Anthony Stokes facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the Irish footballer. For the Guernsey cricketer, see Anthony Stokes (cricketer). For the English footballer, see Tony Stokes.

Quick facts for kids
Anthony Stokes
Personal information
Stokes with Persepolis in 2020
Full name	Anthony Christopher Stokes
Date of birth	(1988-07-25) 25 July 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
2002–2003	Shelbourne
2003–2005	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2007	Arsenal	0	(0)
2006–2007	→ Falkirk (loan)	16	(14)
2007–2009	Sunderland	36	(3)
2008–2009	→ Sheffield United (loan)	12	(0)
2009	→ Crystal Palace (loan)	13	(1)
2009–2010	Hibernian	40	(22)
2010–2016	Celtic	135	(58)
2016	→ Hibernian (loan)	14	(5)
2016–2017	Blackburn Rovers	8	(1)
2017–2018	Hibernian	18	(7)
2018	Apollon Smyrni	4	(0)
2018–2019	Tractor	23	(11)
2019	Adana Demirspor	6	(1)
2020	Persepolis	1	(0)
2020	Livingston	0	(0)
Total		326	(123)
International career^‡
2006–2010	Republic of Ireland U21	10	(4)
2008	Republic of Ireland B	1	(0)
2007–2014	Republic of Ireland	9	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:19, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Anthony Christopher Stokes (born 25 July 1988) is a former professional footballer from Ireland. He played as a striker, which means he was mainly focused on scoring goals.

Stokes started his professional career with Arsenal. He became well-known during a successful loan period with Falkirk in 2006, where he scored 14 goals in 16 games. He then joined Sunderland for £2 million. After that, he moved back to Scottish football, signing with Hibernian in 2009. He scored over 20 goals in his first full season there.

Later, Stokes joined Celtic, the team he supported as a child. He played regularly for Celtic under manager Neil Lennon and achieved success. However, his playing time decreased under manager Ronny Deila. In 2016, he was loaned back to Hibernian and helped them win the 2015–16 Scottish Cup.

After playing for Blackburn Rovers, Stokes returned to Hibernian for a third time in 2017. He also had short periods playing for clubs in Greece, Iran, and Turkey. In 2020, he returned to Scotland to play for Livingston. Stokes also represented the Republic of Ireland at the under-21 level and played nine times for the senior national team between 2007 and 2014.

Club Career Highlights

Early Years at Arsenal

Anthony Stokes was born in Dublin, Ireland. He joined the Arsenal youth team and quickly moved up. By the age of 15, he was already playing for Arsenal's reserve team.

He made his first appearance for Arsenal's main team on 25 October 2005. This was in a League Cup match against Sunderland. He came on as a substitute late in the game, which Arsenal won 3–0.

Loan Spell at Falkirk

In 2006, Arsenal agreed to loan Stokes to Falkirk, a team in the Scottish Premier League (SPL). He stayed with them until the end of 2006. Stokes scored his first goal for Falkirk on 19 September 2006 in a Scottish League Cup game.

He scored two more goals against Inverness on 21 October. On 28 October, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) in Falkirk's 5–1 win over Dundee United. He then scored another hat-trick in the very next match against Dunfermline Athletic. This made him the first player to score hat-tricks in two SPL games in a row. He scored a third hat-trick in his final game for Falkirk.

Stokes was named Young Player of the Month for October and November because of his great form. By the end of his loan, he had scored 16 goals in 18 games.

Moving to Sunderland

In January 2007, Stokes moved from Arsenal to Sunderland for £2 million. He chose Sunderland partly because of their manager, Roy Keane, a famous former Irish player. Stokes made his Sunderland debut a few days later, helping them win against Ipswich.

He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 10 February 2007 against Plymouth Argyle. It was a goal from 20 yards out after he came on as a substitute. Stokes scored his first Premier League goal, a late winning goal against Derby County. This win helped Sunderland move out of the relegation zone.

Loan to Sheffield United

On 17 October 2008, Stokes joined Sheffield United on a three-month loan. He made his debut for them in a local derby match against Sheffield Wednesday. Although he started as a regular player, he soon found himself on the bench. He returned to Sunderland after making 12 appearances without scoring a goal.

Loan to Crystal Palace

In March 2009, Stokes went on loan to Crystal Palace. He scored his only goal for Palace in his first start against Preston North End. He then returned to Sunderland when his loan ended.

First Spell at Hibernian

Stokes joined Hibernian in August 2009. This move reunited him with John Hughes, who had been his manager at Falkirk. Stokes made his debut for Hibs against his former club, Falkirk.

He scored his first goals for Hibs in a 3–0 home win against St Johnstone on 19 September. In December, Stokes scored five goals in three games, helping Hibs stay unbeaten in the SPL for 12 games. On 27 December 2009, he scored the fastest goal in Scottish Premier League history, after just 12.4 seconds against Rangers. He received the SPL Young Player of the Month award for December 2009. Stokes also won the goal of the season award for a goal against Rangers in November 2009.

Success with Celtic

Stokes playing for Celtic against St Mirren, November 2010

On 31 August 2010, Stokes signed a four-year contract with Celtic. He made his Celtic debut on 11 September 2010 in a 3–0 win against Hearts. He scored his first goal for the club in his second game on 19 September, which was the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against Kilmarnock.

Stokes scored two goals in a League Cup game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. On 6 November, he scored his first hat-trick for Celtic in a record 9–0 win over Aberdeen. He dedicated this hat-trick to Celtic legend Henrik Larsson.

Key Moments at Celtic

On 24 July 2011, Stokes scored in Celtic's first match of the 2011–12 season. On 15 October, he scored twice in six minutes to help Celtic come back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3 against Kilmarnock. This comeback was seen as a turning point in Celtic's season, helping them win the league. On 3 November, Stokes scored two goals in Celtic's 3–1 win over Rennes in the Europa League.

Anthony Stokes playing for Celtic, 2012

Stokes scored his first goal of the 2012–13 season against Kilmarnock on 30 January. He also scored twice against Dundee United two weeks later. In the 2013 Scottish Cup final, he provided two assists for Gary Hooper's goals, helping Celtic win 3–0 against his former club Hibs. Stokes was named man of the match for his performance.

Stokes scored his 50th goal for Celtic with a late free kick against Dundee United on 31 August 2013. In October, he signed a new three-year contract with Celtic. On 5 January 2014, Stokes scored his 100th competitive career goal in a 4–0 win against St Mirren.

He helped Celtic win the league title on 26 March, scoring twice in a 5–1 win against Partick Thistle. His first goal was his 100th in Scottish football. Stokes scored another hat-trick on 27 April against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. A week later, he scored his 20th goal of the season in a 5–2 win over Aberdeen.

Later Years at Celtic

Stokes scored in Celtic's first two league games of the 2014–15 season. However, he scored fewer goals than in previous seasons. This was partly because new manager Ronny Deila often played him on the left wing instead of his usual striker position.

In August 2015, manager Ronny Deila told Stokes he was no longer a key part of the team's plans. By October, he had only played in two first-team games. In November, Stokes expressed his frustration on social media, which led to Celtic suspending him for two weeks.

Loan Return to Hibernian

Stokes (furthest right) celebrating for Hibernian

On 15 January 2016, Stokes agreed to join Hibernian on loan for the rest of the season. He scored a late goal in his first game back for Hibs in a 3–1 win over St Mirren. At the end of the season, Stokes scored two goals in the 2016 Scottish Cup final. He was named man of the match as Hibs won 3–2 against Rangers, ending their 114-year wait to win the competition.

Time at Blackburn Rovers

On 17 June 2016, Stokes signed a three-year contract with Blackburn Rovers. He scored on his Blackburn debut in a 4–1 loss to Norwich City on 6 August. He then scored two goals in the EFL Cup first round. In July 2017, Blackburn and Stokes agreed to end his contract early.

Third Spell at Hibernian

Stokes signed a two-year contract for his third time with Hibernian in August 2017. He scored two goals in his first start for the club against Ayr United in the Scottish League Cup. Stokes scored 11 goals in 21 games during this period. However, he was removed from the first team in January 2018 due to disciplinary issues. He left the club on 30 January.

Playing Abroad

On 7 February 2018, Stokes signed with Greek team Apollon Smyrni. However, he faced disciplinary issues again, missing training in April 2018.

Stokes (left) playing for Tractor against Saipa in August 2018

In July 2018, he signed a two-year contract with Tractor in Iran. He scored on his debut on 3 August. On 28 September, he scored four goals in a 6–0 win. By 25 October 2018, he had scored ten goals in nine games and extended his contract. However, he later left the club without permission due to personal reasons.

In July 2019, Stokes signed with Turkish club Adana Demirspor. However, his contract was ended by the club on 27 November, after he had only played six games and scored one goal.

Stokes making his debut for Persepolis in Tehran derby.

On 25 January 2020, Stokes signed a six-month contract with Iranian champions Persepolis. He made his debut in the Tehran derby. After a match in February, he received permission to stay in the United Arab Emirates for one day to visit his son. However, he stayed longer than allowed and announced he would not return to Iran due to the global health situation. Persepolis ended his contract on 30 May due to his absence.

Brief Spell at Livingston

On 22 August 2020, Stokes signed a one-year deal with Scottish club Livingston. However, he left the club on 15 September without playing any games. He stated he did not like training on artificial pitches.

International Career

Stokes played for the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels. He was promoted to the under-21 team in August 2006.

He earned his first senior cap for the Republic of Ireland national football team on 7 February 2007. This was in a 2–1 win against San Marino, where he came on as a substitute. He played three times for the senior team in 2007.

His good form with Hibernian earned him a recall to the national squad in May 2010. He was also included in the under-21 team, where he scored two goals and assisted two others in a 5–0 win against Estonia. He then joined the senior squad for a game against Argentina.

In May 2011, Stokes withdrew from the Ireland squad for a tournament due to tiredness. The manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, expressed disappointment but said he would still consider Stokes for future games. Stokes later felt it was unlikely he would be chosen for the 2012 European Championship.

Stokes was recalled to the Ireland squad in October 2013. He played in a 0–3 defeat to Germany, which ended Ireland's hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. He played two more friendly matches in November 2013. His final cap for Ireland came in November 2014, in a 4–1 win over the United States.

Career Statistics

Stokes celebrating a goal with Tractor in 2018

Club Appearances

Club	Season	League		National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Arsenal	2005–06	—		—		1	0	—		1	0
	2006–07	—		—		—		—		—
	Total	—		—		1	0	—		1	0
Falkirk (loan)	2006–07	16	14	—		2	2	—		18	16
Sunderland	2006–07	14	2	—		—		—		14	2
	2007–08	20	1	—		1	0	—		21	1
	2008–09	2	0	—		1	2	—		3	2
	Total	36	3	—		2	2	—		38	5
Sheffield United (loan)	2008–09	12	0	—		—		—		12	0
Crystal Palace (loan)	2008–09	13	1	—		—		—		13	1
Hibernian	2009–10	37	21	4	1	2	1	—		43	23
	2010–11	3	1	—		—		2	0	5	1
	Total	40	22	4	1	2	1	2	0	48	24
Celtic	2010–11	29	14	3	0	3	5	—		35	19
	2011–12	34	12	4	4	4	3	5	2	47	21
	2012–13	17	5	4	2	1	0	1	0	23	7
	2013–14	33	20	2	1	1	0	10	0	46	21
	2014–15	21	7	4	1	4	0	9	0	38	8
	2015–16	1	0	—		—		1	0	2	0
	Total	135	58	17	8	13	8	26	2	191	76
Hibernian (loan)	2015–16	14	5	6	4	1	0	4	0	25	9
Blackburn Rovers	2016–17	8	1	2	0	2	2	2	1	14	4
Hibernian	2017–18	18	7	—		3	4	—		21	11
Apollon Smyrni	2017–18	4	0	—		—		—		4	0
Tractor	2018–19	23	11	1	2	—		—		24	13
Adana Demirspor	2019–20	6	1	0	0	—		—		6	1
Persepolis	2019–20	1	0	0	0	—		2	0	3	0
Livingston	2020–21	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0
Career total		326	123	30	15	26	19	36	3	418	160

International Appearances

Republic of Ireland
Year	Apps	Goals
2007	3	0
2008	0	0
2009	0	0
2010	0	0
2011	1	0
2012	0	0
2013	4	0
2014	1	0
Total	9	0

Football Achievements

Club Trophies

Sunderland

Football League Championship: 2006–07

Celtic

Scottish Premiership: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
Scottish Cup: 2010–11, 2012–13
Scottish League Cup: 2014–15

Hibernian

Scottish Cup: 2015–16

Individual Awards

Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Month: October 2006, November 2006, December 2009
Clydesdale Bank Premier League Goal of the Season: 2009–10 vs. Rangers