James McFadden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
James McFadden

McFadden in 2009
Personal information
Full name	James Henry McFadden
Date of birth	(1983-04-14) 14 April 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1998–2000	Motherwell
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2003	Motherwell	63	(26)
2003–2008	Everton	109	(11)
2008–2011	Birmingham City	82	(13)
2011–2012	Everton	7	(0)
2012–2013	Sunderland	3	(0)
2013–2014	Motherwell	40	(9)
2014–2015	St Johnstone	16	(1)
2015–2017	Motherwell	9	(2)
2017–2018	Queen of the South	11	(0)
Total		340	(62)
National team
2002–2010	Scotland	48	(15)
Teams managed
2016–2017	Motherwell (assistant)
2018–2019	Scotland (assistant)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

James Henry McFadden (born 14 April 1983) is a Scottish football coach and former professional player. He played as a forward and now works as a football expert on TV.

McFadden started his career at Motherwell. He became well-known in the 2002–03 season. He scored 19 goals and won the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award. Everton then signed him for £1.25 million in 2003.

He found it hard to keep a regular spot at Everton. In January 2008, he moved to Birmingham City for £5 million. A serious injury made him miss most of the 2010–11 season. Birmingham City, who were relegated, did not renew his contract.

After getting fit again, McFadden signed for Everton for free in October 2011. He also spent three months with Sunderland in 2012. Later in his career, he played two more times for Motherwell. He also spent a year at St Johnstone. During his third time at Motherwell, he also started coaching. After a short time playing for Queen of the South, McFadden became a coach for the Scotland team.

McFadden first played for Scotland in 2002. His goal against France on 12 September 2007 is very famous. He scored from far away, giving Scotland a 1–0 win in Paris. McFadden played 48 times for Scotland and scored 15 goals. In March 2018, he was made an assistant coach for the Scotland national team.

James McFadden's Club Career

Playing for Motherwell (First Time)

James McFadden grew up in Springburn, Glasgow, Scotland. He went to Turnbull High School. His parents ran a fish and chips shop in Glasgow. He joined the Motherwell youth system when he was young. He played his first senior game at age 17.

He became much more famous in the 2002–03 Scottish Premier League (SPL) season. He scored 19 goals in 34 games. He also won the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award. That season, Motherwell finished last in the SPL. They should have been relegated. However, they stayed up because First Division champions Falkirk did not have a suitable stadium.

McFadden sometimes got into trouble for being too aggressive. He received fifteen yellow cards and one red card that season. In his last game for Motherwell that season, he scored three goals. This helped Motherwell win 6–2 against Livingston at Fir Park.

Playing for Everton (First Time)

In 2003, the English Premier League club Everton signed McFadden. They paid £1.25 million for him. He scored his first goal for Everton on 1 January 2005. This was in a 5–2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. It was more than a year after he joined the club. One week later, he scored his second goal. This was in an FA Cup game against Plymouth Argyle.

During the 2005–06 season, McFadden was in and out of the Everton team. The team was struggling to play as well as they had before. On 11 March 2006, he scored a great goal from 35 yards away. This helped Everton win 3–1 against Fulham. He kept scoring the next week against Aston Villa. He scored a half-volley from just outside the box. This helped Everton win 4–1. He ended that season with seven goals.

McFadden started the 2006–07 season slowly. This was after Andrew Johnson joined the team for a record fee. McFadden only scored two goals in the first half of the season. On 24 January 2007, he hurt his foot during Everton training. After almost three months, he returned to play. He scored as a substitute against Charlton Athletic on 15 April 2007. McFadden scored a fantastic volley in extra time. This gave Everton a 2–1 win. This goal was later voted the goal of the season.

In October 2007, McFadden scored an important goal for Everton. It was an equalizing goal against Metalist Kharkiv in the UEFA Cup. On 2 January 2008, he scored against Middlesbrough. He dedicated this goal to Phil O'Donnell, who had recently passed away. O'Donnell was a former Motherwell captain.

Playing for Birmingham City

On 18 January 2008, McFadden joined Birmingham City. He signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. The fee was £5 million, which could go up to £6 million. McFadden scored his first goal in his fourth game for the club. It was a penalty kick against West Ham United. In his next game against Arsenal, he scored from a free kick. He then scored another goal from a penalty in the last minute.

McFadden scored Birmingham's first goal of the 2009–10 Premier League season. It was a penalty in the 92nd minute. This gave the club a 1–0 home win against Portsmouth.

In September 2010, McFadden suffered a serious knee injury. He returned to training in March 2011. However, he had a setback and could not play in the 2010–11 season. Birmingham was relegated from the Premier League. They decided not to offer him a new contract. McFadden left Birmingham when his contract ended on 30 June 2011.

Playing for Everton (Second Time)

After his contract ended, McFadden trained with Birmingham to get fit. In September, he had a successful trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers. But he could not agree on contract terms. In October, he was talking to Celtic. However, on 17 October, McFadden signed for Everton again. He signed until the end of the 2011–12 season.

He played in a reserve team match the next day. This was his first game since his knee injury 13 months earlier. On 5 November, he made his second debut for the first team. He came on as a substitute in a 2–1 loss to Newcastle United. McFadden had to wait until April 2012 for his first start. He played 64 minutes in a 4–0 win against Sunderland. But he was released by Everton at the end of the season. He had played only eight first-team games during his short return.

Without a club, McFadden trained with Motherwell in the 2012–13 pre-season. He played for them in a friendly match against Everton. Motherwell's manager, Stuart McCall, tried to sign him. However, they could not agree on a contract.

Playing for Sunderland

In September 2012, McFadden had a trial with Sunderland. On 26 October, he joined Sunderland on a three-month contract. It ended in January 2013. McFadden played his first game on 15 December 2012. It was a 3–1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. His first home game was on 12 January 2013. It was a 3–0 win against West Ham United.

Playing for Motherwell (Second Time)

After not getting a new deal at Sunderland, McFadden trained with Motherwell again. On 18 February 2013, McFadden returned to Fir Park. He signed until the end of the season. He started his first game back in a 2–1 win over Celtic. On 15 March 2013, McFadden scored his first goal since returning. It was in a 4–1 win over Hibernian. He also helped set up two other goals. His performance earned him the man-of-the-match award.

McFadden then scored a late goal to make it 2–2 against St Mirren on 6 April 2013. On 5 May 2013, he scored two goals. However, Motherwell still lost 4–3 to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. At the end of the 2012–13 season, McFadden was offered a new contract. But his future was still unclear.

At the start of the 2013–14 pre-season, McFadden returned to Motherwell. He traveled with them to their training camp in Spain. In a friendly match against Newcastle United, he scored a penalty. He used a clever chip down the middle, known as a Panenka. After the match, it was reported that McFadden would stay at Motherwell. On 19 July 2013, it was confirmed that McFadden had signed a new contract. He said it was an "easy" decision.

At the start of the 2013–14 season, McFadden played as a right winger. But his form and fitness soon dropped. He had only scored once against Livingston in the Scottish League Cup. McFadden then suffered a back injury. But he soon returned. He scored his first league goal of the season in a 5–1 win over Partick Thistle on 29 December 2013. He then scored his second league goal in the next game. This was in a 4–0 win over St Johnstone. After these two games, McFadden said his performance improved. On 1 March 2014, he scored and made three assists. Motherwell defeated Hearts in that game. McFadden's fourth goal came on 22 March 2014. It was in a 2–1 win over Ross County.

At the end of the 2013–14 season, Motherwell released McFadden. They decided not to extend his contract. They were worried about his repeated injury problems. This was even though he had said he wanted to sign a new contract two months earlier.

Playing for St Johnstone

On 1 October 2014, McFadden signed for St Johnstone. He signed until the end of the 2014–15 season. He made his debut on 4 October 2014 in a 2–1 loss to St Mirren. On 22 November 2014, McFadden scored his first goal for the Perth club. It was in a 2–1 win against Ross County. In May 2015, McFadden was released. He had only scored one league goal during his season there.

In September 2015, McFadden was training with Motherwell. Two months later, he was talking about joining the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. This was after their player Carlos Marchena left.

Playing for Motherwell (Third Time)

On 18 December 2015, McFadden signed a short-term deal with Motherwell. It was until the end of January 2016. That deal ended, and McFadden expected to move to the USA. On 13 February, McFadden signed a new deal to stay until the end of the season. On 19 March, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2015–16 season. He broke his ankle in training. On 26 July 2016, Motherwell announced that McFadden was made the club's assistant manager. He also continued to play as a player until summer 2017.

Almost seventeen years after his first Motherwell game, McFadden came on as a substitute. It was in Motherwell's last game of the 2016–17 season. He scored his final Motherwell goal in his last appearance. The match ended in a 3–2 loss to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. McFadden left Motherwell at the end of the season. The manager, Stephen Robinson, wanted a new coaching team.

On 13 November 2019, it was announced that McFadden would be added to the Motherwell Hall of Fame.

Playing for Queen of the South

On 8 September 2017, McFadden signed for Dumfries club Queen of the South. He signed a short-term contract. McFadden left Queen of the South in January 2018. He had played 15 games for the club.

James McFadden's International Career

McFadden played his first game for Scotland at age 19. It was against South Africa in 2002. After that tour, he missed his flight home after a night out. Despite his club performances, he became a regular for Scotland. He scored his first goal against the Faroe Islands. This was in a 3–1 win in a UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying match. It happened at Hampden Park on 6 September 2003.

McFadden's goal against the Netherlands in November 2003 was famous. It gave Scotland a 1–0 win. However, they then lost 6–0 in Amsterdam. They did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2004. McFadden was part of the team that went to Japan in 2006. They won the Kirin Cup.

In September 2007, Scotland was trying to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008. McFadden scored a long-range goal from 30 yards. This secured a famous 1–0 win over France in Paris. It was Scotland's first win on French soil since 1950. He scored again a month later. This was in a 3–1 win over Ukraine at Hampden Park. He could not score in the last game of the campaign. This was against Italy in November 2007 at Hampden. Scotland lost that game 2–1.

In September 2008, McFadden scored the winning goal against Iceland. It was in a 2010 World Cup qualifying game. He scored after his penalty kick was saved. The goal was first given to McFadden. But the official report gave it to Barry Robson. The SFA argued for McFadden. In March 2009, FIFA gave the goal back to him.

McFadden was taken off at half-time in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualification game. This was against Liechtenstein in September 2010. Manager Craig Levein criticized him after the game. McFadden suffered a serious injury soon after. In February 2012, he criticized Levein for calling him "lazy." In March 2013, new Scotland manager Gordon Strachan said he would consider McFadden. But he noted that McFadden needed to play regularly for a club. He had not done so in the previous two seasons.

James McFadden's Coaching Career

Alex McLeish made McFadden an assistant coach. This was for the Scotland national team in March 2018. McLeish and his coaching staff, including McFadden, were let go on 18 April 2019.

Career Statistics

Here are the details of James McFadden's football career. It shows how many games he played and how many goals he scored for each club and for Scotland.

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McFadden goal.

List of international goals scored by James McFadden

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 September 2003	Glasgow, Scotland	Faroe Islands	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
2	15 November 2003	Glasgow, Scotland	Netherlands	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2004 play-off
3	31 March 2004	Glasgow, Scotland	Romania	1–2	1–2	Friendly
4	27 May 2004	Tallinn, Estonia	Estonia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	3 September 2004	Valencia, Spain	Spain	1–0	1–1	Friendly
6	17 November 2004	Edinburgh, Scotland	Sweden	1–3	1–4	Friendly
7	4 June 2005	Glasgow, Scotland	Moldova	2–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
8	12 October 2005	Celje, Slovenia	Slovenia	2–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
9	11 May 2006	Kobe, Japan	Bulgaria	3–1	5–1	Kirin Cup
10	2 September 2006	Glasgow, Scotland	Faroe Islands	2–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
11	8 September 2007	Glasgow, Scotland	Lithuania	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
12	12 September 2007	Paris, France	France	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
13	13 October 2007	Glasgow, Scotland	Ukraine	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
14	10 September 2008	Reykjavík, Iceland	Iceland	2–0	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying
15	5 September 2009	Glasgow, Scotland	Macedonia	2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Awards and Achievements

Birmingham City

• Football League Cup: 2010–11

Scotland

• Kirin Cup: 2006

Individual Awards

• SFWA Young Player of the Year: 2001–02
• PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year: 2002–03
• Everton Young Player of the Year: 2005–06
• Everton Goal of the Season: 2006–07
• SPL Young Player of the Month: January 2002
• SFWA International Player of the Year: 2007–08

See also

In Spanish: James McFadden para niños