Kevin Kilbane facts for kids
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Kilbane playing in Jody Craddock's testimonial match, 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Daniel Kilbane | ||
| Date of birth | 1 February 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Preston, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger, full-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Preston North End | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1997 | Preston North End | 48 | (3) |
| 1997–1999 | West Bromwich Albion | 106 | (15) |
| 1999–2003 | Sunderland | 113 | (8) |
| 2003–2006 | Everton | 104 | (4) |
| 2006–2009 | Wigan Athletic | 76 | (2) |
| 2009–2012 | Hull City | 51 | (2) |
| 2011 | → Huddersfield Town (loan) | 24 | (2) |
| 2011 | → Derby County (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2012 | Coventry City | 9 | (0) |
| Total | 540 | (37) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1997 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 1997–2011 | Republic of Ireland | 110 | (8) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kevin Daniel Kilbane (born February 1, 1977) is a former professional footballer. He played as a left winger or full back. Even though he was born in England, Kevin played for the Republic of Ireland national team an amazing 110 times! This makes him one of the most capped Irish players ever, behind only Robbie Keane, Shay Given, and John O'Shea.
Kilbane played for many English clubs during his career. These included well-known teams like Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, and Wigan Athletic. He also had loan spells at Huddersfield Town and Derby County from Hull City, and finished his career at Coventry City.
After his playing days, Kevin Kilbane started a career in media. He now works as a football expert for different TV and radio channels. You might see him on shows like BBC's Match of the Day or hear him on Newstalk Radio's Off The Ball football show. He also covered the FIFA World Cup 2022 for Canada's The Sports Network (TSN).
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out at Preston
Kevin Kilbane was born in Preston, England. He began his football journey at his hometown club, Preston North End. He worked his way up through their youth teams. His great performances quickly caught the eye of other clubs. In 1997, he moved to West Bromwich Albion for £1 million. This was a record transfer fee for Albion at the time!
Time at Sunderland
In December 1999, Sunderland bought Kilbane for £2.5 million. He made an instant impact in his first game, helping his team score a winning goal. However, Sunderland then went through a tough period without winning many games. Fans sometimes showed their frustration towards Kilbane. In 2002, he showed his frustration back to the fans during a pre-season tour.
Playing for Everton
On the last day of the transfer window in 2003, Kilbane joined Everton for just under £1 million. He was happy to work with his former manager, David Moyes, again. The fans at Goodison Park really liked his hard work and commitment. He was a very flexible player, playing in many different positions across the midfield, at left-back, or even as a forward. In his last game for Everton in 2006, he was sent off.
Moving to Wigan Athletic
On August 31, 2006, Kilbane signed a three-year deal with Wigan Athletic for about £2 million. He scored his first goal for Wigan in April 2007 with a powerful header. This was his first club goal in almost three years! He scored again later that season, helping Wigan win a game 1-0. In his second season, he often played as a left-back, which was a new role for him. He even won the "Player of The Season Award" from Wiganer.net.
Adventures with Hull City
In January 2009, Kilbane moved to Hull City for around £500,000. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. He scored his first goal for Hull City in April 2010.
Loan to Huddersfield Town
On January 1, 2011, Kilbane joined Football League One team Huddersfield Town on loan. He helped the team achieve an amazing club record of 26 league games without a defeat!
Loan to Derby County
On August 2, 2011, Kilbane went on a six-month loan to Derby County. He played 10 games for Derby and scored one goal. However, his loan ended early in November because of a back injury.
Final Club: Coventry City
On July 2, 2012, Kilbane joined Coventry City. In his very first game, he scored a winning goal from a penalty kick! He was named captain for the 2012–13 season. He played his last professional game on October 24, 2012, and announced his retirement from football on December 8, 2012.
International Career
Even as a young player at Preston, Kevin Kilbane was asked to join the England Under-18 squad. But he chose not to, because he always wanted to play for Ireland. Both of his parents are Irish, so he was an Irish citizen from birth. He made his first international appearance for Ireland on September 6, 1997.
He was part of the Irish squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The team did very well, making it to the knockout stage. They lost to Spain in a penalty shootout.
Kilbane scored his first international goal in almost four years against the Czech Republic in October 2006. He scored his 8th international goal against Andorra in September 2010. This was the first competitive goal for Ireland at the new Aviva Stadium.
Kevin Kilbane earned his 100th cap for Ireland in November 2009. In March 2010, he and Shay Given became the joint most-capped players for the Republic of Ireland, both reaching 103 caps. By June 2011, Kilbane had played in 66 consecutive competitive international games. This amazing streak ended when he wasn't chosen for a game against Slovakia due to a back operation. He never played for Ireland again after that.
Life After Football: Media Career
After retiring from playing, Kevin Kilbane studied Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting at Staffordshire University. He became a football expert for various media outlets. He worked for RTÉ Sport during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Since 2012, he has been an analyst for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League coverage in Ireland.
He also became a regular pundit on BBC One's Match of the Day 2 and was part of the commentary team for the BBC at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Since August 2016, Kilbane has been a co-presenter on the Off the Ball show on Newstalk radio in Ireland.
In 2020, Kilbane took part in the twelfth series of Dancing on Ice, a popular TV show, with his skating partner Brianne Delcourt. After moving to Canada with Delcourt, Kilbane became a professional analyst for The Sports Network (TSN) during the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
Kevin Kilbane is also a supporter of the Down's Syndrome Association. In 2015, he made a complaint about a chant from some football fans that mocked the condition.
Personal Life
Kevin Kilbane started a relationship with professional figure skater Brianne Delcourt, who was his partner on Dancing on Ice. They got engaged in February 2020 and were married in September 2020 in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. They have two daughters together. Kevin is also a stepfather to Brianne's daughter from a previous relationship. Before this, Kevin was married to Laura Harrison until 2011, and they also have two daughters together.
Honours and Awards
- Preston North End
- Football League Third Division: 1995–96
- Individual
- FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 2004
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Kilbane para niños
- List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
