Aaron Hughes facts for kids
Hughes playing for the Northern Ireland team in 2012.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aaron William Hughes | ||
| Date of birth | 8 November 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Cookstown, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1998 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2005 | Newcastle United | 205 | (4) |
| 2005–2007 | Aston Villa | 54 | (0) |
| 2007–2014 | Fulham | 196 | (1) |
| 2014 | Queens Park Rangers | 11 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 10 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Melbourne City | 6 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | Kerala Blasters | 11 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Heart of Midlothian | 32 | (0) |
| Total | 525 | (7) | |
| International career | |||
| Northern Ireland U16 | 2 | (0) | |
| Northern Ireland U18 | 5 | (1) | |
| 1997–1998 | Northern Ireland B | 2 | (0) |
| 1998–2018 | Northern Ireland | 112 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Aaron William Hughes (born 8 November 1979) is a former professional footballer from Northern Ireland. He played as a defender, which means his main job was to stop the other team from scoring. Hughes was a versatile player who could play in the center, on the right, or on the left of the defense.
He is famous for his fair and disciplined play. In 455 games in the Premier League, England's top football league, he was never sent off with a red card. This is the second-best record in the history of the league.
Hughes began his career at Newcastle United and later played for clubs like Aston Villa and Fulham. With Fulham, he even reached the final of a major European competition, the UEFA Europa League Final, in 2010.
He also had a long career playing for the Northern Ireland national team. He played 112 games for his country, which is the third-highest number of appearances for any Northern Irish player. He was the team's captain for many years and played in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
Contents
Club Career
Newcastle United
Born in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, Hughes started his career at Newcastle United. He made his first appearance for the main team on 26 November 1997. It was a huge game against the famous Spanish club Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
He soon became a regular player for the team. He scored his first goal for Newcastle on 19 September 1999, in an amazing 8–0 win against Sheffield Wednesday. Over eight years, he played 278 games for Newcastle in all competitions.
Aston Villa
In May 2005, Hughes moved to another Premier League team, Aston Villa, for a fee of £1 million. He made his first appearance for the club on 13 August 2005. During his two years at Aston Villa, he played in 64 matches.
Fulham
In June 2007, Hughes joined Fulham, a team based in London. He was an important player for the club and often served as the team captain. One of his greatest achievements at Fulham was helping the team reach the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final. This was a huge moment for the club.
He scored his first goal for Fulham on 26 December 2010 against West Ham United. He stayed with Fulham for over six years, playing 250 games for the club.
Later Career
After leaving Fulham in 2014, Hughes played for several other clubs. He had short spells with Queens Park Rangers and Brighton & Hove Albion in England.
He then moved abroad to play for Melbourne City FC in Australia and Kerala Blasters FC in India. He finished his career in Scotland with Heart of Midlothian. Hughes retired from football in June 2019 at the age of 39, after a long and successful career.
International Career
Hughes made his first appearance for the Northern Ireland national team on 25 March 1998. He was only 18 years old. He became the team's captain in 2003 and led his country to famous victories against big teams like England and Spain.
On 10 August 2011, after 13 years and 77 games, he scored his first and only goal for Northern Ireland in a 4–0 win against the Faroe Islands.
In 2011, he announced he would stop playing for his country. However, he returned to the team the next year. On 4 June 2016, he became the first outfield player from Northern Ireland to play 100 games for his country. He was part of the Northern Ireland team that played at UEFA Euro 2016, a major international tournament. He played his final game for Northern Ireland in 2018, ending his international career with 112 appearances.
Personal Life
Hughes is married to his wife, Samantha, and they have two daughters. In 2020, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This is a special award given by the Queen for outstanding achievements and service to the community, in his case, for his services to football.
See also
In Spanish: Aaron Hughes para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
