Gary Doherty facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gary Doherty

Doherty playing for Norwich City in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Gary Michael Thomas Doherty
Date of birth	(1980-01-31) 31 January 1980 (age 45)
Place of birth	Carndonagh, Ireland
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s)	Defender, forward
Youth career
000?–1997	Luton Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2000	Luton Town	70	(12)
2000–2004	Tottenham Hotspur	64	(4)
2004–2010	Norwich City	202	(12)
2010–2012	Charlton Athletic	41	(0)
2012	→ Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	13	(1)
2012–2014	Wycombe Wanderers	43	(2)
Total		433	(31)
International career
2000–2005	Republic of Ireland	34	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gary Michael Thomas Doherty (born 31 January 1980) is a former professional footballer from Ireland. He played as a defender, but also spent time as a forward. Gary was also a member of the Republic of Ireland national team.

He started his career at Luton Town. Later, he played for Tottenham Hotspur in the top-tier Premier League. He spent most of his career with Norwich City, where he even won the Player of the Year award. Gary finished his playing days with Wycombe Wanderers.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Luton Town

Gary Doherty began his professional football journey with Luton Town in 1997. He played in 88 matches for the team in less than three seasons. During this time, he also started playing for the Republic of Ireland national team.

Time at Tottenham Hotspur

In March 2000, Tottenham Hotspur bought Gary for £1 million. He made his first appearance for Spurs in May 2000 against Manchester United. Gary played regularly during the 2000–01 season. He scored his first goal against Newcastle United in January 2001.

That season, he also scored a winning goal against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. He even scored twice in a game where Spurs came back from being 2–0 down to win 3–2 against Sunderland. However, in September 2001, Gary broke his leg in a League Cup match. He returned to play later that season but found it hard to get back into the main team.

At Tottenham, Gary eventually started playing more as a defender. He signed a new contract in March 2004. Later that year, he was sold to Norwich City.

Years with Norwich City

Gary's career at Norwich City started well. He regularly played as a central defender. However, Norwich was eventually moved down to a lower league. The next season, Gary became a regular player again. His performance improved a lot. The fans even voted him Norwich City Player of the Year in 2006.

Gary signed a new contract with Norwich until summer 2008. He later signed another two-year deal on July 1. He changed his squad number to 12, hoping it would bring him luck. He said he used to wear number 12 at Luton and Tottenham and scored more goals then.

In 2008, Gary got an ankle injury that kept him out for three months. When he returned, he scored his first league goal in over three years on Boxing Day 2008.

At the start of the 2009–10 season, Gary was made captain by manager Bryan Gunn. However, the new manager, Paul Lambert, quickly changed this. Gary was told he might not have a long-term future at the club. But due to other players' injuries, Lambert had to bring Gary back into the team. Gary stayed in the team for the rest of the season. He played well with other defenders like Michael Nelson and Jens Berthel Askou. He also scored seven goals, helping Norwich City win the League One title.

Gary was named "man of the match" in a game against Leeds United in March 2010. At the end of the 2009–10 season, he was ranked third in the Player of the Season awards. On May 14, 2010, Norwich City announced that Gary would be leaving the club.

Moving to Charlton Athletic

On July 5, 2010, Gary Doherty signed with Charlton Athletic. He became a regular player for Charlton during the 2010–11 season. However, he only played in three matches for the club in the 2011–12 season.

Loan and Permanent Move to Wycombe Wanderers

On February 24, 2012, Gary moved to Wycombe Wanderers on a loan. He joined his Charlton teammate Paul Hayes there. Wycombe was at the bottom of League 1 at the time. Gary was one of four new players who played in a big 5–0 win over Hartlepool. He even scored a goal in that game, which was an impressive debut.

On July 3, 2012, Gary signed a two-year contract with Wycombe Wanderers after leaving Charlton. On July 9, 2012, he was given the captain's armband. After two seasons with Wycombe, Gary had to retire from football. This was because of a knee injury he got before the 2014–15 season.

International Career

Gary Doherty moved to Luton, England, when he was six years old. However, he played for his home country, Ireland, in youth football. He played for the Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team in the 1997 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship. He scored a goal against France in that tournament. He was also part of the team that won the UEFA Under-18 Championship in 1998. He played for the Under-20 team that reached the last 16 of the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Gary mainly played as a forward for his country. He made his first international appearance against Greece in April 2000. He was becoming a regular player for Ireland when he broke his leg in September 2001. He recovered in April 2002 and scored his first international goal against the United States. However, he missed out on the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Gary returned to the team for Ireland's attempt to qualify for UEFA Euro 2004. He was the top scorer for Ireland in that campaign with three goals. He also played as a central defender many times for Ireland.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Norwich City

• Football League One: 2009–10

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2009–10 League One
• Norwich City F.C. Player of the Year: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Gary Doherty para niños