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) | ||
| Position(s) | 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 | (5) |
| 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) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2006–2007 | England U16 | 8 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | England U17 | 4 | (3) |
| 2008–2010 | England U19 | 25 | (9) |
| 2010–2012 | England U21 | 18 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024 | AFC Fylde (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:40, 16 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11:21, 21 March 2021 (UTC) |
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Nathan Abayomi Delfouneso (born February 2, 1991) is an English professional footballer. He plays as a striker, which means he's a forward player whose main job is to score goals.
Nathan started his football journey at Aston Villa's youth academy. He joined their main team in 2008. He played 52 games for Aston Villa, scoring 9 goals. This included two goals in the UEFA Cup, a big European football competition.
During his time at Aston Villa, Nathan also played for other teams on loan, like Burnley and Leicester City. Later, he played permanently for teams such as Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers, and Swindon Town. He even returned to Blackpool for a fourth time in 2017!
Nathan also represented England at different youth levels. He played a total of 54 matches and scored 19 goals for the U16, U17, U19, and U21 teams.
Contents
Nathan's Football Journey
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, he was a regular player for both the club's reserve and academy teams.
He played his first game for the reserve team in March 2007, just a month after his 16th birthday. His goal helped Villa win 2–1 against Portsmouth. In October, he scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw with Reading.
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, scoring 22 goals.
Nathan made his first official game for the senior team as a substitute in a UEFA Cup match against FH Hafnarfjörður from Iceland. This made him the youngest player to ever play for Villa in a European competition, at 17 years and 195 days old. He also started his first game in the UEFA Cup against MŠK Žilina, scoring a goal after just 30 minutes. He scored again in his second start against Hamburger SV.
Nathan played his first senior game in England on January 4, 2009, in an FA Cup match against Gillingham. Villa won that game 2–1. A month later, on February 4, he scored his first goal in a domestic game during an FA Cup replay against Doncaster Rovers. Villa won 3–1. His coach, Martin O'Neill, praised his performance.
On February 16, it was reported that Crystal Palace wanted to loan Nathan. However, O'Neill refused, saying there was "not a prayer" of that happening. Nathan made his league debut against Tottenham Hotspur on March 15. He was named Villa's Players' Young Player of the Year and Supporters' Young Player of the Year for the 2008–09 season.
On November 6, 2009, Nathan signed a new contract with Aston Villa. In January 2010, his coach said that many clubs wanted to loan Nathan, but he believed Nathan was good enough to stay with Aston Villa's first team. He scored his first league goal on April 18, coming off the bench to help Villa win 2–1 against Portsmouth.
On November 6, 2010, Nathan started his first Premier League game against Fulham because other players were injured. He played for 88 minutes in the 1–1 draw. On November 10, 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 for Villa and scored two goals. On May 20, 2014, Aston Villa announced that Nathan would leave the club and become a free agent.
Loan Spells in the Championship
On March 8, 2011, Nathan joined Burnley in the Football League Championship on loan until the end of the season. He played his first game the same day. He scored his first goal for Burnley against his Aston Villa teammate, Brad Guzan, just five minutes into his first start. On January 23, 2012, Nathan signed a one-month loan deal with Leicester City. He played five games for them, all as a substitute, but did not score.
On August 31, 2012, Nathan signed a one-year loan deal with Blackpool. He made his debut the next day. He scored his first goals for Blackpool on September 18, scoring twice in a 4–1 win against Middlesbrough. On August 16, 2013, he rejoined Blackpool on loan for six months. He played eleven league games before returning to Aston Villa on January 2, 2014.
On January 30, 2014, Nathan joined Coventry City on loan for the rest of the 2013–14 season. He scored two league goals in 14 games for Coventry.
Moving to Other Clubs
Blackpool (Permanent Return)
After two loan spells, Nathan signed a one-year contract with Blackpool in July 2014. He played his first game in his new permanent spell on August 9. He left the club in May 2015.
Blackburn Rovers, Bury, and Swindon
On August 6, 2015, Nathan signed a one-year deal with Blackburn Rovers. He scored his first goal for Rovers on August 11 against Shrewsbury Town in the Football League Cup. He also scored against Huddersfield on August 15. On March 18, 2016, Nathan joined Bury on loan.
On August 18, 2016, Nathan signed with Swindon Town until the end of the 2016–17 season.
Blackpool (Another Return)
On January 21, 2017, Nathan rejoined Blackpool permanently for the second time, and fourth time overall. He signed a deal until the end of the 2016–17 season. His contract was extended by Blackpool in 2018. In May 2019, he signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool.
Bolton Wanderers
On August 6, 2020, Nathan joined Bolton Wanderers on a two-year deal. He scored his first goal for Bolton on October 3 in a 2–1 win against Harrogate Town.
On January 31, 2022, Nathan joined Bradford City on loan for the rest of the 2021–22 season. On May 3, Bolton confirmed he would leave the club when his contract ended.
Accrington Stanley
On September 20, 2022, Nathan signed a short-term contract with Accrington Stanley. He left the club on January 20, 2023.
AFC Fylde
On March 18, 2023, Nathan signed a short-term contract with AFC Fylde.
Hednesford Town
On February 16, 2024, he joined Hednesford Town after a short time with Chorley.
Playing for England's Youth Teams
Nathan Delfouneso first gained attention playing for the England U16 team. He played eight games and scored three goals, including two in the 2006 Victory Shield tournament. In October 2007, Nathan scored three goals in his first game for the England U17 team, helping them win 6–0 against Malta.
Nathan made his debut for the England U19 team on October 8, 2008, against Albania. He came on as a substitute and scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory. He scored two more goals in the semi-final against France, which helped England reach the final of the 2009 UEFA Under-19 Championship.
On February 22, 2010, Nathan was called up to the England under-21 squad for the first time. On March 3, 2010, he scored in his debut game against Greece, though England lost 2–1.
Nathan was part of the 18-player squad for the 2010 UEFA Under-19 Championship in France. He scored his second U-21 international goal against Iceland in March 2011. His third goal for the England under-21 team came on September 5, 2011, in a 4–1 win 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 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Nathan Delfouneso has won several awards and helped his teams achieve success:
Aston Villa
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2009–10 (meaning they reached the final but didn't win)
Blackpool
- EFL League Two play-offs: 2017 (they won the play-offs to get promoted)
England U16
- Victory Shield: 2006 (a football tournament for youth teams)
England U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2009 (they reached the final but didn't win)
Individual Awards
- Aston Villa Players' Young Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10 (voted by his teammates)
- Aston Villa Supporters' Young Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10 (voted by the fans)
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Golden Boot: 2009 (awarded to the top goal scorer in the tournament)
See also
In Spanish: Nathan Delfouneso para niños
