Danny Welbeck facts for kids

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Danny Welbeck
Personal information
Welbeck training with England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Full name	Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck
Date of birth	(1990-11-26) 26 November 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Manchester, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Brighton & Hove Albion
Number	18
Youth career
	Fletcher Moss Rangers
2001–2008	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2014	Manchester United	92	(20)
2010	→ Preston North End (loan)	8	(2)
2010–2011	→ Sunderland (loan)	26	(6)
2014–2019	Arsenal	88	(16)
2019–2020	Watford	18	(2)
2020–	Brighton & Hove Albion	139	(33)
International career
2005	England U16	1	(0)
2006–2007	England U17	15	(4)
2007–2008	England U18	2	(2)
2008–2009	England U19	10	(2)
2009–2011	England U21	14	(5)
2011–2018	England	42	(16)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:59, 19 May 2025 (UTC)

Daniel "Danny" Welbeck (born November 26, 1990) is an English professional footballer. He plays as a forward for Brighton & Hove Albion.

Welbeck started his football journey in the youth teams at Manchester United. He made his first team debut in 2008 and even scored a goal. While at United, he helped them win the League Cup in 2009 and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. He also spent time on loan at Preston North End and Sunderland.

From the 2011–12 season, Welbeck became a regular player for Manchester United. In September 2014, he moved to Arsenal. After leaving Arsenal, he joined Watford in August 2019. A year later, he signed with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Welbeck also played for the England national team. He made his debut in March 2011. He scored his first international goal in June 2012. Welbeck represented England in major tournaments like UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup. He earned 42 caps for his country.

Early Life and Youth Career
Club Football Journey
International Career for England
- Youth Teams
- Senior England Team
How Danny Welbeck Plays
Career Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Youth Career

Danny Welbeck was born on November 26, 1990, in Manchester, England. His parents were from Ghana. He grew up in the Longsight area of Manchester.

Welbeck was noticed by Manchester United when he was just six years old. At eight, he played for a local team called Fletcher Moss Rangers. He then joined Manchester United's youth academy in the 2005–06 season. He played for the club's under-18 team when he was only 15. He helped the team reach the FA Youth Cup final, even though he was younger than many other players.

Club Football Journey

Playing for Manchester United

Welbeck signed his first professional contract in July 2007. He quickly moved from the under-18 team to the reserve team. In January 2008, he joined the first team for a friendly match in Saudi Arabia.

His official debut for Manchester United was on September 23, 2008. He started in a League Cup match against Middlesbrough. Welbeck made his Premier League debut on November 15, 2008, against Stoke City. He scored a fantastic goal from 30 yards out in a 5–0 win. He also played in the 2009 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, which United won.

In September 2009, Welbeck scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season in the League Cup. He also made his UEFA Champions League debut in November 2009. The next month, he signed a new contract with Manchester United.

Welbeck playing for Sunderland in 2011

In January 2010, Welbeck went on loan to Preston North End. However, an injury meant his loan ended early. In August 2010, he joined Sunderland on loan for the 2010–11 season. He scored his first Sunderland goal in November against Chelsea. He scored twice more against Everton and helped Sunderland win other matches. His good form led to calls for him to play for England.

For the 2011–12 season, Welbeck became a regular starter for Manchester United. He played in the 2011 FA Community Shield which United won. He scored his first league goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur. He also scored in a big 8–2 win over Arsenal. Welbeck scored two goals in a Champions League match against Basel. He continued to score important goals, including one against Arsenal in January 2012. His strong performances earned him a nomination for the 2012 PFA Young Player of the Year Award.

Welbeck (left) playing for Manchester United in 2013

Welbeck signed a new four-year contract with Manchester United in August 2012. He scored a crucial goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League in February 2013. This made him the first Englishman to score for a Premier League team at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium since 2001.

In the 2013–14 season, Welbeck scored two goals in the opening league match against Swansea City. He also scored in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk. Between December 2013 and January 2014, he scored six goals in six Premier League games. He scored twice against Aston Villa and also against West Ham United and Norwich City. By the end of the season, Welbeck wanted to play more as a main striker.

Moving to Arsenal

Welbeck playing for Arsenal in 2014

On September 2, 2014, Welbeck joined Arsenal for £16 million. He had played 142 games for Manchester United, scoring 29 goals.

Welbeck made his Arsenal debut on September 13 against Manchester City. He scored his first Arsenal goal on September 20 against Aston Villa. On October 1, he scored his first ever hat-trick in a Champions League match against Galatasaray.

In March 2015, Welbeck scored the winning goal against his old team, Manchester United, in the FA Cup quarter-finals. He missed the end of that season due to injury.

Welbeck missed the start of his second season at Arsenal with a knee injury. He returned on February 14, 2016, scoring a winning goal against Leicester City in injury time. He then scored in his first Premier League start of the season against Manchester United. Welbeck suffered another knee injury in May 2016, which kept him out for a long time.

Welbeck playing for Arsenal in 2016

After eight months, Welbeck returned to play for Arsenal in January 2017. He started his first game of the 2016–17 season in an FA Cup tie against Southampton, scoring two goals. He also started when Arsenal beat Chelsea 2–1 in the 2017 FA Cup Final in May.

Welbeck played in the 2017 FA Community Shield in August 2017, which Arsenal won. He scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season in Arsenal's 4–3 win over Leicester City. He scored two more goals against AFC Bournemouth in September. Welbeck suffered a broken ankle in November 2018 during a Europa League match. This injury effectively ended his time at Arsenal. He left the club at the end of the season.

Time at Watford

Welbeck joined Watford on August 7, 2019. He made his debut against Everton. He scored his first goal for Watford in an EFL Cup game against Swansea City. Welbeck scored his first league goal for Watford in a 2–1 win over Norwich City. He left Watford in October 2020.

Playing for Brighton & Hove Albion

Welbeck signed with Brighton & Hove Albion on October 18, 2020. He made his debut two weeks later against Tottenham Hotspur. He scored his first Brighton goal in November 2020 against Aston Villa. In December, he scored his first home goal for Brighton against Sheffield United. In April 2021, he scored against his former club, Manchester United, at Old Trafford. Welbeck played in Brighton's 3–2 win over Manchester City in May 2021.

On June 23, 2021, Brighton announced Welbeck had signed a new one-year contract. He scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season in September against Leicester City. He had surgery on a hamstring injury in October but returned before the end of 2021. In December, he scored a late goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, earning Brighton a draw. He scored against Leicester again in January 2022.

In Brighton's last game of the 2021–22 season, he helped them to a 3–1 win over West Ham United. This helped Brighton finish ninth in the Premier League, their highest ever position.

Welbeck playing for Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022

In the first game of the 2022–23 season, Welbeck helped Brighton win at Old Trafford for the first time ever against Manchester United. He then signed a new two-year contract with Brighton. He scored his first goal of the season in November, a penalty against Arsenal in the EFL Cup. In January 2023, he scored his first league goal of the season against Liverpool. On April 29, Welbeck scored two goals and made an assist in Brighton's biggest Premier League win, a 6–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On September 16, 2023, Welbeck scored his first goal of the 2023–24 season in a 3–1 win at Old Trafford. He played in 29 league games that season, scoring 5 goals.

On March 14, 2024, Welbeck scored the only goal in Brighton's 1–0 home win against AS Roma in the UEFA Europa League. This was Brighton's first time playing in a European competition. In May 2024, Welbeck extended his contract with Brighton until June 2026.

On April 5, 2025, Welbeck became Brighton’s top all-time Premier League scorer. He scored his 31st league goal for the club against Crystal Palace.

International Career for England

Youth Teams

Welbeck first played for the England under-16s when he was 14 years old in October 2005. He then moved up to the England under-17 team. He scored a winning goal against Serbia to help his team reach the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. England finished second in that tournament. This also helped them qualify for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. There, Welbeck scored two goals against New Zealand.

He later made his debut for the England under-19s in September 2008. Welbeck played for the England under-21 team starting in February 2009. He scored his first two goals for the under-21 team in September 2010 against Lithuania. He also scored an important goal against Spain in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Senior England Team

Welbeck with England at UEFA Euro 2012

Danny Welbeck was called up to the senior England squad in March 2011. He made his debut in a friendly match against Ghana. He played in England's important Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro in October 2011.

In May 2012, Welbeck was chosen for Roy Hodgson's England squad for UEFA Euro 2012. On June 2, 2012, he scored his first goal for England in a 1–0 win against Belgium. On June 15, 2012, Welbeck scored a winning goal with a backheel as England beat Sweden 3–2 in Euro 2012.

Welbeck scored four goals during England's qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He scored two goals in wins against San Marino and Moldova. He was part of the final squad for the World Cup. He played in England's opening matches against Italy and Uruguay.

On September 8, 2014, Welbeck scored both goals in England's 2–0 win against Switzerland in a Euro 2016 qualifier. He continued to score in other qualifying matches against San Marino, Slovenia, and Lithuania. He was England's top scorer in the qualifying phase with six goals.

In March 2018, Welbeck was selected for the national team to prepare for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was named in the 23-man England squad for the tournament. He played in England's final group game against Belgium.

How Danny Welbeck Plays

Danny Welbeck is known for his height and running style. Some have compared him to former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor. However, Welbeck looked up to another former Arsenal forward, Thierry Henry, as his childhood hero.

He is also known for working very hard on the field. People describe him as strong, fast, and good at heading the ball. Experts have praised Welbeck's work-rate, speed, and how smart he is at following team tactics. He is often seen as a player who performs well in big games.

Under former England manager Roy Hodgson, Welbeck's ability to support attacks, press the midfield, and hold up the ball fit well into the team's system.