Damien Duff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Damien Duff

Duff in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Damien Anthony Duff
Date of birth	(1979-03-02) 2 March 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Ballyboden, Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.77 m
Playing position	Winger
Youth career
	Leicester Celtic
	Lourdes Celtic
	St. Kevin's Boys
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–2003	Blackburn Rovers	185	(27)
2003–2006	Chelsea	81	(14)
2006–2009	Newcastle United	69	(5)
2009–2014	Fulham	130	(15)
2014–2015	Melbourne City	15	(1)
2015	Shamrock Rovers	9	(0)
Total		489	(62)
National team
1998–2012	Republic of Ireland	100	(8)
Teams managed
2021–	Shelbourne
Honours Representing  Ireland FIFA World Youth Championship Third 1997
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is a famous Irish football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne.

Damien started his playing career with Blackburn Rovers. There, he won the Football League Cup. In 2003, Chelsea bought him for £17 million. At Chelsea, he won two Premier League titles and another League Cup.

After three seasons, he joined Newcastle United. He then moved to Fulham, where he played in the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final. He finished his playing days with short times at Melbourne City in Australia and Shamrock Rovers in Ireland. He retired in December 2015.

Since retiring, Damien has become a football coach. He has worked with youth teams for Shamrock Rovers and the Republic of Ireland. He also coached at Celtic.

Duff played for the Republic of Ireland for 14 years. He earned 100 caps between 1998 and 2012. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and was captain for his country at UEFA Euro 2012.

Damien Duff's Club Journey

Starting Out at Blackburn Rovers

Damien Duff joined Blackburn Rovers as a young player in 1996. Before that, he played for youth clubs in Dublin. He made his first team debut at 18 years old. This was against Leicester City in the 1997 season. He even won the Man of the match award for that game!

In his first full season, he scored five goals. Blackburn was relegated the next season, meaning they dropped to a lower league.

Duff helped Blackburn get back into the Premier League in 2001. Then, in 2002, they won the League Cup. They beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 in the final. That season, he was named Blackburn's Player of the Year. After the 2002 World Cup, Duff signed a new four-year contract. Even with some injuries, he was Blackburn's top scorer in the 2002–03 season. His nine league goals helped the team finish sixth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Playing for Chelsea

Before the 2003–04 season, Chelsea really wanted Duff. They offered £17 million, which was a lot of money back then. This offer allowed him to leave Blackburn. Duff moved to West London in July 2003.

He was signed by manager Claudio Ranieri. This was part of a big plan by Chelsea's new owner, Roman Abramovich. Duff played his first game for Chelsea in August 2003. It was a Champions League match against MŠK Žilina. Chelsea won 2–0, and Duff was called the "star of the show."

He scored his first Chelsea goal on 20 September 2003. It was in a 5–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Duff scored the third goal and was again named Man of the match. He played 23 games and scored five goals in his first season. Chelsea finished second in the Premier League, their best finish in 49 years.

In the 2004–05 season, Chelsea got a new manager, José Mourinho. Another winger, Arjen Robben, also joined. Duff still managed to play a lot, sometimes on the right wing. This season was very successful for Duff and Chelsea. He scored ten goals, including a key goal in a 4–2 win against Barcelona in the Champions League.

The team won the Premier League title by 12 points. They also won the League Cup. Duff scored the winning goal in the semi-final against Manchester United. The next season, he scored three goals in 28 league games. Chelsea won the Premier League title again.

Time at Newcastle United

In July 2006, Duff moved to Newcastle United for £5 million. He signed a five-year contract. His first game for Newcastle was in the UEFA Cup on 10 August 2006. He scored his first goal for Newcastle in September against West Ham United.

Duff had some bad luck with injuries at Newcastle. A knee injury kept him out for four months. Later, an ankle injury ended his season early in April 2007. In his last game of the 2008–09 season, he scored an own goal. This goal sadly sent Newcastle down to a lower league. Despite this, Duff said he wanted to stay and help the team get back to the Premier League.

Moving to Fulham

Duff playing for Fulham in 2009

After playing one game for Newcastle in 2009–10, Duff returned to the Premier League. He signed a three-year contract with Fulham for £4 million. He was reunited with Roy Hodgson, his first manager at Blackburn. He made his Fulham debut as a substitute in a UEFA Europa League game.

Duff scored his first league goal for Fulham on 13 September 2009. It was in a 2–1 win over Everton. On 19 December 2009, he scored in a 3–0 win against Manchester United.

Duff taking a corner for Fulham against Manchester United, August 2010

On 15 January 2011, Duff played his 500th career game in English football. This was against Wigan Athletic. On 5 March 2011, he scored two goals in a 3–2 win against his old team, Blackburn Rovers. This meant he had scored four goals in five matches.

Duff said he felt very comfortable at Fulham. He felt he had "found his feet again" there. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he had played 27 games and scored 4 goals. In August 2011, he signed a one-year extension to his contract.

On 31 March 2012, Duff scored in Fulham's 2–1 win over Norwich City. A week later, he helped Fulham win 3–0 against Bolton Wanderers. He set up a goal and was a constant threat. On 18 August 2012, Duff scored the first goal in Fulham's 5–0 win over Norwich City. He scored again in the next game against Manchester United.

On 22 February 2013, Duff signed a new contract with Fulham until summer 2014. However, on 16 April 2014, Duff said he would leave Fulham. He was released from the club on 23 May.

Playing in Australia and Ireland

In June 2014, Duff joined Australian club Melbourne City. He signed a one-year deal for free. He made his debut against Sydney FC, helping to set up a goal. Duff scored his first goal for Melbourne City in a 5–2 win against the Newcastle Jets. In March 2015, Duff said he would leave Melbourne City. He wanted to return to Ireland to finish his career there.

On 14 July 2015, Duff signed for Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division. He announced that he would donate his wages to charity. After playing nine games for Shamrock Rovers, he announced his retirement from football on 21 December 2015.

International Career for Ireland

Duff taking a corner for Ireland against Serbia in 2008

Damien Duff played for the Republic of Ireland Under-19 team. He played in the 1997 and 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. In Malaysia, he scored the first ever Golden Goal in a World Cup match.

He played his first senior game for the Republic of Ireland in 1998. This was against the Czech Republic. He went on to earn 100 caps, which means he played 100 games for his country. This makes him the fifth most capped player in Irish history. He started 82 times and scored eight goals for Ireland.

Duff played in every game for Ireland at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was voted the team's best player of the tournament. After scoring against Saudi Arabia, he celebrated with an oriental bow. This is remembered as a special moment in his international career. He was named the FAI Senior International Player of the Year in 2002.

Ireland did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2004. However, Duff scored two goals in the qualifying games. He was also a key player in the qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But again, Ireland did not qualify for the tournament.

Under new manager Giovanni Trapattoni, Duff became an important player. He helped set up many goals. He played in both games against France in the play-offs for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Ireland was controversially knocked out.

Duff was always on the wing for Ireland in their UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. He helped the team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012. They won 5–1 against Estonia in the play-offs. He was chosen for the 23-man squad and wore the number 11 jersey. On 18 June 2012, he was captain for his 100th game. This was against Italy at the tournament. This turned out to be his last game for Ireland.

He announced he was retiring from international football on 24 August 2012.

Coaching Career

While playing his last season at Shamrock Rovers, Duff also coached the club's under-15 team. In April 2016, he started coaching the Republic of Ireland under-15s. This was part of a plan to get more former international players involved in coaching. In July 2016, Duff joined Shamrock Rovers' first-team coaching staff.

Duff became a reserve team coach at Celtic in January 2019. When Neil Lennon became interim manager, Duff was promoted to first team coach. After Celtic won a third straight domestic treble, Lennon became permanent manager. Duff kept his role as first team coach. Celtic won their ninth league title in a row in 2019–20.

In April 2020, Duff was announced as the assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland senior team. He worked with manager Stephen Kenny. He also became head coach of the under-17 team at Shelbourne. On 8 January 2021, Duff left his role as Kenny's assistant.

Managing Shelbourne

On 3 November 2021, Duff was appointed as the first team manager of League of Ireland Premier Division club, Shelbourne. His first game as a senior manager was a 3–0 loss to rivals St Patrick's Athletic. In his first season, Duff led Shelbourne to the FAI Cup Final.

Duff has spoken about how English football clubs sometimes don't value Irish League players enough. He said that Irish football is "disrespected" by some UK clubs.

At the end of his second season, Duff guided Shelbourne to qualify for the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. They finished fourth in the league.

On 1 November 2024, Duff led Shelbourne to win the league title. This was their first title since 2006. They won 1-0 against Derry City on the last day of the season. Duff called the title win "Hollywood" and the "pinnacle of his career." Shelbourne had been considered outsiders to win the league at the start of the season.

Personal Life

Duff was born in Ballyboden, County Dublin, Ireland.

He married Elaine in June 2010. Their first child, Woody, was born a year later. Duff is also a big fan of rugby.

Media Work

Duff has worked as a football expert for RTÉ Sport. He was part of their coverage for UEFA Euro 2016, UEFA Euro 2020, and FIFA World Cup 2022.

Images for kids

• 

  Damien Duff playing for Newcastle United, 2008

• 

  Duff with the Republic of Ireland during UEFA Euro 2012

Honours

Player

Blackburn Rovers

• Football League Cup: 2001–02

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
• Football League Cup: 2004–05
• FA Community Shield: 2005

Newcastle United

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006

Fulham

• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2009–10

Republic of Ireland U20

• FIFA World Youth Championship third place: 1997

Republic of Ireland

• Nations Cup: 2011

Individual Awards

• FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 2002
• PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01 First Division
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2002
• SWAI Personality of the Year 2024

Manager

Shelbourne

• FAI Cup runner-up: 2022
• League of Ireland Premier Division: 2024

See also

In Spanish: Damien Duff para niños

• List of footballers with 100 or more caps