John O'Shea facts for kids
O'Shea lining up for the Republic of Ireland in 2013
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Francis O'Shea | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 April 1981 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Waterford, Ireland | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender, defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||
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Current team
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Republic of Ireland (assistant manager) | ||||||||||||
| 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) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1998 | Republic of Ireland U16 | ||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2001–2018 | Republic of Ireland | 118 | (3) | ||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Republic of Ireland U21 (assistant) | ||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Republic of Ireland (assistant) | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Republic of Ireland (interim) | ||||||||||||
| 2024– | Republic of Ireland (assistant) | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
John Francis O'Shea (born on April 30, 1981) is an Irish football coach and former player. He is currently an assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland men's national team. John was known for being very flexible on the field. He could play in many different defensive and midfield spots. With 14 winner's medals, he is one of the most successful Irish footballers ever. Only a few other Irish players have won more awards than him.
John O'Shea grew up in Ferrybank, County Waterford. He joined Manchester United when he was 17 years old. He also played on loan for AFC Bournemouth and Royal Antwerp. After these loans, he became a regular player for Manchester United. He played 393 games and scored 15 goals for the club over 12 seasons. With Manchester United, he won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two Football League Cups, four FA Community Shields, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Champions League.
In July 2011, he moved to Sunderland. He played 256 games for Sunderland and scored four goals. In July 2018, he signed with Championship team Reading. John retired from playing football in May 2019. After retiring, he joined Reading's coaching staff. He later coached at Stoke City and Birmingham City.
John O'Shea played his first game for the Republic of Ireland in 2001. He played 118 games for his country over 17 years, scoring three goals. He was part of the team that played in UEFA Euro 2012 and UEFA Euro 2016. After his playing career, he became an assistant manager for Ireland's under-21 and senior teams. He also served as the interim manager for the senior team in 2024.
Contents
Club Career
Playing for Manchester United
Early Years: 1999–2006
Before joining the Manchester United academy, John O'Shea played for local teams Ferrybank AFC and Waterford Bohemians. He signed his first professional contract at 17. His first professional game was on October 13, 1999, against Aston Villa. This was in a Football League Cup match.
In January 2000, O'Shea went on loan to AFC Bournemouth. He played 11 games for them and scored one goal. After another loan spell with Belgian team Royal Antwerp, he returned to Manchester United. He started playing more often for the first team in the 2002–03 season. He showed he could play in many positions, including left-back, right-back, centre-back, and central midfield. This helped Manchester United win the Premier League title that season.
In the 2003–04 season, Rio Ferdinand was suspended. O'Shea stepped in to play in central defence. He helped United reach the FA Cup final, where they won 3–0 against Millwall.
During the 2004–05 season, O'Shea's performance was not always consistent. There were rumors he might leave Manchester United. However, he scored a memorable goal against Arsenal in a 4–2 away win. He chipped the ball over the Arsenal goalkeeper from outside the box.
An injury to Gary Neville in the 2005–06 season gave O'Shea more chances to play.
Later Years: 2007–2011
On February 4, 2007, during a game against Tottenham Hotspur, O'Shea had to play as a goalkeeper. This happened after the main goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, got a broken nose. Manchester United had already used all their substitutes. O'Shea even saved a shot from his Irish teammate Robbie Keane. After this, United fans started chanting "Ireland's number one" for him.
A month later, he scored a winning goal against Liverpool at Anfield in stoppage time. This goal was very important for United to win the Premier League trophy that season. He also scored a crucial goal against Everton, helping United win 4–2. This win was important because it kept Chelsea from catching up in the title race.
In the 2007–08 season, Manchester United used O'Shea as an emergency striker because of injuries. This meant he had played in every single position for the club. In November 2007, O'Shea signed a new contract to stay at Manchester United until 2012. He often came on as a substitute as United won both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League that season. He also captained the club for the first time in a League Cup game against Coventry City.
During the 2008–09 season, O'Shea played regularly at right-back due to injuries to other players. On January 20, 2009, he scored his first goal of the season against Derby County in the League Cup semi-final. O'Shea started in the 2009 Football League Cup final, which United won. On April 29, 2009, he scored the only goal in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal. This helped United reach the final. O'Shea played the full 90 minutes in the 2009 Champions League final against Barcelona. Sir Alex Ferguson had promised him a starting spot in the final because of his great contribution that season.
O'Shea captained United for the second time against Birmingham City in the first game of the 2009–10 Premier League season. In his 350th game, he scored his first league goal in over two years against Stoke City on September 29, 2009. He captained the team again in the Champions League semi-final victory over Schalke 04. John O'Shea played a total of 393 games for Manchester United.
Playing for Sunderland
On July 7, 2011, O'Shea signed a four-year contract with Sunderland. The team was managed by his former Manchester United captain, Steve Bruce. In his first game for Sunderland, a friendly, O'Shea got a hamstring injury. This kept him out for the rest of pre-season. He made his first official appearance for Sunderland on August 27, 2011.
O'Shea scored his first goal for Sunderland in the 2012–13 season at the Stadium of Light. This was in a 2–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
At the end of the 2016–17 season, Sunderland was relegated. O'Shea's contract had ended, but he agreed to sign a new one-year deal until July 2018.
On March 30, 2018, O'Shea scored his first club goal in over four years. This helped Sunderland win 4–1 against Derby County. At the end of that season, Sunderland was relegated again, finishing last in the Championship.
Playing for Reading
On June 6, 2018, O'Shea agreed to a one-year deal with Championship club Reading. He joined his Irish teammate David Meyler there.
O'Shea played his first game for Reading on August 14, 2018. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 home win against Birmingham City in the EFL Cup. He made his league debut for Reading on September 22. In that game, he received a red card for a foul.
John O'Shea announced he was retiring from football on April 30, 2019, his 38th birthday. He played his final career game five days later in a draw against Birmingham City. Both teams gave him a guard of honor.
International Career
John O'Shea played his first senior game for the Republic of Ireland on August 15, 2001. Manager Mick McCarthy brought him on as a substitute against Croatia. He gave away a penalty in injury time, which led to a 2–2 draw. He was not chosen for the Irish squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. On August 19, 2003, O'Shea scored his first international goal. He headed in Ireland's first goal in a 2–1 friendly win over Australia.
During the 2010 World Cup qualifying matches, O'Shea was a regular starter. On April 1, 2009, in a game against Italy, he was elbowed in the head. Even with bleeding, O'Shea played the full 90 minutes.
O'Shea played in nine games during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches. Ireland reached the tournament for the first time since 1988. He played every minute of their finals campaign. On August 15, 2012, in his 80th game, O'Shea captained Ireland for the first time. This was in a friendly draw against Serbia. On October 15, 2013, he scored his second international goal in a 3–1 World Cup qualifying win over Kazakhstan.
On October 14, 2014, O'Shea played his 100th game for Ireland. In this game, he scored the equalizing goal with the very last kick of the match. This was in a 1–1 draw against Germany in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match. In the final qualifying game against Poland on October 11, 2015, he was sent off. This meant he missed the first leg of Ireland's play-off.
O'Shea was chosen for manager Martin O'Neill's squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France. He captained Ireland in their first two group matches. He was a substitute in the last 16 game, where Ireland lost to the hosts.
John O'Shea played his final international game on June 2, 2018. This was his 118th match for Ireland, a 2–1 friendly win over the United States. He was substituted after 34 minutes to a big round of applause. Before the game, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, congratulated him. He called O'Shea "one of the most inspirational, committed and admired members of our national teams."
Coaching Career
In April 2020, John O'Shea became an assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team. He worked under manager Jim Crawford.
On July 22, 2022, O'Shea joined Stoke City as a first-team coach. He was one of 20 coaches who completed their UEFA Pro Licence course in December 2022. O'Shea left Stoke on May 12, 2023.
On February 22, 2023, O'Shea was named assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland senior team. He worked under manager Stephen Kenny. He left in November when Kenny's contract ended.
When Wayne Rooney became manager of EFL Championship club Birmingham City in October 2023, O'Shea joined his coaching staff. He left Birmingham City in January 2024.
On February 28, 2024, O'Shea was named interim manager of the senior Republic of Ireland team. This was for friendly matches against Belgium and Switzerland. He continued as interim manager for friendlies in June. His first game as interim manager was a goalless draw against Belgium on March 23.
In August 2024, O'Shea returned to his role as assistant coach for the Republic of Ireland team. This was under the new manager Heimir Hallgrímsson.
Personal Life
John O'Shea married Yvonne Manning on June 8, 2010, in Maynooth, Ireland. They have a son and a daughter.
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
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
- 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
