Nathan Delfouneso facts for kids
Delfouneso training with Aston Villa in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nathan Abayomi Delfouneso | ||
| Date of birth | 2 February 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Tyseley, Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2008 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2014 | Aston Villa | 31 | (2) |
| 2011 | → Burnley (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2012 | → Leicester City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → Blackpool (loan) | 41 | (6) |
| 2013–2014 | → Blackpool (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Coventry City (loan) | 14 | (3) |
| 2014–2015 | Blackpool | 38 | (3) |
| 2015–2016 | Blackburn Rovers | 15 | (1) |
| 2016 | → Bury (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Swindon Town | 18 | (1) |
| 2017–2020 | Blackpool | 125 | (24) |
| 2020–2022 | Bolton Wanderers | 55 | (6) |
| 2022 | → Bradford City (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Accrington Stanley | 4 | (0) |
| 2023 | AFC Fylde | 7 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Chorley | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | Hednesford Town | 5 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006–2007 | England U16 | 8 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | England U17 | 4 | (3) |
| 2008–2010 | England U19 | 25 | (9) |
| 2010–2012 | England U21 | 18 | (4) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2024 | AFC Fylde (caretaker) | ||
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Nathan Abayomi Delfouneso (born 2 February 1991) is an English professional footballer. He plays as a striker, which means he is a forward player who tries to score goals.
Nathan started his career at Aston Villa's youth academy. He joined their main team in 2008. Over the years, he played 52 games for Aston Villa and scored 9 goals. This included two goals in the UEFA Cup, a big European football competition.
While at Aston Villa, Nathan also played for other teams on loan. This means he temporarily moved to other clubs to get more playing time. Later, he joined teams like Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers, and Swindon Town permanently. He even returned to Blackpool for a fourth time in 2017!
Nathan was also a regular player for different England youth teams. He played 54 games and scored 19 goals for England's Under-16, Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 teams.
Contents
- Nathan Delfouneso's Club Career
- Nathan Delfouneso's International Career
- Career statistics
- Nathan Delfouneso's Honours and Awards
- See also
Nathan Delfouneso's Club Career
Starting at Aston Villa
Nathan Delfouneso was born in Tyseley, Birmingham. He grew up playing football in the Aston Villa Academy. By the 2006–07 season, when he was just 15, he was a regular for both the club's reserve and academy teams.
He played his first game for the reserve team in March 2007, just after his 16th birthday. He scored a late goal that helped Villa win 2–1 against Portsmouth. In February 2008, Nathan signed his first professional contract with Aston Villa. He was given the number 14 shirt for the first team.
By the end of the 2007–08 season, Nathan had played 41 games for the Academy team. He scored an impressive 22 goals.
First Team and European Games
Nathan made his first official game for Aston Villa's main team in the UEFA Cup in September 2008. He was a substitute in a game against FH Hafnarfjörður from Iceland. At 17 years and 195 days old, he became the youngest player ever to play for Villa in a European competition.
He made his first start in a UEFA Cup game against MŠK Žilina. He scored a goal after only half an hour! He scored again in his second start against Hamburger SV.
Nathan played his first domestic game in January 2009 in an FA Cup match. A month later, he scored his first goal in the FA Cup against Doncaster Rovers. His coach, Martin O'Neill, praised his performance.
In March 2009, Nathan made his league debut against Tottenham Hotspur. At the end of the season, he won two awards: Villa's Young Player of the Year (chosen by players) and Supporters' Young Player of the Year (chosen by fans).
New Contracts and Goals
In November 2009, Nathan signed a new contract with Aston Villa. In January 2010, his coach said that many clubs wanted to loan Nathan. But the coach believed Nathan was good enough to stay with Aston Villa.
Nathan scored his first league goal in April 2010 against Portsmouth. In November 2010, he started his first Premier League game. He scored his second Premier League goal in a 3–2 win against Blackpool. By the end of that season, he had played 16 games and scored two goals. In May 2014, Aston Villa announced that Nathan would leave the club.
Loan Spells in the Championship
Footballers often go on "loan" to other clubs. This means they play for another team for a short time to gain more experience.
Playing for Burnley and Leicester
In March 2011, Nathan joined Burnley on loan until the end of the season. He scored a goal in his first start for Burnley. In January 2012, he went on a one-month loan to Leicester City. He played five games for Leicester but didn't score.
Time at Blackpool
In August 2012, Nathan signed a one-year loan deal with Blackpool. He scored his first goals for Blackpool in September, netting twice in a 4–1 win against Middlesbrough. In August 2013, he returned to Blackpool for a second loan spell. He played eleven league games before going back to Aston Villa in January 2014.
Loan to Coventry City
In January 2014, Nathan joined Coventry City on loan. He scored two league goals in 14 games for Coventry.
Joining Blackpool Permanently
After two loan spells, Nathan signed a permanent contract with Blackpool in July 2014. He played his first game as a full-time Blackpool player in August. He left the club in May 2015.
Blackburn Rovers, Bury, and Swindon
In August 2015, Nathan signed a one-year deal with Blackburn Rovers. He scored his first goal for Rovers in the Football League Cup. He also scored a league goal against Huddersfield. In March 2016, Nathan went on loan to Bury.
In August 2016, Nathan signed with Swindon Town until the end of the 2016–17 season.
Another Return to Blackpool
In January 2017, Nathan Delfouneso returned to Blackpool for a second permanent spell. This was his fourth time playing for the club overall! His contract was extended in 2018. In May 2019, he signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool.
Playing for Bolton Wanderers
In August 2020, Nathan joined Bolton Wanderers on a two-year deal. He scored his first goal for Bolton in October, helping them win 2–1 against Harrogate Town.
In January 2022, Nathan joined Bradford City on loan. In May, Bolton announced that he would leave the club.
Accrington Stanley and AFC Fylde
In September 2022, Nathan signed a short-term contract with Accrington Stanley. He left the club in January 2023. In March 2023, he signed for AFC Fylde on another short-term contract.
Hednesford Town
In February 2024, Nathan joined Hednesford Town after a short time with Chorley.
Nathan Delfouneso's International Career
Nathan Delfouneso also played for England's youth teams.
England Under-16 and Under-17 Teams
He first played for the England U16 team. He played eight games and scored three goals. Two of these goals helped England win the 2006 Victory Shield. In October 2007, Nathan scored three goals (a hat-trick) in his first game for the England U17 team against Malta. England won 6–0.
England Under-19 Team
Nathan made his debut for the England U19 team in October 2008. He came on as a substitute and scored a goal in a 3–0 win against Albania. He scored two more goals in the semi-final against France, helping England reach the final of the 2009 UEFA Under-19 Championship.
England Under-21 Team
In February 2010, Nathan was called up to the England under-21 squad for the first time. He scored on his debut against Greece in March 2010.
He was part of the England squad for the 2010 UEFA Under-19 Championship in France. He scored his second goal for the England U21 team against Iceland in March 2011. His third U21 goal came in September 2011 against Israel.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 2008–09 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 3 |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 9 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 31 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 52 | 9 | ||
| Burnley (loan) | 2010–11 | Championship | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| Leicester City (loan) | 2011–12 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Blackpool (loan) | 2012–13 | Championship | 41 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 7 | ||
| 2013–14 | Championship | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 52 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 54 | 7 | |||
| Coventry City (loan) | 2013–14 | League One | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | |||
| Blackpool | 2014–15 | Championship | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 40 | 3 | |
| Blackburn Rovers | 2015–16 | Championship | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 16 | 2 | |
| Bury (loan) | 2015–16 | League One | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Swindon Town | 2016–17 | League One | 18 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 3 |
| Blackpool | 2016–17 | League Two | 18 | 5 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 20 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | League One | 40 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 9 | |
| 2018–19 | League One | 39 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 7 | |
| 2019–20 | League One | 28 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 7 | |
| Total | 125 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 146 | 29 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2020–21 | League Two | 44 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 8 |
| 2021–22 | League One | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 20 | 2 | |
| Total | 55 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 67 | 10 | ||
| Bradford City (loan) | 2021–22 | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Accrington Stanley | 2022–23 | League One | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Fylde | 2022–23 | National League North | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 384 | 48 | 26 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 28 | 6 | 453 | 68 | ||
Nathan Delfouneso's Honours and Awards
Nathan Delfouneso has won several awards and helped his teams achieve success:
Aston Villa
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2009–10 (This means Aston Villa reached the final but didn't win the cup.)
Blackpool
- EFL League Two play-offs: 2017 (Blackpool won the play-offs to get promoted to a higher league.)
England U16
- Victory Shield: 2006 (A football competition for national youth teams.)
England U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2009 (England reached the final but didn't win the championship.)
Individual Awards
- Aston Villa Players' Young Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10 (Award voted by his teammates.)
- Aston Villa Supporters' Young Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10 (Award voted by the fans.)
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Golden Boot: 2009 (Award for the top goal scorer in the tournament.)
See also
In Spanish: Nathan Delfouneso para niños
