Dion Dublin facts for kids
.jpg)
Dublin with Norwich City in 2008
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dion Dublin | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-forward Centre-back |
||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Cambridge United (Club Director) |
||
| Youth career | |||
| Wigston Fields | |||
| 1985–1988 | Norwich City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1992 | Cambridge United | 156 | (52) |
| 1988 | → Barnet (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1988 | → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1992–1994 | Manchester United | 12 | (2) |
| 1994–1998 | Coventry City | 145 | (61) |
| 1998–2004 | Aston Villa | 155 | (48) |
| 2002 | → Millwall (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 2004–2006 | Leicester City | 58 | (5) |
| 2006 | Celtic | 11 | (1) |
| 2006–2008 | Norwich City | 70 | (12) |
| Total | 615 | (183) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998 | England | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Dion Dublin, born on April 22, 1969, is a famous English former professional footballer. He also works as a television presenter and a sports expert. Today, he is a club director for Cambridge United.
During his playing career, Dublin was a centre-forward. He played for big teams like Manchester United, Coventry City, and Aston Villa in the Premier League. He also played for Celtic in Scotland and other English clubs like Cambridge United and Norwich City. He played four times for the England national team.
After retiring from football, Dion Dublin started a career in entertainment. He is also a talented musician who plays percussion. He even invented his own musical instrument called "The Dube." Since 2015, he has been a presenter on the BBC show Homes Under the Hammer. He also appears regularly as a football expert on BBC Sport shows like Football Focus and Match of the Day.
Contents
Dion Dublin's Football Journey
Starting at Norwich City
Dion Dublin was born in Leicester, England. As a young player, he played for youth teams in Leicestershire. He joined Norwich City in 1985 to start his professional career. However, he did not play any first-team games and left the club in 1988.
Success with Cambridge United
In August 1988, Dublin joined Cambridge United for free. He played as a centre-forward, but sometimes as a defender due to injuries. His amazing goal-scoring helped Cambridge United get promoted twice in a row. In the 1989–90 season, Cambridge was promoted from the Fourth Division. Dublin scored the first-ever goal in a Wembley play-off final, which was a big moment.
In the 1990–91 season, Cambridge won the Third Division title. They also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in both seasons. Dublin scored against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup. In the 1991–92 season, he helped Cambridge achieve their highest-ever league finish, coming fifth in the old Second Division. When Cambridge did not get promoted to the new Premier League, Dublin was put up for sale. He has often spoken about how much he loves Cambridge United.
Time at Manchester United
On August 7, 1992, Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United, signed Dublin for £1 million. This was a bit of a surprise signing. Dublin scored his first Premier League goal for United in their fourth game of the 1992–93 season. It was a late winning goal against Southampton.
However, on September 2, he broke his leg during a game against Crystal Palace. This injury kept him out for six months. By the time he recovered, Manchester United had signed Eric Cantona. Cantona became the main striker alongside Mark Hughes. United won the league that season, but Dublin did not play enough games to automatically get a winner's medal. However, the Premier League gave him a special medal.
In the 1993–94 season, Dublin was fit again, but it was hard for him to get into the first team. Cantona and Hughes were playing very well together. Dublin stayed at United for another nine months but could not get a regular spot. In September 1994, he was sold to Coventry City for £2 million. This was a record signing for Coventry City at the time.
Becoming a Star at Coventry City
Dublin spent four years with Coventry City. He became one of the best strikers in the Premier League. In the 1997–98 season, he played his first game for the England national team. That season, he scored 23 goals in all competitions, which was a record for Coventry City in the top division.
Coventry City often struggled to avoid relegation. In May 1997, they had an amazing escape from relegation. They needed to win their last game away against Tottenham and also needed other results to go their way. Dublin scored one of the goals in their 2-1 win at White Hart Lane. This helped Coventry finish 17th, just outside the relegation zone.
The next season, Dublin formed a great partnership with Darren Huckerby. They scored many memorable goals. On November 8, 1997, Dublin scored a very unusual goal against Newcastle. The goalkeeper, Shay Given, put the ball down, thinking it was out of play. But Dublin quickly took the ball and scored into an empty net.
In the 1997–98 season, Dublin was one of the top scorers in the Premier League. He scored 18 league goals, sharing the award with Chris Sutton and Michael Owen. He stayed at Coventry and helped them finish 11th, their best Premier League finish.
Moving to Aston Villa
Even though he was a top scorer, Dublin was not chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup England squad. However, other clubs were interested in him. In November 1998, 29-year-old Dublin joined Aston Villa for £5.75 million. He started brilliantly, scoring seven goals in his first four games. This included a hat-trick against Southampton in only his second game.
In December 1999, while playing for Aston Villa, he suffered a very serious neck injury. He broke his neck, and now has a titanium plate holding three neck bones together. This injury could have ended his career, but he was back playing just three months later.
In April 2000, he helped Aston Villa reach their first FA Cup final in 43 years. They lost 1-0 to Chelsea. Dublin scored a penalty in the semi-final shootout against Bolton Wanderers.
Later, Dublin faced competition from new players like Juan Pablo Ángel. He spent some time on loan at Millwall in the Football League First Division during the 2001–02 season. He scored two goals in five games for Millwall. After his loan, he returned to Aston Villa and scored in their final game of the season.
In the 2002–03 season, Dublin was again a first-choice striker. In March 2003, he was sent off in a local derby match against Birmingham City.
Time at Leicester City
When his contract ended in 2004, Dublin left Aston Villa for free. He joined Leicester City, who had been relegated to the Football League Championship. In his first season, he scored four goals in 38 games. In the 2005–06 season, he played more as a defender. His contract with Leicester City ended in January 2006.
Playing for Celtic
Dion Dublin quickly joined Celtic in Scotland. He signed a contract until the end of the season. At Celtic, Dublin won two trophies: the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Premier League. On March 19, 2006, he scored the final goal as Celtic won the Scottish League Cup final 3-0 against Dunfermline. He also played enough games to earn a league title medal. Despite some good performances, Celtic released him in May 2006.
Return to Norwich City
On September 20, 2006, Norwich City announced that Dublin had rejoined them. This was almost 20 years after he first left the club where he started his career. He made his debut on September 23, 2006. He scored his first goal for Norwich in a 3-3 draw against Queens Park Rangers. He was a very important player in helping Norwich avoid relegation. The fans recognized his efforts by voting him second in the Norwich City player of the year award.
On May 23, 2007, he signed a new one-year contract with Norwich. In September 2007, Dublin said that the 2007–08 season would be his last as a professional footballer. He felt his body could not handle another season.
In spring 2008, Jimmy Quinn, the manager of Cambridge United, asked Dublin to rejoin his old club. However, Dublin decided to stick with his retirement plans. He was voted Norwich City's Player of the Year in his final season. Dublin played his last game on May 4, 2008, in Norwich's 4-1 loss to Sheffield Wednesday. When he left the field, he received a standing ovation from both sets of fans and players.
Playing for England
Dion Dublin earned his first cap for England on February 11, 1998. He played the full 90 minutes in a friendly match against Chile at Wembley Stadium. He also played in a tournament in May 1998. Despite being a joint top scorer in the Premier League with 18 goals, he was not chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad. On November 18, he played in a friendly win against the Czech Republic. This was his last game for England. He played four times for his country but did not score any goals.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 1992–93 | Premier League | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| Total | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 3 | ||
| Coventry City | 1994–95 | Premier League | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 13 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 34 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 14 | ||
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 34 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 13 | ||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 36 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 41 | 20 | ||
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| Total | 145 | 61 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 151 | 63 | |||
| Aston Villa | 1998–99 | Premier League | 24 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| 1999–00 | Premier League | 26 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 16 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 33 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 9 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 30 | 6 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 14 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 | |
| Total | 155 | 46 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 192 | 57 | ||
| Millwall (loan) | 2001–02 | First Division | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | |
| Leicester City | 2004–05 | Championship | 37 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 42 | 6 | |
| 2005–06 | Championship | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 58 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 65 | 6 | |||
| Celtic | 2005–06 | Scottish Premier League | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 12 | 2 | |
| Norwich City | 2006–07 | Championship | 33 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 38 | 7 | |
| 2007–08 | Championship | 37 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 41 | 9 | ||
| Total | 70 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 79 | 16 | |||
| Career total | 456 | 125 | 24 | 7 | 24 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 505 | 149 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1998 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Life After Football
Since retiring from football, Dion Dublin has become a well-known media personality. He works as a football expert for Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He has appeared on popular shows like Football Focus, Match of the Day, and Final Score. He also sometimes provides commentary for live FA Cup games.
In 2015, he joined the presenting team for the BBC One daytime show Homes Under the Hammer. In August 2021, Dublin was a contestant on BBC's Celebrity MasterChef and reached the final.
Away from his TV work, Dublin is also a musician. He invented a percussion instrument called "The Dube." In 2011, he even performed with the band Ocean Colour Scene at a concert. In July 2021, Dublin was appointed as a club director at his former club, Cambridge United.
Awards and Achievements
Cambridge United
- Football League Third Division: 1990–91
Manchester United
- Premier League: 1992–93
- FA Charity Shield: 1994
Aston Villa
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
Celtic
- Scottish Premier League: 2005–06
- Scottish League Cup: 2005–06
Individual Awards
- Premier League Golden Boot: 1997–98 (shared)
- Premier League Player of the Month: January 1998, November 1998
- Coventry City Hall of Fame
See also
In Spanish: Dion Dublin para niños
