John O'Shea facts for kids
O'Shea lining up for the Republic of Ireland in 2013
|
|||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Francis O'Shea | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 April 1981 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Waterford, Ireland | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender, defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1995 | Ferrybank AFC | ||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Waterford Bohemians | ||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Manchester United | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1999–2011 | Manchester United | 256 | (10) | ||||||||||
| 2000 | → AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | → Royal Antwerp (loan) | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2011–2018 | Sunderland | 226 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Reading | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 515 | (15) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1998 | Republic of Ireland U16 | ||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2001–2018 | Republic of Ireland | 118 | (3) | ||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | Republic of Ireland (interim) | ||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
John Francis O'Shea (born 30 April 1981) is an Irish football coach and former player. He was famous for being able to play in many different positions on the field. He could play as a defender (at the back) or a midfielder (in the middle).
John O'Shea spent most of his playing career at Manchester United. There, he won many important trophies. These include five Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. He has 14 winner's medals, making him one of the most successful Irish footballers ever.
He was born in Waterford, Ireland, and joined Manchester United when he was 17. Before becoming a regular player, he spent time on loan at AFC Bournemouth and Royal Antwerp. He played 393 games for Manchester United over 12 seasons. In 2011, he moved to Sunderland, playing 256 games for them. He finished his playing career at Reading in 2019.
John O'Shea also played for the Republic of Ireland for 17 years. He made 118 appearances for his country and scored three goals. He played in major tournaments like UEFA Euro 2012 and UEFA Euro 2016. After retiring as a player, he became a coach for both club and national teams.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Manchester United
Before joining the Manchester United youth team, John O'Shea played for local clubs in Ireland. He signed his first professional contract at 17 years old. His first game for Manchester United was on 13 October 1999. It was a Football League Cup match against Aston Villa.
He then went on loan to AFC Bournemouth and Royal Antwerp in Belgium. These loans helped him gain experience. He returned to Manchester United and became a regular player in the 2002–03 season. During this time, he showed how versatile he was. He played in many different defensive and midfield roles. This helped Manchester United win the Premier League title that season.
In the 2003–04 season, he played as a central defender. He helped United reach the FA Cup Final. They won the final 3–0 against Millwall.
He scored a memorable goal against Arsenal in 2005. It was a chip over the goalkeeper in a 4–2 away win. This was a highlight in an otherwise challenging season for the team.
Key Moments and Trophies
On 4 February 2007, John O'Shea even played as a goalkeeper! This happened during a game against Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United's goalkeeper was injured, and they had no more substitutes. O'Shea stepped in and even made a save! Fans chanted "Ireland's number one" for him.
A month later, he scored a very important goal. It was a last-minute winner against Liverpool at their home ground, Anfield. This goal helped Manchester United win the Premier League trophy that season. He also scored another crucial goal against Everton. This helped United win 4–2 and stay ahead in the title race.
In the 2007–08 season, O'Shea sometimes played as an emergency striker. This meant he had played in every single position for Manchester United! He helped the team win both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League that season. He also captained Manchester United for the first time in a League Cup game.
During the 2008–09 season, O'Shea played regularly at right-back. He scored his first goal of the season in the League Cup semi-final against Derby County. He played in the 2009 Football League Cup Final, which United won. He also scored the only goal in the first leg of the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League semi-final against Arsenal. This helped United reach the final. He played the full 90 minutes in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against Barcelona.
John O'Shea played a total of 393 games for Manchester United.
Time at Sunderland and Reading
On 7 July 2011, O'Shea joined Sunderland. He signed a four-year contract with the club. He scored his first goal for Sunderland in the 2012–13 season against Tottenham Hotspur.
He played 256 games for Sunderland over seven seasons. In 2018, Sunderland was relegated from the Championship. After this, O'Shea signed a one-year deal with Championship club Reading.
He made his debut for Reading in August 2018. John O'Shea announced his retirement from football on 30 April 2019, his 38th birthday. His final game was five days later, where he received a guard of honour from both teams.
International Career
John O'Shea played his first game for the Republic of Ireland on 15 August 2001. It was a friendly match against Croatia. He scored his first international goal on 19 August 2003 against Australia.
He was a key player for Ireland during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. He played in most of the games.
O'Shea helped Ireland qualify for UEFA Euro 2012, their first European Championship since 1988. He played every minute of their games in the tournament. On 15 October 2013, he scored his second international goal in a World Cup qualifying win against Kazakhstan.
On 14 October 2014, John O'Shea earned his 100th cap for Ireland. This is a huge achievement for a footballer. To celebrate, he scored the equalising goal in the very last moments of the game against Germany. This was a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match.
He was part of the squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France. He captained Ireland in their first two group matches.
John O'Shea played his final international game on 2 June 2018. It was a friendly win against the United States. He was substituted after 34 minutes to a standing ovation from the crowd. The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, congratulated him, calling him "one of the most inspirational, committed and admired members of our national teams". He finished his international career with 118 caps.
Coaching Career
After retiring from playing, John O'Shea moved into coaching. In April 2020, he became assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team.
He also worked as a first-team coach for club teams. These included Stoke City and Birmingham City.
In February 2023, O'Shea was named assistant manager for the senior Republic of Ireland team. In February 2024, he took on the role of interim manager for the senior team. He managed the team for a few friendly matches. In August 2024, he was appointed assistant coach for the Republic of Ireland team under the new manager.
Personal Life
John O'Shea married Yvonne Manning on 8 June 2010. They have a son and a daughter together.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 1999–2000 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 33 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 2 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 3 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 32 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 5 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 2 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| Total | 256 | 10 | 28 | 1 | 26 | 2 | 76 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 393 | 15 | ||
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 1999–2000 | Second Division | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Royal Antwerp (loan) | 2000–01 | Belgian First Division | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Sunderland | 2011–12 | Premier League | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 2 | |||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 1 | |||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Championship | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 1 | |||
| Total | 226 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 0 | — | — | 256 | 4 | ||||
| Reading | 2018–19 | Championship | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 515 | 15 | 42 | 1 | 44 | 2 | 76 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 684 | 20 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2001 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 118 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each O'Shea goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 August 2003 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | 8 |  Australia |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 15 October 2013 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | 93 |  Kazakhstan |
2–1 | 3–1 | FIFA World Cup Qualification | |
| 3 | 14 October 2014 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | 100 |  Germany |
1–1 | 1–1 | Euro 2016 qualifying |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Republic of Ireland (Interim) | 28 February 2024 | 11 June 2024 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 25.00 | |
Honours and Awards
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
- FA Cup: 2003–04
- Football League Cup: 2005–06, 2008–09
- FA Community Shield: 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010
- UEFA Champions League: 2007–08
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2008
Sunderland
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14
Republic of Ireland U16
- UEFA European Under-16 Championship: 1998
Individual Awards
- Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year: 2001–02
- FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 2014
See also
In Spanish: John O'Shea para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
