Tales of the Faithful: The Eternal Hammerman Mark Noble

West Ham United is a traditional Premier League team, where Mark Noble has been a fixture for several years. The English midfielder has played all of his professional matches in a West Ham jersey, with the exception of only eighteen matches played in other clubs due to away games.

Mark Noble was born on 8 May 1987 in Canning Town, a small English town near London. He first started at Barking Colts as a youngster, then headed to Arsenal’s academy at the age of eleven. However, due to the long distance from his home, he had to leave the Arsenal academy in 2000.

Much closer to home was West Ham United, who also expressed interest in the player. Noble and his family had supported the Hammers from an early age. So the choice was clear, Noble moved to West Ham.

The young footballer’s rise was rapid. Already at the age of fifteen Noble made his debut for the reserve team and at seventeen even for the first team in a cup match. In the same season (2004/2005), he became a full member of the A team and regularly started competitive matches.

The team management saw the talented player as the future of the club, but still sent him on loan in 2006. First he played a few games in the Hull City jersey, then he defended the colours of Ipswich Town. But after the end of the loan spell he was fully integrated into the West Ham line-up.

Shortly after returning from his loan spell Noble scored his first goal for the club in January 2007 in the Brighton net, then added his first league goal two months later.

Mark Noble gradually added both minutes and points, rising up the club hierarchy at the same time. Then in 2015, he was voted captain of the team by the coach, by then Noble was already the darling of the club’s fans.

Interestingly, Mark Noble has not made a single start for the senior national team. Although he was captain of the team in the youth categories, he did not go any further in the England national team. In 2017, he was offered to represent Ireland, but he turned it down.

Mark Noble has already retired from an active football career, but in the hierarchy of West Ham he has moved up to the management of the club. He currently serves as sporting director.

Source: Livesport, Wikipedia