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
Position(s)	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)
International career
1998–2012	Republic of Ireland	100	(8)
Managerial career
2021–2025	Shelbourne
Medal record Representing  Ireland FIFA World Youth Championship Third 1997
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Damien Anthony Duff (born on March 2, 1979) is an Irish former professional football player and manager. He was known for playing as a winger. He recently managed the League of Ireland club Shelbourne.

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

After three seasons, he moved to Newcastle United. There, he won the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup. He then played for Fulham, reaching the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final. He finished his playing career with short times at Melbourne City and Shamrock Rovers. He retired in December 2015.

After retiring, Damien became a coach. He worked with youth teams for Shamrock Rovers, Celtic, and the Republic of Ireland. He played for the Republic of Ireland for 14 years. He earned 100 caps (appearances) between 1998 and 2012. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and was captain for UEFA Euro 2012.

Playing Career

Starting 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 for Blackburn at 18 years old. This was against Leicester City in 1997. He was named the best player in that match. In his first full season, he scored five goals.

Blackburn Rovers was moved down to a lower league in 1999. But Damien helped them get back into the Premier League in 2001. 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 FIFA World Cup, he signed a new contract with Blackburn. 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.

Time at Chelsea

Before the 2003–04 season, Chelsea wanted to sign Damien. They offered £17 million, which was a lot of money then. Damien decided to move to London in July. He was signed by manager Claudio Ranieri. Damien made his first game for Chelsea in August 2003. This was in the UEFA Champions League against a Slovakian team. Chelsea won 2–0, and Damien was called the "star of the show."

He scored his first Chelsea goal on September 20, 2003. This was in a 5–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played 23 games for Chelsea that season and scored five goals. Chelsea finished second in the Premier League, which was their best finish in 49 years.

In the 2004–05 season, a new player, Arjen Robben, joined Chelsea. This meant Damien had more competition for his spot. But Robben got injured, so Damien played a lot. When Robben returned, Damien often played on the right wing. This season was very successful for Damien and Chelsea. He scored ten goals, including an important one against Barcelona in the Champions League. Chelsea won the Premier League title and the League Cup. Damien scored the winning goal in the League Cup semi-final against Manchester United. The next season, he scored three goals as Chelsea won the Premier League again.

Moving to Newcastle United

In July 2006, Damien joined Newcastle United for £5 million. He signed a five-year contract. He played his first game for Newcastle in the UEFA Cup in August 2006. He scored his first goal for Newcastle in September against West Ham United.

Damien had a knee injury in November that kept him out for four months. Later, an ankle injury ended his season early. In the last game of the 2008–09 season, against Aston Villa, Damien accidentally scored an own goal. This goal meant Newcastle was moved down to a lower league. Damien said he wanted to stay and help the team get back to the Premier League.

Playing for Fulham

Duff in 2009

After playing one game for Newcastle in 2009–10, Damien returned to the Premier League. He signed with Fulham for £4 million. He joined his first manager from Blackburn, Roy Hodgson, there. He made his Fulham debut in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match. He helped set up a goal in a 3–1 win.

Damien scored his first league goal for Fulham on September 13, 2009, against Everton. On December 19, 2009, he scored in a 3–0 win over Manchester United. On January 15, 2011, Damien played his 500th career game in English football. This was against Wigan Athletic.

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

On March 5, 2011, Damien scored two goals in a 3–2 win against his old team, Blackburn Rovers. He said he felt very comfortable at Fulham. He felt he had found his best form again there. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he played 27 games and scored 4 goals. In August 2011, he signed a one-year extension to his contract.

On March 31, 2012, Damien 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 for Clint Dempsey. This game was his 350th league appearance. On August 18, 2012, he scored the first goal in Fulham's 5–0 win over Norwich City. He scored again in the next game against Manchester United.

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

Later Playing Career

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

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

International Career

Duff taking a corner for Ireland during a game against Serbia in 2008

Damien played for the Republic of Ireland's Under-19 team. He played in the 1997 and 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship tournaments. 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 played 100 games for Ireland, making him one of the most capped players in Irish history. He started 82 times and scored eight goals.

He played every game for Ireland at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was voted the team's best player in that tournament. He scored against Saudi Arabia and celebrated with an oriental bow. This is remembered as a famous 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 or the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Damien was a key player in the qualifying campaigns. Under new manager Giovanni Trapattoni, Damien continued to be important. He helped set up many goals. He played in both games against France when Ireland was controversially knocked out of the World Cup qualifiers in 2009.

Damien was a constant presence on the wings for Ireland in their UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. He helped the team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012. On June 18, 2012, he captained the Republic of Ireland in his 100th game. This was against Italy at the tournament. This was his last game for his country. He announced his retirement from international football on August 24, 2012.

Coaching Career

While playing for Shamrock Rovers, Damien also coached the club's under-15 team. In April 2016, he started coaching the Republic of Ireland under-15s. In July 2016, he joined Shamrock Rovers' first-team coaching staff.

Damien became a reserve team coach for Celtic in January 2019. When Neil Lennon became interim manager, Damien was promoted to first team coach. After Celtic won a third straight domestic treble, Damien kept his role. Celtic won their ninth league title in a row and fourth League Cup in 2019–20. On April 5, 2020, Damien was announced as the assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland senior team. He also became head coach of the under-17 team at Shelbourne. On January 8, 2021, Damien stepped down as assistant manager for the national team.

Managing Shelbourne

On November 3, 2021, Damien 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 on February 18, 2022. In his first season, Damien led Shelbourne to the FAI Cup Final.

While coaching Shelbourne, Damien has spoken about how English football leagues do not value Irish League players enough. He said that Irish teams are sometimes disrespected. At the end of his second season, he guided Shelbourne to qualify for the UEFA Conference League by finishing fourth.

On November 1, 2024, Damien 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. Damien 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. Damien stepped down as manager on June 22, 2025.

Personal Life

Damien Duff was born in Ballyboden, County Dublin, Ireland. He married Elaine in June 2010. Their first child, Woody, was born a year later. Damien is also a fan of rugby.

Media Work

Damien Duff has worked as a football expert for RTÉ Sport. He covered tournaments like UEFA Euro 2016, UEFA Euro 2020, and FIFA World Cup 2022.

Career Statistics

Damien Duff playing for Newcastle United, 2008

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Duff goal.

List of international goals scored by Damien Duff

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	15 August 2001	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland	Croatia	1–0	2–2	Friendly
2	11 June 2002	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan	Saudi Arabia	3–0	3–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
3	29 March 2003	Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia	Georgia	1–0	2–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
4	30 April 2003	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland	Norway	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	6 September 2003	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland	Russia	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
6	18 November 2003	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland	Canada	1–0	3–0	Friendly
7	1 March 2006	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland	Sweden	1–0	3–0	Friendly
8	8 February 2011	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland	Wales	2–0	3–0	2011 Nations Cup

Managerial Record

Achievements and Awards

Duff with the Republic of Ireland during UEFA Euro 2012

As a 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

As a Manager

Shelbourne

• FAI Cup runner-up: 2022
• League of Ireland Premier Division: 2024
• President of Ireland's Cup: 2025

See also

In Spanish: Damien Duff para niños