal grandfather's famed role in rescuing Jews from Nazi persecution during the Second World War, Smith, who starred alongside Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, and Mélanie Laurent, received much praise from critics for his performance with Variety describing it as "subtle yet powerful". In that same year, he also made a cameo appearance as himself in Ocean's 8 while his wife Anne Hathaway, along with Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Sarah Paulson, starred as a group of thieves planning to execute an elaborate heist at the annual Met Gala event. Following up on this, in 2019, Smith once again reunited with Hathaway in Dark Waters while also starring alongside Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas in the mystery film Knives Out that proved to be a massive success both commercially and critically although Smith himself did not return afterwards for its standalone sequel.

In 2023, following an almost four-year absence due to his managerial career, Smith returned to acting via a role in Fast X, the eleventh installment overall in the Fast & Furious franchise, in which he played Aimes, the new leader of Mr Nobody (Kurt Russell)'s agency who is covertly working with the antagonist Dante played by Jason Momoa. Meanwhile, he is also scheduled to play Dmitri Smerdyakov / Chameleon in 2024's Kraven the Hunter alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson who plays his character's half-brother Kraven the Hunter. Meanwhile, during a July 2023 interview, when asked about his apparent preference for action roles, Smith expressed mich contentment with it while adding that he is personally open to "more emotionally stimulating" roles should the opportunity arises. In this, regarding the somewhat steady and modest start to his acting career, Smith cited both his established reputation as a football star and his wife, a hugely successful actress herself, as the primary reasons, stating, "If I didn't choose to become a footballer, I would have most likely been just some random kid on the street. At the same time, if not for my wife, I would have most likely been at a loss for who to immediately learn acting from and how to be successful in it firsthand".

Personal Life

Although he was the firstborn child of King Thomas, Smith is ultimately ineligible to later succeed his father to the throne given the fact that he had been born out of wedlock and that his parents, despite an almost two-decade-long relationship, were never officially married, thereby preventing him from being included in the line of succession to the throne. Despite this, Smith himself has expressed some gratefulness for his current circumstances, stating that the fact that he would never likely succeed to the throne in the near future due to his ineligibility meant that he was free to pursue a career of his own for as long as he wanted while also not being burdened by the thoughts of his future duties as monarch. Nonetheless, Smith shares the same birthday as his half-sister Queen Alexandra who was born exactly seventeen years after himself. At the same time, Smith is also exactly thirteen years older than Dutch-born goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with whom he briefly partnered together at Atlético Madrid for three seasons long.

As the descendant of Prussian royalty through his father, whose great-grandfather was German Emperor Wilhelm II, Smith was technically eligible to play for Germany despite having never been born in the country itself. During a 2018 interview, Smith revealed that for a while, after learning of his Prussian royal lineage, he briefly considered playing for Germany instead of England but ultimately decided to represent The Three Lions, stating, "I might be German in some way but my father is English and so am I".

Owing to his global popularity as a football icon, Smith has been extensively portrayed or depicted in various forms of media, with his likeness being used in the widely popular FIFA football video game series in which Smith is one of the most highly-rated players in the game. In addition, British actor Jude Law portrayed Smith in the 2016 sports biographical film The Final Tournament which depicts Smith's final appearance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil for which Law subsequently won Best Actor at the BAFTA Awards that year. In the meantime, Smith has made a number of cameo appearances as himself on the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso alongside other footballing figures such as Thierry Henry, Gary Lineker, Ian Wright, and Pep Guardiola. Moreover, Smith has also appeared in various sports documentaries including The June 30th Miracle: Ten Years On, The Fables of the Fabulous Four, Eriksson: The Unlikely Legend, Rise of The Lionesses, All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, and The Spursy Fantasy.

A polyglot, Smith is known to be fluent in several languages including his native English, German, Spanish, and Hebrew, with Spanish being his preferred language of choice during his time at Atlético Madrid. In this, during his early years, Smith initially possessed a standard Californian accent due to his more American upbringing before later switching to a more British-sounding accent after his move to the United Kingdom so as to better fit in with his England teammates. Similarly, his younger sister Jacqueline, who later found work at the British Broadcasting Corporation, also adopted a more British-sounding accent, having once said, "In its entire history, when has a BBC presenter ever spoke and didn't sound British at all? It would surely be very awkward if otherwise and I'll prefer to avoid that by any means necessary". Nonetheless, Smith himself is shown to have been able to easily switch between his two main accents which he usually does whenever he is in either country and therefore needed to sound "local".

While known primarily for his footballing career, since his retirement, Smith has casually attempted several other forms of sports including golf, tennis, and martial arts. A certified green belt holder in taekwondo, Smith revealed that he had begun branching into other forms of sports around the later years of his career, stating, "At some point, I realised that in a few years I won't be playing this sport I loved actively anymore which meant that for my own good, when the time comes, I had to be prepared with something else in mind so that I don't just necessarily become some lazy head sitting around and doing nothing after finally hanging up my boots". Meanwhile, for his 40th birthday, Smith competed against the celebrated Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal in a three-round exhibition match which Nadal eventually won 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. The event, which was primarily meant as a charity event, successfully raised an estimated total of $14.5 million.

As one of the most well-known and marketable athletes of his generation, Smith has been a partner in a huge number of lucrative sponsorships including Adidas, Armani, Under Armour, Coca-Cola, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton, all of which, combined with his high wage payments and other financial bonuses, make him one of the richest athletes in the world with an estimated net worth of $2.09 billion, the highest for a professional footballer and which makes him one of the few billionaire athletes in the world alongside Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. In the context of professional football, Smith is often compared to fellow ex-English footballer David Beckham, both of whom are similarly known for their talents in football as well as for their public image and marketability coupled with their marriages to their equally famous wives in actress Anne Hathaway and singer Victoria Beckham. In this, given that their first names coincidentally mirror that of English poet William Shakespeare and wife Anne Hathaway, the two are popularly dubbed "Will and Anne" by the media who also nicknamed them "the 21st-century's Shakespearean couple".

During a 2018 interview with Sky Sports, Smith revealed that as an admirer of the late President John F. Kennedy (who was notably called "Jack" by his closest friends and relatives), he initially thought about having himself officially called "Jack Smith" rather than the original "William Smith" on the basis of it "sounding way cooler than the usual one". However, given that his younger sister Jacqueline is otherwise popularly nicknamed "Jackie" by her family and friends and that he himself had mostly grown up being referred to by his given name "William" or "Bill" for short ("Will" was the most preferred nickname), Smith ultimately decided in retaining his name as it is. Consequently, especially during his early years, Smith's full name occasionally led to confusion between himself and actor Will Smith who started gaining fame around the same time as the former through roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Bad Boys, and Men in Black. As a result, when he started gaining much personal fame as a soccer player for LA Galaxy and the United States, Smith was popularly nicknamed "Galaxy Prince" or "The Fresh Prince of LA" by some supporters. Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served as California's governor from 2003 to 2011, hailed Smith as "The Pride of California".

Relationships

During an interview with Men's Health in 2017, Smith revealed himself to be "not really the romantic type" in his early years, stating that despite his fairly good looks and fame that rose unprecedentedly in the wake of his World Cup heroics with the United States, he never seriously considered a romantic relationship which he feared could interrupt his growing football career. Citing the publicity and media fanfare that surrounded former Manchester United and England player David Beckham following his marriage to Spice Girls singer Victoria Adams, Smith said, "Personally, I don't want that kind of attention on myself ever especially when my career was about to reach new heights and which absolutely required my total commitment. To have the paparazzi and the media always chasing after you and asking you questions incessantly just when you're coming back from a tiring match or training is something that I really don't look forward to and which I would like to avoid at all costs with whatever it takes" . In addition, Smith has also expressed his "personal annoyance" at being asked questions that relate less to football than the opposite, stating, "Quite simply, I'm a professional footballer and as such I should normally be asked questions about football rather than the ones about which woman I have been seeing recently or what restaurant did I loved going to the most. It's all just quite silly and so utterly ridiculous with the quality of questions one like myself gets on the daily".

A notoriously private individual, owing to his good looks and fame, Smith was frequently linked in a romantic manner to various women by tabloids and magazines with names including actresses Natalie Portman and Emily Blunt, singer Britney Spears, and fashion models Miranda Kerr and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. However, in a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Smith confirmed that he had only been in three serious romantic relationships, namely with actress Cameron Diaz, fashion model Gisele Bündchen, as well as fellow actress and current wife Anne Hathaway. Otherwise, during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Smith admitted to having an initial crush on German tennis player Steffi Graf, adding that Graf's 2001 marriage to fellow tennis player Andre Agassi "broke me somewhat as a young man who just happened to have feelings for her back then". In addition, English actress Kate Winslet, who first gained fame through her role in Titanic, was also revealed to be someone who Smith initially had feelings for to the extent that he once planned to meet the actress himself after he made his dream move to the United Kingdom to join Manchester United before eventually deciding against it for unknown reasons.

The Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, best known for her work with Victoria's Secret. From 2004 to 2007, she secretly dated William Smith before later marrying American football quarterback Tom Brady

Beginning in 2002, Smith would first meet Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea where Smith himself was one of the main stars as the young captain of the United States national team. In this, Bündchen, despite personally witnessing Brazil's shock 0-5 loss to the United States in the finals in which Smith himself scored a famous hat-trick to overcome the star-studded Brazil national team, was reportedly impressed enough by the American captain's heroics that she later proved successful in meeting Smith himself in a rare and private encounter at a high-end hotel where the United States players were staying at for the tournament. The encounter, which Smith himself later described as "very surreal" and "one-in-a-million chance", saw the two bond quickly over their shared love of football and Bündchen's own admiration of Smith's footballing skills. However, despite positive initial progress, the two did not quickly establish a romantic relationship given that Bündchen was still with her then-boyfriend, actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Regardless, by 2004, amidst questions of incompatibility and bouts of depression, the couple eventually broke up, and Bündchen subsequently started dating Smith in relative secrecy with the couple said to have spent their first time together in the form of a private trip to the Scottish Highlands in the United Kingdom which Smith personally fancied for its captivating landscape and natural beauty.

Owing to their high-profile statuses and the apparent need to avoid encroaching paparazzi, the two chose to keep their relationship a closely-knit secret and away from the media and public in a choice that Smith later described as "very difficult to make but which we thought was necessary given the circumstances and our own natural need for privacy and the sort". In this, despite it being a mutual agreement, the need for secrecy soon gradually took its toll on the couple's relationship, causing them to gradually distance themselves from one another amidst career demands and the overarching need to remain tight-lipped about their romance for fear of it disrupting Smith's budding football career as was seemingly the case for the latter's famous compatriot David Beckham. Eventually, around 2007, in a much private manner, the two officially parted ways with Bündchen later marrying American football quarterback Tom Brady. Later, during a 2022 interview shortly after her divorce from Brady, the Brazilian supermodel recounted her previous romance with Smith as "something beautiful that we could not sadly see it through all the way together", adding, "Simply put, he was very nice to me and was always steady and composed whenever an issue comes up. Unfortunately, perhaps by chance, we just couldn't see ourselves sticking together amidst all that stress and pressure that was slowly building up and demanding us to do something about our relationship. In the end, we didn't really hate each other but just thought that it would be best if we both had someone else to continue with afterwards". In the meantime, Smith himself has expressed some praise for Bündchen particularly for the latter's role in "being close to me during some of my most turbulent years", stating, "At the time, even with my family around me, I just felt almost alone having to deal with all the newfound fame and pressure that suddenly came crashing down on me and she was definitely very important in making me feel otherwise and ultimately being able to overcome it".

Meanwhile, in 2003, sometime between the moment he first met Bündchen and the moment he later began a relationship with the Brazilian supermodel, Smith briefly dated American actress Cameron Diaz, whom he had met while attending the premiere of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle with his mother who made a cameo appearance in the film herself as one of the original actresses of the show on which the movie is based. Describing the romance afterwards as a "brief and meaningless fling", Smith revealed that while the two got on fairly well, they never seriously envisioned a serious long-term romance amidst questions of compatibility with Diaz herself later admitting in an interview that the two "did better as friends rather than lovers", adding, "We simply enjoyed each other's company, he was very friendly, gentlemanly, and a genuinely good man but we never thought of eventually becoming husband and wife or the sort in the near future".

The American actress Anne Hathaway attending the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada at the LA Film Festival in June 2006. The actress headlined the film alongside co-stars Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt

In the months after his relationship with Gisele Bündchen ended, once again in relative secrecy, Smith began dating American actress Anne Hathaway, whom he had first met while attending the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada in which Hathaway starred alongside Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep while Smith's then-girlfriend Gisele Bündchen also played a minor role in the film herself. Reportedly, after quickly striking up a good rapport with both Hathaway and Blunt, Smith, having already become gradually distant from his then-girlfriend while otherwise finding himself particularly drawn to Hathway, subsequently began seeing the American actress shortly after he officially parted ways with the Brazilian supermodel. To that end, the couple later had their first date at none other than the Scottish Highlands where Smith reportedly took Hathaway on a horseback trip exploring the hills and mountains.

In this, despite adopting a similar secretive approach from his previous relationship, by the early 2010s, Smith began loosening up somewhat, appearing alongside Hathaway and other actresses including Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, and Julia Roberts in the 2010 romantic comedy film Valentine's Day. Eventually, on 1 July 2012, following a secret engagement two years prior, the couple officially declared their relationship to the public shortly after the UEFA Euro 2012 Final between England and Spain at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine where Hathaway publicly joined Smith and the England players on the pitch in celebration of their back-to-back European glory, making it the first time that the couple has appeared together in public. Later, on November 12th of that same year, a date that also coincided with Hathaway's 30th birthday, the couple were wedded in a private ceremony at Oheka Castle in New York, United States, with the venue itself being chosen due to the fact that Smith's parents and grandparents were also previously wedded there as well. Attended by various Hollywood celebrities including Emily Blunt, Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and Denzel Washington as well as footballers including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, and Johan Cruyff, the event also saw the appearance of US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, with the American president himself later heralding the event as "a beautiful union between one of America's great young actresses and one of America's greatest ever soccer players". In 2015, the couple welcomed a pair of twins William and Anne whom are named after the English poet William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway. In an ensuing revelation, it was reported that the two would carry the surname "Hathaway-Smith" supposedly in order to avoid confusion in the case where either one of their surnames is used which would result in either their son or daughter having the exact same name as either their father or mother respectively. In this, Smith himself once jokingly suggested changing his surname to "Shakespeare" in order to fully commit to popular comparisons between himself and the English poet, stating, "Frankly, with all the titles that I won, I'm basically the Shakespeare of football anyway".

Since then, beginning in 2017, Smith, reportedly inspired by his wife's success in the acting industry while also hoping to secure a new and stable post-football career, started a gradual transition to acting in a move similar to that of Frenchman Eric Cantona who took up acting following his retirement from professional football in the late 1990s. As of current, the couple have starred in three films together namely 2010's Valentine's Day, 2018's Ocean's 8, and 2019's Dark Waters. In November 2022, the couple renewed their vows in a private ceremony at Oheka Castle, New York in commemoration of their tenth wedding anniversary.

During an interview with British Vogue, Smith revealed that when he first introduced Hathaway to his family, his younger sister Alexandra, who grew up watching The Princess Diaries (which Hathaway starred in alongside Julie Andrews), was particularly the most excited and approving of his family members. Recounting the aforementioned moment, Smith said, "Of course, my whole family was quickly onboard with me being with someone like Anne but my sister especially was the most enthusiastic since she liked Anne's character in the movie so much. Quite literally, she was jumping about and wanted to hug her the moment she saw who she saw as Mia Thermopolis".

Style of Play

"Almost immediately, with the way he played and the way he conducted himself both on and off the pitch, I knew that he was destined for something remarkable and that right in front of my eyes stood someone special and entirely different from the other players around him."

Former head coach Octavio Zambrano on Smith's early years at LA Galaxy

Considered to be one of the greatest and most complete strikers of all time, Smith is known for several qualities that defined his reputation which includes an exceptional pace, high work-rate, remarkable dribbling skills, an unmatched goalscoring prowess, as well as excellent overall vision and creativity, with former Manchester United head coach Sir Alex Ferguson describing Smith as "the most complete of all the strikers I've had", adding, "From what I've seen, some strikers can only do a certain set of things while others can do their own set of things only and there's Smith who can essentially do almost everything a striker needs to in one go". In addition, with a height of 1.83 metres, his relatively tall stature also allowed Smith to occasionally function as a "target man" with a knack for scoring close-range headers and in spite of his physical attributes Smith nonetheless proved to be a quick and agile striker able to both outrun his opponents and place himself in ideal positions. Moreover, Smith is also widely regarded for his excellent first touches and perfect composure both of which made him a press-resistant player and who rarely loses the ball to opponents who often tend to mark him in order to nullify his threat. Former Brazil and Bayern Munich defender Lúcio, who faced Smith in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final, described him as one of his most difficult opponents ever, stating, "He is always on the move and you never really know when he was about to shoot the ball or not. Quite simply, he's very unpredictable and to even counter him you always have to think many steps ahead which is already a lot to do in itself".

Considered to be an adept and talented dribbler by many, Smith is well-known for his preferred use of the infamous Cruyff turn maneuver which the former England forward later admitted to having "religiously studied" owing to his strong fascination towards the legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff. In this, a strong pair of legs combined with excellent pace and acceleration allowed him to dribble past one or even several opponents at any given moment where in most cases he rarely ended up losing the ball or having his movement cut short by opponents. A set-piece specialist, Smith is known for his distinctively direct and fast free kicks with the ball often travelling at high speed thereby presenting a difficult challenge for goalkeepers attempting to save or parry the ball. Similarly, his penalty kicks are also known to be fast and direct with Smith himself being well-known for often placing his penalty shots in the upper corners, areas that goalkeepers rarely cover during penalties.

Having scored a season's average of an impressive forty goals while also playing a season's average of thirty-eight matches over the course of his later playing years, Smith has also received much applause and credit for his longevity especially given he was able to almost match the goalscoring rates of rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with both players being at least several years younger than Smith who by then was already into his thirties. Regarding this, Smith has credited a mix of an "appropriate and efficient training regimen" and a "strict but healthy diet" in allowing him to maintain an almost consistent performance at the highest level even into his thirties whereas some otherwise saw a gradual decline in form as they aged. In addition, playing under the somewhat defensive style of Diego Simeone crucially allowed Smith to conserve his energy as he aged while otherwise utilising the most of his energy in short bursts hence his ability to score the usual amount of goals even in his later years. In this, his preference for mostly walking slowly on the pitch before suddenly sprinting with rapid pace led some pundits to liken his playing style at Atlético Madrid to a cheetah, a comparison that head coach Diego Simeone even supported, having once said, "Undoubtedly, if the pitch was like a jungle, Guillermo (William) would be our cheetah silently walking and prowling about before suddenly bursting into life almost immediately once he saw his prey who will find it really hard to outrun him. For us, a goal being scored by him is like a cheetah having finally caught its prey".

During his early years at LA Galaxy, Smith initially started off as a traditional number 9 for his team positioned close to the opposition's defence while also quickly becoming a consistent goalscorer owing to his high levels of pace and an excellent sense of positioning that allows him to easily outrun opponents attempting to mark or close him down. However, a move to Manchester United, which saw him operate jointly with the Dutch-born Ruud van Nistelrooy up front, saw him branch out from the usual confines of a traditional striker while also becoming ever more dynamic in the process with Smith often playing the role of a second striker or an attacking midfielder behind van Nistelrooy in which a combination of excellent dribbling coupled with commendable vision, technicality, as well as adept playmaking abilities made him an extremely capable and lethal player able to both score and assist with crucial goals on the daily. Later, a final move to Atlético Madrid saw Smith become a quintessential deep-lying forward actively involved in attacking build-ups as Simeone's low block tactical set-up often required him to drop deeper than ever thereby further burnishing his link-up play while also establishing himself as an effective "false nine" similar to Johan Cruyff and Michael Laudrup, leading former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema to once remark, "At times, it felt like they were playing with actually eleven players on the pitch because the way he (Smith) moved and operated made it as if he was in two places at once and as if Atlético had one extra player on the pitch".

"Without a doubt, I'm very honoured to know that other great footballers look up to me in starting their professional careers. In Smith, I definitely see hints and bits of the total football style because simply put he could play almost anywhere on the front and in each position he plays in he would rarely falter if ever. Quite simply, he has the vision, technicality, skill, and perhaps most importantly the goalscoring prowess to be almost anywhere along the front."

Former Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff on being an inspiration for Smith

In addition to his offensive capabilities, Smith has received much credit from teammates and pundits for his defensive work in spite of his traditional role as a forward whereby he would often make well-timed tackles and precise interceptions whenever the opposition team is in possession of the ball while also being actively involved in pressing opponents up high on the pitch in order to immediately win the ball back and create a goalscoring opportunity right away near the opposition's penalty area. Aside from this, Smith is also well-known for his tendency to drop deep into the midfield area where he usually establishes strong link-up plays with his teammates before proceeding to carry the ball forward through his excellent dribbling abilities past opposition defenders. A technically gifted player, Smith has been the subject of much praise for his short but quick and precise passing style that saw him record a consistently high rate of passes completed which led former manager Sir Alex Ferguson to once describe him as the Premier League's "one-of-a-kind sharpshooter" while former teammate Wayne Rooney described the former as "having a Midas touch with the ball which almost always gets to where it should be when coming off from his foot". A dedicated student of the Total Football system and philosophy, despite being mostly known for his role as a forward, Smith also occasionally experimented as a winger, a second striker, an attacking midfielder, or even as a deep-lying playmaker in a more central position.

"From the years I spent with him together at Manchester United and England, he was undoubtedly one of the most committed and driven players that I've ever seen in my life. When necessary, he puts in a hundred percent and it's only natural that others follow suit as well."

Former England footballer Rio Ferdinand on Smith's professionalism

Aside from his widely-acclaimed footballing prowess, Smith is also equally known for his somewhat extreme sense of professionalism and exemplary work ethic, traits that would come to mark his footballing career along with his distinction of having a somewhat "clean" and relatively "unproblematic" reputation which Smith himself admitted to be both natural and deliberate, stating, "When I realised that I have a younger sister who's really into football and who's definitely going to be looking up to me as inspiration, I knew that by all means necessary I have to set an example and be a good role model for her so that she could truly love and appreciate the game especially through someone familiar which is what I strove to be". In 2017, former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney described Smith as "every bit of a perfectionist, a total disciplinarian, and a 100% type of an outstanding player", adding, "Whenever a big match comes up, out of all the eleven men on the field, he (Smith) will definitely be the most focused and composed man of them all". Moreover, former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who once publicly criticised the perceived laziness and laid-back attitude shown by the England internationals during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, has also heaped much praise on the former Manchester United forward, stating, "Out of all the guys that were in Germany back then for the World Cup, I think he (Smith) was probably the only one that had the game 100% in his mind, not to mention, he had just won one four years back and I think that by all accounts he had that undeniable sense of drive and passion of winning a second one right after the first, something that he was definitely not going to take very lightly until it's all said and done". Accordingly, former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson also recounted Smith's overall behaviour during the last few training sessions for the World Cup in Germany, adding how the former England star was "the first to come and the last to leave" during most training sessions and that the latter "always gave his 100% each time no matter what". In this, Smith was also known for his personal aversion to diving, having once said, "Simply put, people dive to the ground because they know they can't score a goal on their own and therefore need a quick way to score one soon especially when it happens in the penalty box which traditionally results in a penalty. Personally, I never had that thought in my mind and for me I never needed to dive to the ground because one way or the other I'll score a goal in every match that I play".

Having achieved much of his footballing successes under long-term managers such as Sven-Göran Eriksson at England, Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid, Smith has since spoke much of the importance of retaining a manager for, at least in his view, three seasons long prior to making an eventual decision while otherwise criticising clubs with high turnover rates for head coaches. During an April 2022 interview shortly after his former club Manchester United hired ex-Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag, the club's eighth appointment in ten years since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, Smith said, "Looking back, with the many years and collective trust that he had, look at what he has come to win over those two decades or so with the silverware themselves being too many to count and not to mention a historic sextuple in which he was the first manager to do so in football history. Contrast that with the amount of times his successors have otherwise been given and it's perhaps rather telling that the club never got anywhere further when the manager keeps changing and rotating every three to four years which essentially stuns any growth or development a club has in favour of a new one in what is only a vicious never-ending cycle".

In line with his most famous nickname of "The General", throughout much of his playing years, Smith came to acquire a well-known reputation for possessing a somewhat formidable and commanding presence on the pitch as well as a naturally talented and assertive leader with former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson describing the former as "someone naturally born to be a leader with his own set of loyal followers and subordinates". In particular, during important and high stakes matches such as a World Cup final, Smith was known for his "calm and reasonable yet aggressive and uncompromising" demeanour during dressing room meetings with former England teammate Wayne Rooney once stating, "In most cases, if you did well then you'll receive the most praises you'll ever get in your life but if you did badly then you'll get the most berating and scolding you'll ever get in your life instead". Similarly, former United States teammate Landon Donovan, recounting Smith's final dressing room speech just prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final against Brazil, said, "For all the many years I spent with the national team, that dressing room speech was probably the only time I ever felt 100% sure about something in a very long time". In a 2017 BBC Sport interview, Smith admitted that his hardline approach as captain made him an "enemy of some guys who didn't take it too well" but asserted that the results which included back-to-back World Cup and Euros triumph were otherwise indicators for success of his captaincy, stating, "Opinions may vary as to whether my style as a captain was warranted or not but in regards to how harsh I was as one, I just wanted to make it clear that the harshest of my criticisms were never personal and in most cases only slackers and absolute brats in the team only ever get the harshest of them all and not necessarily those who gave their all but couldn't necessarily get it all right".

During a 2018 interview with Sky Sports, Smith named compatriot Wayne Rooney as his "favourite teammate of all time", stating that the two "instantly clicked" upon their first encounter at Manchester United where they played together for around six years long and for an almost decade long together as well for England. Conversely, when asked about his greatest football rival, Smith named former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry, stating, "Even if I pretty much won most of our confrontations there was no doubt that Thierry was a very talented player in his own right and going up against him itself is frankly no walk in the park". Alternatively, an apparent but unacknowledged rivalry between Smith and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo was otherwise the subject of media interest with it largely stemming from the fact that the two played together at Manchester United, where they jointly won a historic sextuple, before later parting ways and afterwards reunited as rivals representing rivalling clubs Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid. Regarding this, Smith said, "Frankly, I couldn't care less about the whole rivalry thing but it was definitely something to first play with and later play against someone like Cristiano. To even come out victorious each time, which I clearly did, definitely adds onto the whole intriguing aspect of it".

Despite a mutually beneficial partnership that included a historic sextuple in addition to several league and continental titles, the pairing of Smith as a player at Atlético Madrid with longtime manager Diego Simeone was notably the subject of much speculation and rumours that largely stemmed from Simeone's infamous role in the controversial sending off of English footballer David Beckham in the 1998 FIFA World Cup where Argentina later defeated England on penalties in Beckham's absence. In this, during a 2016 interview with BBC Sport, when asked about his relationship with Simeone given the latter's infamous history with England, Smith said, "To put it simply, what happened back in '98 was what it was and by all means it was history. Now, by the time we actually met one another for the first time, about a decade has passed since then and David, who got sent off during that infamous moment, already has a World Cup trophy to show off to people". Then, he added, "Ultimately, after around ten years or so, everyone has pretty much changed and moved on from what or whom they used to be and since we actually later won a World Cup just eight years afterwards there was nothing much left to still be mad or whine about. In the end, one cannot keep dwelling on the past, be it good or bad, but otherwise keep going forward and ready to face whatever fate is going to throw at you". Similarly, on his part, Simeone himself has mostly spoken positively of Smith whom he once described as "the greatest player I have ever managed". In this, regarding the historical tension between their respective countries, Simeone said, "Politics are what they are but they'll never convince me to just somehow not work or manage the greatest footballer in the world and instead let someone else have the honour of doing it. That would be absolutely unacceptable for myself". In retrospect, Sky Sports has dubbed them "the most controversial yet most successful partnership in football history" while The Guardian likened the pair to the Second World War alliance between America's Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Soviet Union's Joseph Stalin, stating, "Even with all the contrasts and the apparent red flags that came with it, the two nonetheless bonded well and clearly worked wonders to achieve what they did afterwards".

As the essential face and icon of American soccer, Smith is therefore hugely respected and admired by many young American talents in the sport including AC Milan midfielder and USMNT captain Christian Pulisic who said in a 2019 interview with ESPN, "Back then, even if I was just four years old at the time, me and a lot of other kids in America would never forget the moment they lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time which is definitely something that I wish to accomplish even if it seems impossible now". Similarly, fellow American soccer player and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna described the former as "the number one legend among American soccer fans" and "the Michael Jordan of soccer", adding, "The things he did and those he accomplished as an American, everyone in the country wants to be like him and win just as much as he did too". Meanwhile, together with his younger sister Alexandra, the two are the first brother and sister pair to represent England at the senior level followed by the James siblings Lauren and Reece who each play for Chelsea and England respectively. However, they are not necessarily the first pair of siblings to represent England at the senior level and win a major tournament, be it the World Cup or the Euros, with the first pair to do so being the Charlton brothers Bobby and Jack, members of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad, and the Neville brothers Phil and Gary, members of the 2006 World Cup-winning squad.

Managerial Style

"Looking back, all those doubts and uncertainties that were thrown at me by many people certainly drove me to do the best that I could with the time and players that I had because in the end they knew that they were wrong to doubt me in the first place while I'll be the happiest person on Earth to know that I was right about myself from the beginning."

Smith on initial doubts from the public over his managerial capabilities at Tottenham Hotspur

Considered to be the most successful Tottenham Hotspur manager of the modern era, as head coach, Smith was well-known for his precise and consistent emphasis on discipline, a quality he once described as "more essential than simply being good at football", adding, "Any team can be good at football but if they have no discipline instilled in them then they are nothing more than just some rowdy and classless group of men who can simply kick a ball around on the pitch". In addition, owing to his extensive experience from his past playing years, Smith was also known for his particular emphasis on "mind games", with his preferred methods being through loud and energetic chants and songs combined with passionate touchline celebrations which was said to be heavily inspired by Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp. Moreover, at least during his first season as Tottenham Hotspur head coach, Smith gained much media attention for his "pompous" and "bombastic" personality during press conferences which he later admitted to be a deliberate act, stating, "Undoubtedly, I came to a club that wasn't exactly in its best form but all things considered what was I supposed to do publicly? Act like I'm defeated and that all is lost before it really isn't? Nope, that's now how I work and it never will be because I live and thrive off high expectations and regardless if some people like it or not, I'm not going to hide my true ambitious and dreamy personality because that's what I've always been for years as a player and now as a manager as well". In this, especially following Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final, Smith famously displayed the V sign to the surrounding cameras amidst an empty stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He later repeated the hand gesture, first popularised by British statesman Winston Churchill, during Tottenham Hotspur's first Premier League title win which later led to supporters displaying the hand gesture themselves en-masse during home matches reportedly in order to both encourage their players and demoralise their opponents.

Overall, an ambitious personality, coupled with his tactical acumen and the successes he enjoyed as head coach has led to occasionally mythical comparisons between Smith and the late Bill Nicholson who formerly managed Tottenham Hotspur throughout the 1960s during which he won the FA Cup thrice, the EFL Cup and UEFA Cup twice, and the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup once. Regarding the comparisons, Smith himself said, "Obviously, in the context of Tottenham Hotspur, it is quite an honour to even be compared to someone like Bill but out of my personal respect for the man and ultimately the club itself, I think it is best that his legacy be left untouched and appreciated in all its glory while I build my own and have it be appreciated by people in its own unique way. Ultimately, I'm not here to replace or erase Bill's legacy but to simply bring much-awaited glory to this one-of-a-kind club and make their supporters happy and enjoy football again like the good old days". On the other hand, his perceived "underdog" status coupled with his aggressive persona has also led to comparisons between himself and Portuguese-born José Mourinho with whom he coincidentally holds the record for the youngest manager to win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League respectively.

Although known to have usually preferred the traditional 4-2-3-1/4-3-2-1 formations, on rare occasions, Smith has also been somewhat successful with a 3-5-2 formation most notably in Tottenham Hotspur's impressive 4-1 victory over Manchester City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final where the pairing of club veteran Harry Kane and returning club legend Gareth Bale up front along with a numerically dominant midfield spearheaded on the sides by Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min saw them effectively dominate their Manchester opponents and ultimately win 4-1. Meanwhile, on one occasion, when asked by a BBC Sports journalist about his tactics, Smith famously replied, "It's simple, when we have the ball we attack, attack, and attack, but when we don't have the ball then we defend, defend, and defend".

An admirer of the gegenpressing system popularised by the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Jürgen Klopp, Smith was known for having favoured such an approach during his four-year tenure at Tottenham Hotspur along with favouring other tactical approaches such as rigid and narrow defending as well as a fast and rapid counter-attacking approach primarily led by the talented Harry Kane up front. Meanwhile, in a 2021 interview with Sky Sports, Smith named Atlético Madrid head coach Diego Simeone as his "primary inspiration" in being a football manager himself, citing the former's much-similar situation of managing an "underdog" club against perceived superior opponents. To that end, Simeone's tactical trademark that includes a rigid defensive system was also incorporated by Smith as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, stating, "Admittedly, compared to some of our opponents our defenders wouldn't necessarily be called among the best in the world but in the end when all eleven players on the pitch and not just the defenders at the back come together and protect the goalpost as a strong single unit then it's going to be difficult for any teams, be it those stronger or weaker than us, to just simply walk over us and get three to five goals each time".

"Without a doubt, to see the same club that we defeated 2-0 in the finals just the season before also defeat Bayern Munich to win their first title the following season is just unreal and truly astonishing. Not many clubs bounce from such a defeat at such a high level this quickly but they have done it and with the circumstances at hand it was truly a one-of-a-kind effort."

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp on Smith and Tottenham Hotspur

Considered to be an expert at mind games and the psychological aspects of football, Smith was known to have frequently utilised loud and passionate chants especially during home matches with the main purpose of disorienting and unsettling visiting opposition players, stating, "Whether they like it or not, whenever opponents come to face us and they do so at our home ground, then it's an absolute guarantee that they will not get the warmest of welcomes from the hosts but otherwise the loudest of chants and screams they'll ever hear in their lives whereby if they listen to it for too long they could perhaps even go deaf in the end after it's all said and done". In this, Smith has also come to acquire a reputation for his passionate and energetic touchline celebrations which the former revealed to have been inspired by Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp. In defending his passionate celebrations, Smith remarked, "As long as I wasn't actually making racist, sexist, or any obscene gestures of the sort to anyone I don't think I should be told how to celebrate my team's successes. If anything, the fact that I celebrate the way I do clearly shows that I take both victories and defeats very seriously each time". Over the course of four years as Tottenham Hotspur manager, among the several celebratory gestures he used, the most notable would be the one where he would taunt opposition supporters by raising three of his fingers so as to indicate the occasions where he has supposedly proven most critics and doubters wrong with the said occasions being the United States' World Cup glory, Atlético Madrid's five UEFA Champions League title streak, and his Premier League and UEFA Champions League triumphs with Tottenham Hotspur.

In the 2023 sports documentary The Spursy Fantasy, Smith publicly disclosed an unusual method that he employed in order to consistently motivate his players and achieve the unprecedented successes that he had as Tottenham Hotspur head coach in which during games against big opponents or derby rivals Arsenal he usually tasked the defenders, midfielders, forwards, as well as the goalkeeper to hit a certain goal be it in terms of successful interceptions, completed passes, goals scored, or even keeping a clean sheet in which any player who successfully does so was often rewarded handsomely be it in the form of money, dinner treats, or a day of rest. Aside from this, owing to his relatively young age, Smith often participated in trainings with players himself, challenging them to 1-on-1 duels, stating, "If they were always facing one of the greatest footballers directly in training each time then they'll undoubtedly be just as good as the person they faced in no time".

During a 2023 interview with Sky Sports, when asked about his favourite moment as Tottenham Hotspur head coach, Smith named the club's surprise 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final, stating, "The moment Ndombele scored that crucial goal, and given there were just a few minutes left before the match was officially over, it was definitely an extremely rare moment where everyone including myself, for good reason, just let loose because after the 0-2 loss to Liverpool in the finals the year before no one thought we would be here so quickly once again yet we did and we actually won this time around with the slimmest of margins and in the most dramatic of finishes imaginable". In addition, the club's 4-2 win on aggregate in the semi-finals against a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain that boasted players such as Kylian Mbappé and Neymar was also named by Smith to be one of his favourite moments, with the former head coach stating, "When we finally won I knew for sure that I just did one of the proudest things in my life which is proving that a soulless and ridiculous club like PSG can be defeated by almost anyone and that they definitely do not deserve to win Europe's most prestigious tournament ever".

Honours

LA Galaxy

U.S. Open Cup: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
MLS Cup: 2002, 2003
CONCACAF Champions Cup: 2000

Manchester United

Premier League: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
FA Cup: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09
EFL Cup: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
Community Shield: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
UEFA Champions League: 2004-05, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
UEFA Super Cup: 2005, 2008, 2009
FIFA Club World Cup: 2005, 2008, 2009

Atlético Madrid

La Liga: 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16
Copa del Rey: 2012-13, 2015-16
Supercopa de España: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
UEFA Champions League: 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16
UEFA Europa League: 2010-11
UEFA Super Cup: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
FIFA Club World Cup: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League: 2020-21, 2021-22
FA Cup: 2022-23
EFL Cup: 2021-22
UEFA Champions League: 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23
UEFA Super Cup: 2020, 2021
FIFA Club World Cup: 2020, 2021

United States U20

FIFA World Youth Championship: 1999

United States

FIFA World Cup: 2002
FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001, 2003
CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2000, 2002

England

FIFA World Cup: 2006, 2010, 2014
UEFA European Championship: 2008, 2012

Individual

Ultra Ballon d'Or: 2019
FIFA Ballon d'Or/Ballon d'Or: 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
FIFA World Player of the Year: 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
The Best FIFA Men's Player:2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
The Best FIFA Special Award for Outstanding Career Achievement: 2010, 2014, 2016, 2023
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2001, 2003, 2009, 2013
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 2001, 2003, 2009, 2013
FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Ball: 1999
FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Boot: 1999
Premier League Golden Boot: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10
Pichichi Trophy: 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16
European Golden Shoe: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16
La Liga Best Player: 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2002, 2010, 2014
The FA's Senior Men's Player of the Year: 2006, 2008, 2010
PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2004-05, 2007-08, 2008-09
PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2004-05, 2007-08, 2008-09
PFA Team of the Year: 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
Premier League Player of the Season: 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
Premier League Player of the Month: November 2010, January 2013, April 2013
FWA Footballer of the Year: 2014
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2004-05, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
Manchester United Players' Player of the Year: 2004-05, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2008, 2012
Premier League Hall of Fame: 2021
FIFA Club World Cup Most Valuable Player of the Final: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015
Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2007, 2009
Premier League Goal of the Month: June 2005
FWA Tribute Award: 2015
MLS All-Time Best XI: Forward
MLS Golden Boot: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
MLS Best XI: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Major League Soccer MVP: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
U.S. Soccer Player of the Year: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
Best Male Soccer Player ESPY Award: 2002
Best MLS Player ESPY Award: 2002
Honda Player of the Year: 2002
CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2000, 2002
CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP: 2000, 2002
CONCACAF Gold Cup Top scorer: 2000, 2002
CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Goal: 2000
LA Galaxy Player of the Year: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
LA Galaxy Golden Boot: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
MLS Cup MVP: 2002, 2003
MLS Goal of the Year: 2001
IFFHS Legends: 2015
MLS Greatest Player of All Time: 2002
National Soccer Hall of Fame: 2002
English Football Hall of Fame: 2015
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award: 2014
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award: 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014
BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year: 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014
Onze d'Or Coach of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2022
The Best FIFA Men's Coach: 2020, 2021, 2022
LMA Manager of the Year: 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23
Premier League Manager of the Season: 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award: 2020
IFFHS World's Best Club Coach:: 2020
LMA Hall of Fame: 2023

William Smith

Contents

Early Life

Teenagehood

Club Career

LA Galaxy (1992 - 2003)

Youth Prospect (1992 - 1997)

Senior Team (1997 - 2003)

Manchester United (2004 - 2010)

Early Years

Peak of Success and Departure to Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid

Debut season & Europa League triumph

Diego Simeone Era

Final Years

International Career

United States U-20

United States

2002 Ballon d'Or eligibility controversy

England

Great Britain national football team

Post-Retirement

Ultra Ballon d'Or

Football Honours

Business Interests

Honorary Advisor & The FA President

Politics & Social Causes

US Soccer Reforms

Future Prospects

Managerial Career

Tottenham Hotspur

Acting Career

Personal Life

Relationships

Style of Play

Managerial Style

Honours

Navigation menu

William Smith

Early Life

Teenagehood

Club Career

LA Galaxy (1992 - 2003)

Youth Prospect (1992 - 1997)

Senior Team (1997 - 2003)

Manchester United (2004 - 2010)

Early Years

Peak of Success and Departure to Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid

Debut season & Europa League triumph

Diego Simeone Era

Final Years

International Career

United States U-20

United States

2002 Ballon d'Or eligibility controversy

England

Great Britain national football team

Post-Retirement

Ultra Ballon d'Or

Football Honours

Business Interests

Honorary Advisor & The FA President

Politics & Social Causes

US Soccer Reforms

Future Prospects

Managerial Career

Tottenham Hotspur

Acting Career

Personal Life

Relationships

Style of Play

Managerial Style

Honours

Navigation menu

Search