Danny Mills facts for kids

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Danny Mills

Personal information
Full name	Daniel John Mills
Date of birth	(1977-05-18) 18 May 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	Norwich, England
Height	1.80m
Playing position	Right-back
Youth career
1993–1994	Norwich City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–1998	Norwich City	66	(0)
1998–1999	Charlton Athletic	45	(3)
1999–2004	Leeds United	101	(3)
2003–2004	→ Middlesbrough (loan)	28	(0)
2004–2009	Manchester City	51	(1)
2006	→ Hull City (loan)	9	(0)
2007	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)	19	(0)
2008	→ Derby County (loan)	2	(0)
Total		321	(7)
National team
1994–1995	England U18	2	(0)
1998–2000	England U21	14	(3)
2001–2004	England	19	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Daniel John Mills (born 18 May 1977) is a former English professional footballer. He mostly played as a right-back, but could also play as a centre-back.

He played 19 times for the England national team. He was the main right-back for England in all five games at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Danny Mills stopped playing football in 2009 when he was 32 years old. He retired because of a knee injury.

Danny Mills' Football Journey

Starting His Career

Danny Mills began his football journey at Norwich City. He joined their youth team and then played for the main squad. He found it hard to get a regular spot on the team.

In March 1998, he moved to Charlton Athletic. He helped them get promoted to the Premier League. This happened after a very exciting play-off final. They won 7–6 on penalties after a 4–4 draw against Sunderland.

Playing for Leeds United

In June 1999, Mills signed with Leeds United. The transfer cost £4.1 million. He helped Leeds reach the semi-finals of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. His first Champions League game was a 4–0 loss to Barcelona. This match took place at the Camp Nou stadium.

During the 2003–04 season, Mills played for Middlesbrough on loan. He played in the 2004 Football League Cup final. Middlesbrough won their first major trophy in that game. After Leeds was relegated from the Premier League, they could not keep Mills. He then moved to Manchester City.

Time at Manchester City

Danny Mills joined Manchester City for free in 2004. He signed a five-year contract with them. He played in most games during his first season. However, he was dropped from the team in March 2005. This happened when Stuart Pearce became the new manager.

He got his place back at the start of the 2005–06 season. On 2 October 2005, he scored his only goal for Manchester City. It was a powerful shot from about 23 meters against Everton. A month later, he got a shin injury. This kept him out of 15 games. During this time, Micah Richards became the main right-back. Mills only played five more games that season.

In September 2006, he joined Hull City on a two-month loan. He returned to Manchester City in January. He was almost sent on loan again, but the club decided to keep him. Later, he rejoined Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of 2007. In January 2008, he went on loan to Derby County. He got injured in only his second game there. Danny Mills was released by Manchester City in July 2009. He announced his retirement from football in August 2009.

Playing for England

After playing well for Leeds United, Danny Mills was called up to the England team in 2001. He made his first international appearance on 25 May 2001. This was in a friendly game against Mexico. His first start for England was on 27 March 2002 against Italy.

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Mills became England's main right-back. This was because Gary Neville was injured. Mills played every minute of England's five matches in the tournament.

Life Beyond Football

Danny Mills supports a charity called Shine. This charity helps people with conditions like Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. He has raised money for them for many years.

He is also a regular football expert and commentator. You can often hear him on BBC Radio Five Live. He talks about games in the Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League. He also works as a pundit for talkSPORT.

In 2010, he took part in the Brighton Marathon in a wheelchair. He did this to raise money for charity. He finished the race in two hours and 43 minutes. In 2012, he was a runner-up on Celebrity MasterChef. He competed against Michael Underwood and was beaten by Emma Kennedy. In 2016, he ran the London Marathon. He finished it in 3 hours, 14 minutes, and 46 seconds. He also ran the Yorkshire Marathon for another charity.

His Family

Danny Mills has two sons who are also athletes. His son George Mills is a runner. He won the 1500 meters British title in athletics. His younger son Stanley is a professional footballer. Stanley has played for Everton.

Career statistics

Club

International

Trophies and Awards

Charlton Athletic

• Football League First Division play-offs: 1998 (Promotion to Premier League)

Middlesbrough

• Football League Cup: 2003–04