Danny Gabbidon facts for kids
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Gabbidon in 2025.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Leon Gabbidon | ||
| Date of birth | 8 August 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Cwmbran, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Court Farm | |||
| Cwmbrân Town | |||
| 1996–1998 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | (0) |
| 2000 | → Cardiff City (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2000–2005 | Cardiff City | 193 | (10) |
| 2005–2011 | West Ham United | 96 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Queens Park Rangers | 17 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Crystal Palace | 33 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | Cardiff City | 1 | (0) |
| 2015 | Panteg | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 366 | (12) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2001 | Wales U21 | 17 | (0) |
| 2002–2014 | Wales | 49 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014 | Cardiff City (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Danny Gabbidon, born on August 8, 1979, is a former professional football player from Wales. He was a strong defender on the field. Danny played for several well-known clubs like West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City (twice), West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers, and Crystal Palace. He also proudly represented his home country, Wales, in international matches.
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Starting at West Bromwich Albion
Danny started his football journey playing for local youth teams in Cwmbran, Wales. He joined West Bromwich Albion as a young player in November 1996. He became a professional player in July 1998. Danny made his first appearance for Albion in March 1999. He played as a right-back and appeared in 27 games for the team. When a new manager, Gary Megson, arrived, Danny found it hard to keep his spot. He then moved to Cardiff City on a short loan in 2000.
Time at Cardiff City
In September 2000, Danny Gabbidon officially joined Cardiff City on a four-year deal. His excellent playing helped Cardiff reach the Division 2 play-offs in the 2001–02 season. He also made his first appearance for the senior Wales national team in March 2002. In October 2002, he won the Welsh clubman of the year award.
Danny signed a new contract with Cardiff in April 2002, excited about the club's future. He faced a back injury in November 2002, which kept him off the field for several months. He returned in April 2003 and helped Cardiff win promotion to Division 1 through the play-offs. Despite another injury at the start of the 2003–04 season, his strong performances as a centre-half were noticed.
In April 2004, Danny earned a spot in the First Division team of the year. He signed another contract extension in September 2004, staying with Cardiff until 2008. The club's owner, Sam Hammam, wanted Danny to be a key player for Cardiff City's future. In January 2005, Danny was named the Championship's player of the month. However, financial problems at Cardiff led to him being sold to West Ham United in July 2005.
Playing for West Ham United
Danny joined West Ham United in July 2005, along with fellow defender James Collins. His great performances earned him the Welsh Footballer of the Year award in October 2005. He became a key central defender for West Ham. He helped the team finish in the middle of the Premier League table in the 2005–06 season.
Danny also helped West Ham reach the FA Cup final in May 2006, where they were runners-up. After this successful season, he was voted 'Hammer of the Year' by the fans. In the 2006–07 season, Danny faced injuries, including a torn hamstring and groin problems, which required surgery. These injuries kept him out for much of the season.
He signed a two-year extension to his contract in August 2007. More injuries meant Danny did not play for West Ham from December 2007 until August 2009. He made his return in a League Cup game against Millwall. Danny was one of the first Premier League players to use Twitter to talk with fans. In May 2011, he was fined by the Football Association for some comments he made on Twitter. Danny left West Ham in June 2011.
Time at Queens Park Rangers
On July 24, 2011, Danny Gabbidon signed a one-year contract with Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He had impressed them during a trial. He made his first appearance on August 13, 2011. In January 2012, Danny scored his first goal for QPR in an FA Cup game against Milton Keynes Dons. This was his only goal for QPR. After the manager was changed, Danny played less often. He left QPR at the end of the 2011–12 season.
Playing for Crystal Palace
On September 18, 2012, Danny Gabbidon joined Crystal Palace. He made his debut for the club in December 2012. On April 20, 2013, Danny scored his first goal for Palace in a match against Leicester City. It was his first league goal in eight years. He scored one more goal for Palace in August 2013. Danny left Crystal Palace in May 2014 after playing 38 games and scoring twice.
Return to Cardiff City
On September 1, 2014, Danny Gabbidon signed a one-year contract with Cardiff City. This time, he was both a player and a coach. In September 2014, he was also named the temporary manager of the club. This happened after the previous manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, left. On May 5, 2015, it was announced that Danny would leave Cardiff City when his contract ended.
Playing for Panteg
In August 2015, Danny joined his hometown club, Welsh Football League Division Three side Panteg. His brother, David, also played for this team. Danny worked as a player-coach at Panteg. He also continued his work in the media, talking about football.
International Career with Wales
Danny Gabbidon was born in Wales. His father was from Jamaica and his mother was from Barbados. Danny played 17 games for the Welsh Under-21 team. He was called up to the senior Wales squad in October 2001 for a World Cup qualifier. He made his debut for the senior team in March 2002, in a game against the Czech Republic.
Danny became a regular player for Wales, even though he had a back problem. He was part of the squad that almost made it to Euro 2004. He also played in the team that did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Roy Evans, the Wales assistant coach, thought Danny could be a future captain. Danny did captain the team a few times when the usual captains were injured.
In October 2010, Danny announced he was retiring from international football. However, in January 2011, the new Wales manager, Gary Speed, asked him to change his mind. Danny decided to return and was named in the squad to play against the Republic of Ireland in February 2011.
Life After Playing Football
Since he stopped playing professional football, Danny Gabbidon has worked in the media. He is a football pundit, which means he shares his expert opinions on games. He often works with BBC Radio Wales, where he helps commentate on football matches. He also takes part in a weekly BBC Welsh Football podcast.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 1998–99 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| 1999–00 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 25 | 0 | |||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2000–01 | Third Division | 43 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 49 | 3 | |
| 2001–02 | Second Division | 44 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 49 | 3 | ||
| 2002–03 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | First Division | 41 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 44 | 3 | ||
| 2004–05 | Championship | 45 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 49 | 1 | ||
| Total | 200 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 219 | 10 | ||
| West Ham United | 2005–06 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 39 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 | 0 | |||
| Total | 96 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 0 | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 2011–12 | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 | 1 | |
| Crystal Palace | 2012–13 | Championship | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 1 | |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 | 1 | ||
| Total | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2014–15 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| Career total | 367 | 12 | 25 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 414 | 13 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 2002 | 4 | 0 |
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
Cardiff City
- Football League Second Division play-offs: 2003 (promoted to Division 1)
West Ham United
- FA Cup runner-up: 2005–06
Crystal Palace
- Football League Championship play-offs: 2013 (promoted to Premier League)
Individual Awards
- Welsh Footballer of the Year: 2005
- PFA Team of the Year: 2003–04 First Division (chosen as one of the best players in the league)
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Cardiff City | 18 September 2014 | 6 October 2014 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20.0 |
| Total | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20.0 | ||
See also
In Spanish: Danny Gabbidon para niños
