Paul Dickov (born 1 November 1972) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player; he currently works as a television pundit, namely for Manchester City TV.

Dickov left in 2002 to join Leicester City, where he stayed for two seasons and, in 2004, he signed for Blackburn Rovers, and was part of the team which qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2005–06.

Born in Livingston, West Lothian,[1] Dickov joined the youth ranks of Arsenal in 1989, after playing for Scotland in the under-16 World Championship.

[3] He was a member of Arsenal's squad during the first season of the Premier League, making his first team debut against Southampton on 20 March 1993 and scoring in end-of-season games against Crystal Palace and Tottenham.

[5] Dickov joined the club in a period of turmoil; in his first season at Manchester City he played under five different managers (three full-time appointments and two caretakers).

A regular starter under Asa Hartford, Steve Coppell and Phil Neal, he played less frequently under Frank Clark, and finished the season with five goals from 25 League starts.

Dickov finished the season as the City's top scorer with nine goals, but the club were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.

[8] Dickov, wearing the number 9 shirt, played a supporting role in a striking partnership with Shaun Goater in the 1998–99 season, scoring 16 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Lincoln City.

After a slow start, his form improved in the later part of the season, leading to City manager Joe Royle nicknaming him "the crocus" due to him coming to life in the spring months.

[10] The sixteenth goal was particularly crucial, a 15-yard, top corner injury time equaliser in the final of the promotion playoffs against Gillingham.

[19] He scored a career-high of 20 goals in the 2002–03 season as Leicester made an immediate return to the top flight, finishing runners-up in Division One behind Portsmouth.

[20] Dickov moved to Blackburn Rovers, declining an offer of an improved contract from Leicester[21] and exercising a contractual clause which allowed him to join a Premier League club for a nominal fee.

In 2005–06, Dickov found it hard to retain a regular place in the side, with manager Mark Hughes having signed forwards Craig Bellamy and Shefki Kuqi during the summer.

[32][33] Two days later he scored on his debut for Blackpool, what proved to be the winning goal in the Seasiders' 2–1 victory against Leicester City, one of his former clubs, at Bloomfield Road.

He went on to score five goals in his first five appearances for the club,[35] and on 4 March he was named as the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA)'s Fans Championship Player of the Month for February.

[49][50] He made his senior international debut for Scotland on 7 October 2000, coming on as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino.

[52] Playing out of position on the wing,[52] Dickov was substituted at half-time as the team drew 2–2 against the Faroe Islands, who were 62 places lower in the world rankings at the time.

[2] Dickov's success as a striker was attributed to his tenacity and persistence;[56] in a 2003 interview with the Independent on Sunday he provided a summary of his playing style: "The ability to battle is one of the main parts of my game.

"[57] His combative approach resulted in Manchester City manager Joe Royle naming him "The Wasp",[58] and during his time at Leicester he was known as "The Pest".

[59] On 9 June 2010, Dickov signed a one-year contract with League One club Oldham Athletic to become player-manager following the departure of previous manager Dave Penney.

[71][72] Dickov is married to Janet and the couple have three children: Lauren, Max, and Sam;[73] he owes his family name to his Bulgarian grandfather.

[75] In March 2004, Dickov, along with Leicester City teammates Keith Gillespie and Frank Sinclair, was falsely accused of sexual assault while at a training camp in La Manga, Spain.