Dalian Atkinson, 48, was a former professional footballer, who died after a clash with police outside his father’s home in Telford, Shropshire.
He was born on 21 March 1968, and died in the early hours of the morning on 15 August 2016.
Atkinson started his career as a striker at Ipswich Town in 1985 and played for a number of clubs over a 16-year career including Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and the Spanish side Real Sociedad. He retired from professional football in 2001, at the age of 33.
After his death his family said he had realised his dream to be a top-flight footballer.
Atkinson left Ipswich when he was bought by Sheffield Wednesday for £450,000 in 1989. He then moved to Spain, signing with Real Sociedad for £1.7m, becoming the first black player in the club’s history and scoring 12 goals in his debut season.
He joined Aston Villa in 1991, and was part of the team that were runners-up in the first year of the Premiership (now the Premier League) in 1992. He scored more than 20 top flight goals between 1991 and 1995, including a solo effort against Wimbledon, which won Match of the Day’s goal of the season in 1992-93, and another in the 1994 League Cup final when Villa beat Manchester United. Towards the end of his career he also played for the Turkish side Fenerbahçe and Manchester City.
