Lee Cattermole facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lee Cattermole

Cattermole in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Lee Barry Cattermole
Date of birth	(1988-03-21) 21 March 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Stockton-on-Tees, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1998–2005	Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2008	Middlesbrough	69	(3)
2008–2009	Wigan Athletic	33	(1)
2009–2019	Sunderland	233	(10)
2019–2020	VVV-Venlo	11	(0)
Total		346	(14)
International career
2003	England U16	1	(0)
2004	England U17	4	(0)
2005	England U18	1	(0)
2006	England U19	1	(0)
2007–2010	England U21	16	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Lee Barry Cattermole (born 21 March 1988) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a central midfielder.

Lee Cattermole was known as a tough-tackling midfielder. He started his career at Middlesbrough in 2005. He grew up in the club's youth academy. After his first game in January 2006, he became a regular player. At just 18 years old, he became the youngest player to captain Middlesbrough. He played 91 games for them and scored four goals.

In July 2008, he moved to Wigan Athletic. He quickly became a key player there, playing 35 games in the 2008–09 season. In August 2009, he joined Sunderland. Even with some early injuries, his manager Steve Bruce made him captain for the 2010–11 season. He held this role for three seasons.

Lee Cattermole also played for England at different youth levels. These included the under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 teams.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Middlesbrough

Lee Cattermole came through the Middlesbrough youth academy. He played his first game on 2 January 2006. This was a big local match against Newcastle United. He played the whole game, which ended in a 2–2 draw. He was even named the Man of the Match. His manager, Steve McClaren, praised his performance. He said Lee helped bring the team together.

After a tough 4–0 loss to Aston Villa, the team improved a lot. They won seven of their next eight games. They reached the quarter-finals of both the FA and UEFA cups. They also beat Premier League champions Chelsea 3–0. Lee scored his first league goal for Middlesbrough on 2 April. It was in a 1–0 win against Manchester City. He also played in the 2006 UEFA Cup Final.

On 7 May 2006, Lee Cattermole became Middlesbrough's youngest captain ever. He was 18 years and 47 days old. He led the team in a 1–0 loss to Fulham. During that game, Middlesbrough's oldest player, Colin Cooper, came on as a substitute. Lee kindly gave the captain's armband to Colin, who was playing his last game. On 20 October 2006, Lee signed a new four-year contract with Middlesbrough.

Moving to Wigan Athletic

On 29 July 2008, Lee Cattermole joined Wigan Athletic. He signed a three-year deal for about £3.5 million. He played his first game for Wigan in a 2–1 loss to West Ham United. Lee scored his first goal for Wigan in a 4–1 League Cup win against Ipswich Town on 24 September 2008. He then scored his first league goal on 13 December 2008. This was in a 3–0 home win over Blackburn Rovers.

Time at Sunderland

Cattermole (left) playing for Sunderland in 2011 alongside Craig Gardner (right)

On 12 August 2009, Lee Cattermole joined Sunderland for £6 million. He signed a four-year contract. This move reunited him with his former Wigan coach, Steve Bruce. He played his first game for Sunderland in a 1–0 win against Bolton Wanderers. He was named Sunderland's Man of the Match. He quickly became popular with fans. However, he missed some games due to a heel injury. On 17 October 2009, he injured his knee and was out for twelve weeks. He returned in December as a substitute. He later played a full match and captained the team in a 4–3 loss to Manchester City.

Before the 2010–11 season, manager Steve Bruce chose Lee as the new captain. He also received the number 6 shirt. In the first game of the season, he received a red card. Lee played a key role in Sunderland's 3–0 win against Chelsea. He also earned the Man of the Match award in a 1–0 home win against West Ham. Lee's strong tackling style often led to yellow cards. Despite this, Bruce supported him as captain. Lee had another season with injuries, playing 24 games.

Lee remained captain at the start of the 2011–12 season. He received yellow cards in the first two games. He later fell out of favor for a bit. After Bruce was replaced by Martin O'Neill, Lee still led the team. He had some of his best games for Sunderland. These included a 1–0 win over Manchester City and a 4–1 win at Wigan. O'Neill praised him, saying, "You've got a heart like a lion." He also played very well in an FA Cup game against Arsenal, which Sunderland won 2–0.

Cattermole (right) posing for a pre-match photo before facing Arsenal in August 2012

In the Tyne-Wear derby on 4 March 2012, Lee received a red card after the match. He was upset with the referee. This led to a four-match ban. There were talks he might lose the captaincy, but O'Neill denied it. After his ban, Lee returned for an FA Cup game against Everton. Sunderland lost that match 2–0. Over 73 games for Sunderland, Lee received many yellow cards and four red cards.

For the 2013–14 season, John O'Shea became captain. Lee's number 6 shirt was given to a new player. Lee was assigned the number 33 jersey. He scored his first league goal for Sunderland in a 5–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on 7 April 2014.

Cattermole captaining Sunderland against Chelsea in May 2016

Lee got his number 6 shirt back for the 2014–15 season. He scored Sunderland's first goal of the season. It was a great shot from 25 yards. He called it "the best goal he has ever scored." This was in a 2–2 draw against West Brom. On 2 July 2015, Lee signed a new five-year contract with Sunderland. This kept him at the club until 2021.

At the start of the 2015–16 season, Lee captained Sunderland against Leicester City. He was taken off after 30 minutes, with his team losing 3–0. Sunderland eventually lost 4–2.

Lee missed most of the 2016–17 season due to injury. He returned late in the season. Fans praised his performance against Arsenal on 16 May 2017. Sunderland lost 2–0. Lee and Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League that season. They finished last with only 24 points.

On 31 March 2019, Lee played in the EFL Trophy final against Portsmouth. His penalty was saved in a shootout, and Sunderland lost 5–4 after a 2–2 draw. On 1 July 2019, it was announced that Lee would leave Sunderland. He had spent 10 years at the club. He said it was time for a new challenge. He later had a trial with a Dutch team, VVV-Venlo.

Playing for VVV-Venlo

On 22 August 2019, Lee Cattermole moved to Dutch football. He signed a one-year contract with Eredivisie team VVV-Venlo. He joined them for free. He left the club on 27 May 2020, after his contract ended.

International Career

Lee Cattermole was first called up to the England under-21 squad in October 2006. This was for play-off games against Germany.

He scored his first international goal on 15 June 2009. This was the first goal of the U-21 European Championships against Finland. He scored his third goal for England in a 2–1 win against Macedonia U21s.

Coaching Career

In January 2022, Lee Cattermole returned to his former club, Middlesbrough. He was appointed as the Under-18s lead coach. He left this role at the end of February 2023.

In December 2024, Lee joined League One team Bristol Rovers. He became a first-team coach, focusing on set-pieces. Just four days after joining, he became a temporary manager alongside David Horseman. This happened after the previous manager was let go. However, before his first game as caretaker, it was reported that Lee had left the club. This was confirmed when a new manager was appointed.

Career Statistics

Honours and Awards

Team Achievements

• Middlesbrough
  • UEFA Cup runner-up: 2005–06

• Sunderland
  • Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14
  • EFL Trophy runner-up: 2018–19

• England U21
  • UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2009

Individual Awards

• North East Football Writers' Association's Player of the Year: 2014

See also

In Spanish: Lee Cattermole para niños