Steve Finnan facts for kids
Finnan with Liverpool in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen John Finnan | ||
| Date of birth | 24 April 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Limerick, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2008 | Republic of Ireland | 53 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen John Finnan (born on April 24, 1976) is a retired Irish footballer. He played as a right-back, a defensive position on the right side of the field.
Steve Finnan is famous for being the only player to have played in the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, UEFA Intertoto Cup, all four levels of English league football, and the Football Conference. One of his biggest achievements was winning the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final with Liverpool. Finnan was known for his attacking style and his great ability to cross the ball to teammates.
He played 53 international matches for the Republic of Ireland between 2000 and 2008, scoring two goals. He also represented his country at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Steve Finnan's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Steve Finnan was born in Limerick, Ireland, but moved to Chelmsford, England, when he was young. He started his football journey in the youth team at Wimbledon. However, at 16, he joined non-League club Welling United in 1993.
Finnan became a professional player when he signed with Birmingham City in 1995. Birmingham City paid Welling United £100,000 to get him. He scored his first professional goal against Watford.
Time at Notts County
In March 1996, Finnan moved to Notts County on a loan deal. He played his first game for them in a 2–1 win against Walsall. A month later, he scored his first goal for Notts County in a 4–2 victory over Bristol Rovers. He helped the team finish fourth in the Football League Second Division, which meant they could play in the promotion play-offs.
Notts County reached the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, but they lost 2–0 to Bradford City. After the loan ended, he went back to Birmingham.
Notts County then signed Finnan permanently for £300,000 in October 1996. The 1996–97 season was tough, and Notts County was relegated to the Football League Third Division.
However, in the 1997–98 season, Finnan became a very important player for the team. He played in 51 matches and helped the club win the Third Division title. They set a record for points and also achieved a club record of 10 wins in a row, which still stands today.
Success with Fulham
After his strong performances for Notts County, Fulham manager Kevin Keegan bought Finnan for £600,000 in November 1998. He quickly became a fan favorite at Fulham. In his first season, Fulham won the Second Division championship and were promoted to the Football League First Division.
Under new manager Jean Tigana, Fulham won the First Division championship in the 2000–01 season. This meant they were promoted to the Premier League, England's top football league. 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 chosen for the Professional Footballers' Association team of the year and was voted Fulham's player of the year. Fulham then won the Intertoto Cup, which was Finnan's first experience playing in European competitions. In the summer of 2003, many top English clubs wanted to sign Finnan. Fulham agreed to sell him to Liverpool for £3.5 million.
Winning Trophies at Liverpool
Finnan made his debut for Liverpool on August 17, 2003. His first season was affected by injuries. But in the 2004–05 season, he became Liverpool's main right-back and a popular player among fans. This season was very successful for him. He scored his first and only goal for Liverpool against West Bromwich Albion. This goal made him only the second player ever to score in all five of England's highest football divisions.
Finnan played in the League Cup final and was in the starting team when Liverpool won the Champions League Final. He had to leave the Champions League final at half-time due to a thigh injury.
In the 2005–06 season, Liverpool set a new record for points in a Premier League season, and Finnan played in every game. At the end of that season, he won another medal when Liverpool won the FA Cup.
Finnan continued to be Liverpool's first-choice right-back for the 2006–07 season. He started in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final, but Liverpool lost the game 2–1. In July 2007, Finnan 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. He played in 35 games that season, but sometimes lost his starting spot to teammate Álvaro Arbeloa. In the summer of 2008, Finnan left Liverpool.
Later Career: Espanyol and Portsmouth
On September 1, 2008, Finnan signed a two-year contract with the Spanish club Espanyol. Injuries limited how many games he could play for them. In July 2009, Finnan and Espanyol agreed to end his contract early.
Finnan then signed a one-year contract with Premier League team Portsmouth on July 31, 2009. He played regularly in the second half of the season. His last game for the club was the 2010 FA Cup Final against Chelsea. After the season, he was not offered a new contract.
Steve Finnan's International Career
Steve Finnan played for the Republic of Ireland Under-21 team before joining the senior national team in 2000. His first senior international game was against Greece. He became a regular player for Ireland during the 2002 World Cup qualification matches. He famously provided the cross for Jason McAteer to score the only goal in a very important 1–0 home 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 played against Spain. The match ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time, and went to a penalty shootout. Finnan scored his penalty, but Ireland eventually lost 3–2.
Injuries affected Finnan's ability to play in the qualifying games for Euro 2004. He was also a regular choice for the 2006 World Cup qualification games, but Ireland did not qualify for the finals.
He played regularly in the 2008 Euro qualification games as well, but Ireland again did not qualify. He scored his second international goal in a 1–1 draw against Cyprus. He announced his retirement from international football on January 22, 2008, after playing 50 games for Ireland. However, he briefly came out of retirement in August 2008 to play one more game for Ireland against Norway.
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); runner-up 2006-07
- 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
Images for kids
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Finnan with Liverpool in 2006
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Finnan during Jamie Carragher's testimonial match in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Steve Finnan para niños
