Stephen Ireland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stephen Ireland

Ireland playing for Manchester City in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Stephen James Ireland
Date of birth	(1986-08-22) 22 August 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Cork, Ireland
Height	1.73 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1994–2001	Cobh Ramblers
2001–2005	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2010	Manchester City	138	(16)
2010–2014	Aston Villa	47	(1)
2011	→ Newcastle United (loan)	2	(0)
2013–2014	→ Stoke City (loan)	13	(2)
2014–2018	Stoke City	46	(0)
2018	Bolton Wanderers	0	(0)
Total		246	(19)
National team
2005	Republic of Ireland U21	1	(0)
2006–2007	Republic of Ireland	6	(4)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stephen James Ireland (born on August 22, 1986) is an Irish former footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder, which is a player who helps both attack and defend.

Stephen started playing football as a young player with Cobh Ramblers. Then, when he was 18, he joined the English club Manchester City in 2001. He played his first professional game in September 2005. Soon, he became a regular player at the City of Manchester Stadium, which is Manchester City's home ground.

In the 2008–2009 season, a new group called the Abu Dhabi United Group took over Manchester City. This led the club to buy famous players like Robinho and Vincent Kompany. Stephen Ireland was a very important player for Manchester City that season. He was even named the club's Player of the Year.

However, things changed for Stephen at City when the manager, Mark Hughes, was replaced by Roberto Mancini in December 2009. In September 2010, Stephen moved to Aston Villa. This was part of a player swap deal with James Milner. After a slow start at Villa, he was loaned to Newcastle United, but he only played two games there.

In the 2011–12 season, he played much better and won the Fans' Player of the Season award. But he later stopped playing regularly under manager Paul Lambert. In September 2013, he joined Stoke City on loan. He then made this move permanent in January 2014. After leaving Stoke in 2018, he had a short time at Bolton Wanderers before he stopped playing football professionally.

Because he played so well for Manchester City early on, he was chosen to play for the Republic of Ireland national team. But a disagreement with the manager, Steve Staunton, meant his international career ended quickly in 2007.

Stephen Ireland's Football Journey

Starting Out in Football

Stephen was born in Cork, County Cork, Ireland. He began his football journey in Cobh, playing for a junior team called Cobh Ramblers. His father, Michael, had also played for this team.

As a schoolboy, Stephen tried out for several British clubs. Some clubs were worried because he had a growth-related knee condition called Osgood-Schlatter disease when he was a teenager. In August 2001, when he was fifteen, he decided to join Manchester City.

Playing for Manchester City

In 2005, at 18 years old, Stephen joined Manchester City. He played in some practice games before the season started. His first official game was on September 18, 2005, against Bolton Wanderers. He came into the game as a substitute in the 81st minute.

He then started his first full game on September 21, 2005, against Doncaster Rovers. In his first start in the Premier League against Everton on October 2, 2005, he was named the Man of the Match. After this, he started the next six games for City, which led to him signing a contract to stay with the club until 2009.

For the rest of that season, he played in about half of Manchester City's games. He ended the season with 16 starts and 12 times coming on as a substitute. On December 26, Stephen scored his first Premier League goal for City. It was a great shot from 20 yards away. This goal was the only one in a very important 1–0 win against Sheffield United. On February 18, Stephen scored another amazing goal from outside the penalty area. This helped Manchester City win 3–1 against Preston North End in the FA Cup.

Stephen Ireland training with Manchester City in 2008

Stephen started the 2007–08 Premier League season well for City. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 home win against Sunderland. His goal celebration caused some talk because he showed his underpants with a Superman logo. The football association decided to give him a warning.

In November, against Reading, he scored again, helping Manchester City keep their perfect home record. Two weeks later, he was sent off in a game against Tottenham Hotspur and was banned for three matches. Stephen scored a goal in the return game against Tottenham, helping Manchester City win 2–1 at home. He scored his last goal of the season in a 2–3 loss to Fulham. He took the ball from outside the left side of the box and curved it into the top right corner. He finished the 2007–08 season with four goals.

He returned to the main team with a strong performance in a 3–0 win against West Ham United. He helped set up two goals in that game. He scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season in a 3–0 away win at Sunderland. He scored again in a 2–2 draw at Newcastle United on October 20. He scored both goals in a 2–2 draw at Hull City on November 16. He also scored the first goal in the next league game against Arsenal. After scoring in a 2–1 win over Everton, Stephen had scored 13 goals in what was a memorable season for him.

On May 20, 2009, he was named Manchester City's Senior Player of the Year. This was for his excellent performances throughout the 2008–09 season. Because of this, he signed a new five-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2014. He later also became the Greater Manchester Player of the Year. He scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season on the first day in a 2–0 win at Blackburn Rovers.

In December 2009, Mark Hughes was no longer the manager and was replaced by Roberto Mancini. With other good players like Nigel de Jong, Vincent Kompany, and new signing Patrick Vieira in the team, Stephen spent most of the second half of the season as a substitute. By the end of the 2009–10 season, he had only scored three goals, all before Mancini arrived. Mancini said Stephen needed to "change his head" to play more.

Time at Aston Villa

At the start of the 2010–11 Premier League season, Stephen was going to move to Aston Villa. This was part of a deal where James Milner would go to Manchester City. On August 17, 2010, the deal was confirmed. Stephen signed a four-year contract with Aston Villa.

Stephen played his first game for Aston Villa on his 24th birthday. It was an away game against Newcastle United, which Villa lost 6–0. By the end of October 2010, Stephen was not playing for Villa as much. The manager, Gérard Houllier, said he needed to work harder.

Stephen Ireland playing for Aston Villa in 2012

On January 31, 2011, Stephen joined Newcastle United on loan until the end of the season. He was already injured when he joined Newcastle and had more problems. He finally played his first game on April 19, 2011, in a 0–0 draw with Manchester United. He came on as a substitute. However, after playing only twice and for just 49 minutes, Stephen was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. He then returned to Aston Villa.

At the start of the 2011–12 season, Stephen said he wanted to stay at Aston Villa and earn his place in the team under the new manager, Alex McLeish. He also took the number 7 jersey. On December 31, 2011, Stephen scored his first goal for Villa in a 3–1 away win at Chelsea. He scored the first goal and helped set up the third. At the end of the season, Stephen was voted Aston Villa's Supporters' Player of the Season.

At the start of the 2012–13 season, Stephen broke a bone in his wrist during a game against Southampton. The manager, Paul Lambert, said he would be out for "a few weeks." Later, Paul Lambert did not include Stephen in his team for the second half of the season. At the end of the season, Stephen was expected to leave the club and started training with the reserve team.

Moving to Stoke City

On September 2, 2013, Stephen joined Stoke City on loan for the 2013–14 season. This meant he would work with his former manager, Mark Hughes, again. Stephen said he hoped this loan would help him restart his career. He felt very grateful to the manager at Stoke for giving him this chance.

Stephen Ireland playing for Stoke City in 2015.

Stephen played his first game for Stoke on September 14, 2013, in a 0–0 draw against his old club, Manchester City. He scored his first goal for Stoke on September 25, 2013, in a 2–0 League Cup win over Tranmere Rovers. On November 9, 2013, he scored against Swansea City in a 3–3 draw. He officially joined Stoke permanently on January 14, 2014. On April 15, 2014, Stephen signed a new three-year contract with Stoke, keeping him there until the summer of 2017. Stephen played 29 games in the 2013–14 season as Stoke finished in 9th place.

Stephen scored two goals in the FA Cup against Wrexham on January 4, 2015. He also scored in the next round against Rochdale. On February 28, 2015, Stephen got a deep cut on his calf that needed 15 stitches after a challenge from a Hull City player.

Stephen was not chosen to play much by manager Hughes in the 2015–16 season. He played 16 games, but only started three of them, and none were in the Premier League. On May 10, 2016, he broke his leg during training, which kept him out of action for a long time. Stephen missed the entire 2016–17 season because of his injury. In July 2017, he signed a six-month contract extension to help him continue his recovery. Another contract extension followed in December. Stephen only played five games in the 2017–18 season as Stoke was moved down to the EFL Championship league. He left Stoke at the end of that season.

Short Spell at Bolton Wanderers

Stephen joined EFL Championship team Bolton Wanderers on October 9, 2018. On December 20, 2018, Stephen left Bolton without playing any first-team games. He did play two matches for Bolton's Development Squad. His contract was ended by agreement. In June 2020, Stephen said he regretted joining Bolton because the club was having money problems. He thought he didn't play because his contract included bonuses for playing games.

Playing for Ireland

Stephen played for the Republic of Ireland at under-15, under-16, and under-17 levels. When he was called up to the under-18 team, he had a disagreement with the coach, Brian Kerr. Stephen was left out of a game in his hometown of Cobh and told to watch from the stands. The team lost that game 4–0. Kerr suggested Stephen would play in the next game, in nearby Cork City. But when Stephen was left out again, he asked to go back to his club. Kerr then told him he would never play for the Republic of Ireland while Kerr was manager.

In January 2006, Steve Staunton became the new manager of the Republic of Ireland senior team. In Staunton's first team, for a game against Sweden on March 1, Stephen was called up to the senior team for the first time. He came on as a substitute in the game, which Ireland won 3–0. He scored his first international goal on October 7 in a 5–2 loss to Cyprus. On February 7, 2007, he scored in the last few seconds as the team won 2–1 against San Marino. If he hadn't scored, San Marino would have gotten their first ever point in European qualification.

On March 24, 2007, he scored the first ever football goal in Croke Park against Wales. This was his third international goal in four games. He also scored in a 2–2 home draw against Slovakia on September 8.

His Break from International Games

People wondered if Stephen would play for the national team again in a game against Georgia on February 11, 2009. But when the team was announced, his name was not there. The team manager said that Stephen had agreed to let them know when he felt ready to play again, but he hadn't contacted them.

On February 19, 2009, it was reported that Stephen had told his Manchester City teammate Shay Given that he wanted to play for the Republic of Ireland in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. It seemed like he would return to the national team soon. But when the Irish team for games against Bulgaria and Italy was announced, his name was not on the list again. The manager said he didn't think Stephen would return.

In May 2009, Stephen said he probably would not return to the national team. In August 2010, he repeated that he would not come back. He said he watched Ireland games like anyone else but didn't feel part of it. He felt the question of returning was "gone" for him.

On March 30, 2012, Stephen suggested he might be willing to play international football again after Euro 2012. In May 2014, after the Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill tried to contact him several times, Stephen's agent said he would not be available for upcoming friendly games.

In an interview in 2019, Stephen explained that the main reason he never returned to play for the Republic of Ireland was to take care of his children.

Life Off the Pitch

Stephen is married and has three children. He used to own a home in Prestbury, Cheshire, and had several custom-built cars. After his contract with Bolton Wanderers ended, he sold his home in 2019. Stephen has several tattoos, including a large pair of angel wings on his back.

After he stopped playing football, Stephen became a football agent. He helped two teenagers from Cork City, Cathal Heffernan and Mark O'Mahony, move to other clubs.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Stephen Ireland goal.

List of international goals scored by Stephen Ireland

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref
1	7 October 2006	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	2	Cyprus	1–0	2–5	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
2	7 February 2007	San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino	3	San Marino	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
3	24 March 2007	Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland	4	Wales	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
4	8 September 2007	Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia	6	Slovakia	1–0	2–2	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification

Honours

Individual

• FAI Young International Player of the Year: 2007
• Manchester City Player of the Season: 2009
• Aston Villa Supporters' Player of the Season: 2012

See also

In Spanish: Stephen Ireland para niños