Steve Finnan facts for kids
Finnan with Liverpool in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 April 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Limerick, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 metres (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1993 | Wimbledon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1995 | Welling United | 41 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Birmingham City | 15 | (1) |
| 1996 | → Notts County (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 1996–1998 | Notts County | 80 | (5) |
| 1998–2003 | Fulham | 172 | (7) |
| 2003–2008 | Liverpool | 145 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Espanyol | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Portsmouth | 21 | (0) |
| Total | 495 | (17) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2008 | Republic of Ireland | 53 | (2) |
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Stephen John Finnan (born 24 April 1976) is a former professional footballer from Ireland. He played as a right-back, a defensive player on the right side of the field.
Steve Finnan is special because he is the only player to have played in the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, UEFA Intertoto Cup, and all four main levels of English league football, plus the Football Conference (a non-league division). One of his biggest achievements was winning the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final with Liverpool. He was known for his ability to join in attacks and deliver great crosses into the penalty area.
He also played 53 international games for the Republic of Ireland and scored two goals. He represented his country at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Steve Finnan's Football Journey
Starting His Career
Steve Finnan was born in Limerick, Ireland, but moved to England when he was young. He started playing football in the youth team at Wimbledon. However, he left Wimbledon at 16 and joined a non-league club called Welling United in 1993.
In 1995, Finnan became a professional player when he signed with Birmingham City. They paid Welling United £100,000 for him. He scored his first professional goal while playing for Birmingham City against Watford.
Playing for Notts County
In March 1996, Finnan moved to Notts County on a temporary loan. He quickly made an impact, helping the team reach the play-offs for promotion. They made it to the final at Wembley, but unfortunately lost 2–0 to Bradford City.
Notts County liked him so much that they signed him permanently in October 1996 for £300,000. The 1996–97 season was tough, and Notts County was relegated to the Third Division.
However, in the 1997–98 season, Finnan became a key player. He played in 51 matches and helped Notts County win the Third Division title. They also set a club record of 10 wins in a row that season, which still stands today!
Time at Fulham
After his strong performances, Fulham manager Kevin Keegan bought Finnan for £600,000 in November 1998. Finnan quickly became a fan favourite at Fulham. In his first season, Fulham won the Second Division championship and were promoted.
Under a new manager, Jean Tigana, Fulham won the First Division championship in the 2000–01 season. This meant they were promoted to the Premier League, the top football league in England! Finnan played in almost every league match that season.
In his first Premier League season, he helped Fulham qualify for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. He was also voted into the best team of the year by other professional footballers and was named Fulham's Player of the Year. Fulham then won the Intertoto Cup, which was Finnan's first experience playing in a European competition.
By 2003, many top English clubs wanted to sign Finnan. Fulham eventually agreed to sell him to Liverpool for £3.5 million.
Joining Liverpool
Steve Finnan made his debut for Liverpool on 17 August 2003. His first season had some injuries, but in 2004–05, he became the team's main right-back and a big favourite with the fans. This season was very successful for him.
He scored his only goal for Liverpool against West Bromwich Albion. He also played in the League Cup final and started in the amazing Champions League Final. Liverpool won the Champions League that year, even though Finnan had to leave the game at half-time due to a thigh injury. His goal against West Bromwich Albion made him only the second player ever to score in all five top divisions of English football.
In the 2005–06 season, Liverpool set a new record for points in the Premier League, and Finnan played in every game. He won another medal that season when Liverpool won the FA Cup.
Finnan continued to be Liverpool's first-choice right-back in the 2006–07 season. He started in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final, but Liverpool lost that game 2–1. In July 2007, he signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool.
In the 2007–08 season, Liverpool finished third in the league and reached the Champions League semi-finals. Finnan played over 200 games for Liverpool in total. However, he started to lose his regular spot to another player, Álvaro Arbeloa. In 2008, he left Liverpool.
Moving to Espanyol and Portsmouth
On 1 September 2008, Finnan signed a two-year deal with the Spanish club Espanyol. Injuries limited his playing time there. After less than a year, Espanyol and Finnan agreed to end his contract early in July 2009.
Finnan then returned to the Premier League, signing a one-year contract with Portsmouth on 31 July 2009. He played regularly in the second half of the season. His last game for Portsmouth was the 2010 FA Cup Final against Chelsea, which Portsmouth lost. After this, he was not offered a new contract.
International Career
Steve Finnan also played for the Republic of Ireland. He first played for the senior team in 2000 against Greece. He became a regular player during the qualifying games for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He famously provided the pass for the only goal in a crucial 1–0 win against the Netherlands in September 2001.
Finnan played in all three of Ireland's group games at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Ireland made it to the second round, where they faced Spain. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, and it went to a penalty shootout. Finnan scored his penalty, but Ireland eventually lost 3–2.
He continued to play for Ireland in qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008, but Ireland did not qualify for those tournaments. He scored his second international goal in a 1–1 draw against Cyprus in 2007.
Finnan announced his retirement from international football in January 2008 after playing 50 games. However, he briefly came out of retirement in August 2008 to play one more friendly match for Ireland.
Honours and Achievements
Notts County
- Football League Third Division: 1997–98 (Champions)
Fulham
- Football League Second Division: 1998–99 (Champions)
- Football League First Division: 2000–01 (Champions)
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002 (Winners)
Liverpool
- FA Cup: 2005–06 (Winners)
- FA Community Shield: 2006 (Winners)
- FIFA Club World Championship runner-up: 2005
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2004–05
- UEFA Champions League: 2004–05 (Winners); 2006–07 (Runner-up)
- UEFA Super Cup: 2005 (Winners)
Portsmouth
- FA Cup runner-up: 2009–10
Individual Awards
- Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99
- Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01
- FA Premier League PFA Team of the Year: 2001–02
- Fulham Player of the Year: 2001–02
See also
In Spanish: Steve Finnan para niños
