Mark Hughes facts for kids
Hughes as manager of Stoke City in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leslie Mark Hughes | ||
| Date of birth | 1 November 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Ruabon, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.74 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Carlisle United (Head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1980 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1980–1986 | Manchester United | 89 | (37) |
| 1986–1988 | Barcelona | 28 | (4) |
| 1987–1988 | → Bayern Munich (loan) | 18 | (6) |
| 1988–1995 | Manchester United | 256 | (83) |
| 1995–1998 | Chelsea | 95 | (25) |
| 1998–2000 | Southampton | 52 | (2) |
| 2000 | Everton | 18 | (1) |
| 2000–2002 | Blackburn Rovers | 50 | (6) |
| Total | 606 | (164) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1999 | Wales | 72 | (16) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2004 | Wales | ||
| 2004–2008 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 2008–2009 | Manchester City | ||
| 2010–2011 | Fulham | ||
| 2012 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| 2013–2018 | Stoke City | ||
| 2018 | Southampton | ||
| 2022–2023 | Bradford City | ||
| 2025– | Carlisle United | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the English club Carlisle United.
During his playing days, Mark Hughes was a powerful forward or midfielder. He played for famous clubs like Manchester United (twice), Barcelona, and Bayern Munich. He also played for English teams such as Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, and Blackburn Rovers. He played 72 times for the Wales national team, scoring 16 goals. He won many trophies, including two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and two UEFA Cup Winners' Cups. He was also the first player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award twice. He stopped playing football in 2002.
After retiring as a player, Hughes became a manager. He coached the Wales national team from 1999 to 2004. He then managed several English clubs, including Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City, Southampton, and Bradford City. In February 2025, he became the head coach of Carlisle United.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Manchester United
Mark Hughes was born in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales. He joined Manchester United in 1980 after finishing school. He made his first team debut in the League Cup in the 1983–84 season, scoring a goal against Oxford United.
Hughes quickly became a key player for Manchester United. He played alongside Frank Stapleton and scored 25 goals in his first full season (1984–85). That year, United won the FA Cup by beating Everton. In the 1985–86 season, he scored 18 goals, which was his highest league goal tally in his career.
Moving to Barcelona and Bayern Munich
In 1986, Hughes moved to Barcelona in Spain for £2 million. He joined at the same time as Gary Lineker. However, Hughes found it tough in Spain, scoring only 5 goals in 37 games.
He was then loaned to German club Bayern Munich for the 1987–88 season. There, he found his scoring touch again. On one unusual day, 11 November 1987, he played two matches! First, he played for Wales against Czechoslovakia, then flew to West Germany to play as a substitute for Bayern Munich.
Returning to Manchester United
In May 1988, Mark Hughes returned to Manchester United for £1.8 million. He quickly became a vital player for manager Sir Alex Ferguson. In his first season back (1988–89), he was voted PFA Players' Player of the Year, which is a big award given by other players.
In 1990, Hughes scored twice in the 1990 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, helping United win the trophy after a replay. The next season, he scored both goals against his old club Barcelona in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, which United won 2–1. He was again named PFA Players' Player of the Year.
In the 1991–92 season, United won the League Cup. Hughes finally won the Premier League title with United in 1993, the first year of the new league. He scored 15 league goals that season. In 1994, United won both the Premier League and the FA Cup, with Hughes scoring in the FA Cup final. He scored 22 goals in all competitions that season, forming a strong partnership with Eric Cantona.
Hughes left Manchester United in June 1995. He had scored 163 goals for the club over his two spells.
Playing for Chelsea
Hughes joined Chelsea in June 1995 for £1 million. He became an important player in Chelsea's rise to become a top club in the late 1990s. He formed a strong attacking partnership with Gianfranco Zola.
He helped Chelsea win the FA Cup in 1997. By winning this, he became the only player in the 20th century to win the FA Cup four times. He also helped Chelsea win the League Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998. He scored 39 goals in 123 games for Chelsea.
Later Clubs: Southampton, Everton, and Blackburn
In July 1998, Hughes moved to Southampton. He played as a midfielder there, using his experience to help the team stay in the Premier League. He was known for getting many yellow cards during his time at Southampton.
In March 2000, he joined Everton, playing 16 games and scoring one goal. He then moved to Blackburn Rovers in October 2000. This was the first time he played outside the top division. He helped Blackburn get promoted back to the Premier League in 2001.
Hughes also won the League Cup with Blackburn in February 2002. He retired from playing football in July 2002, just before his 39th birthday. His last career goal was against Leicester City in March 2002.
International Career for Wales
Mark Hughes scored a goal just 17 minutes into his debut for Wales on 2 May 1984, helping them win 1–0 against England. He played 72 times for his country and scored 16 goals.
Managerial Career
Coaching Wales
Hughes became the head coach of the Wales national team in 1999, while he was still playing club football. He helped improve the team's results. Wales came very close to qualifying for UEFA Euro 2004, finishing second in their group and beating Italy 2–1. However, they lost in the play-offs to Russia.
Managing Blackburn Rovers
In September 2004, Hughes left the Wales job to manage Blackburn Rovers, his last club as a player. He helped them avoid relegation and took them to an FA Cup semi-final. In his second season, Blackburn finished sixth in the Premier League, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Leading Manchester City
On 4 June 2008, Mark Hughes became the manager of Manchester City. Soon after, the club was taken over by new owners who invested a lot of money. This allowed Hughes to sign big players like Robinho for a British record fee of £32.5 million. He also brought in players like Wayne Bridge, Craig Bellamy, and Shay Given.
In the summer of 2009, he signed more top players, including Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, and Emmanuel Adebayor. Manchester City started the 2009–10 season well, winning their first four league games. However, after a run of draws, Hughes was sacked on 19 December 2009.
Time at Fulham
Hughes became the manager of Fulham on 29 July 2010. He signed a two-year contract. In his only season at Fulham (2010–11), he led the team to an eighth-place finish in the league. This result also helped them qualify for the UEFA Europa League. Hughes resigned from Fulham on 2 June 2011, saying he wanted to gain more experience as a manager.
Managing Queens Park Rangers
On 10 January 2012, Hughes took over as manager of Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He signed several new players to help the team stay in the Premier League. QPR managed to avoid relegation on the very last day of the 2011–12 season, even though they lost to Manchester City in a dramatic match where City won the league title.
In the summer of 2012, QPR signed many more well-known players. However, the team had a very poor start to the 2012–13 season, going 12 matches without a win. Hughes was sacked on 23 November 2012.
Coaching Stoke City
Hughes was appointed manager of Stoke City on 30 May 2013. He aimed to change Stoke's playing style to be more attacking. In his first season (2013–14), Stoke finished ninth in the Premier League, their best finish since 1975. He led them to ninth place again in the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons.
Stoke's performance declined in the 2016–17 season, finishing 13th. The 2017–18 season started poorly, and Stoke was in the relegation zone. After a loss to a lower-league team in the FA Cup, Hughes was sacked by Stoke on 6 January 2018.
Short Spell at Southampton
On 14 March 2018, Hughes became the manager of Southampton, who were also struggling with relegation. He helped the club avoid relegation at the end of the 2017–18 season. He signed a new three-year contract, but after a poor start to the 2018–19 season, he was dismissed on 2 December 2018.
Bradford City and Carlisle United
On 24 February 2022, Hughes was appointed manager of Bradford City. This was his first time managing a club outside the Premier League. He was nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month award in September 2022. However, he was sacked on 4 October 2023, with Bradford in 18th place in League Two.
On 6 February 2025, Hughes became the head coach of Carlisle United, another League Two team. He lost his first game in charge. Carlisle was relegated at the end of the 2024–25 season, but it was confirmed that Hughes would stay with the club for the next season.
Personal Life
Mark Hughes is known by his nickname "Sparky." He grew up supporting Wrexham. In 2004, he was given an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award for his contributions to football. Hughes has been married to his wife Jill since the mid-1980s. They have two sons, Alex and Curtis, and a daughter, Xenna, who plays hockey for Wales. He wrote his autobiography in 1990 called Sparky – Barcelona, Bayern and Back.
Images for kids
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Hughes (right) managing Southampton in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Mark Hughes para niños
