Robert Steiner (footballer)


Robert Steiner is a retired footballer who played as a striker in his homeland and England. He also played for his Sweden national side.

Career

Steiner started out playing football in his homeland with IFK Norrköping. He moved to England in 1996, originally on loan to Bradford City when manager Chris Kamara signed Steiner, fellow Swede Magnus Pehrsson and Norwegian striker Ole Bjørn Sundgot. Steiner was the most successful of the three after scoring three league goals during his loan spell, and more famously one of the three goals in the 3–2 FA Cup triumph over Everton. Steiner's form earned him a call-up to the national side. He won three caps and scored one goal.
Kamara bought the Swede for £500,000 the following summer. In his first and only full season at Valley Parade he forged a deadly partnership with Brazilian Edinho. The pair each scored ten goals and were the club's leading goalscorers during 1997–98. The following summer new manager Paul Jewell was given cash to spend by chairman Geoffrey Richmond and Steiner fell out of favour. He played just one League Cup game in 1998–99 in a 1–1 draw with Lincoln City.
Steiner was loaned out twice to Queens Park Rangers and once to Walsall before he was signed permanently by QPR for £215,000. But after just 24 games and six goals he was forced to retire due to injury at just 27 in November 2000.