Stuart Dallas facts for kids
Dallas with Leeds United in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 April 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Cookstown, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Winger, midfielder, defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cookstown Youth | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2010 | Coagh United | ||
| 2010–2012 | Crusaders | 67 | (24) |
| 2012–2015 | Brentford | 63 | (8) |
| 2013 | → Northampton Town (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2015–2024 | Leeds United | 248 | (25) |
| Total | 390 | (60) | |
| National team | |||
| 2010 | Northern Ireland Junior | 3 | (1) |
| 2010 | Northern Ireland U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Northern Ireland U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2011–2022 | Northern Ireland | 62 | (3) |
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Stuart Dallas (born on April 19, 1991) is a former professional footballer from Northern Ireland. He started his career mostly playing as a winger. Later on, he became known as a utility player. This means he could play in many different positions, like midfield or full-back.
Stuart Dallas was a very important player for Leeds United. He played under coach Marcelo Bielsa. With Leeds, he helped the team win the 2019–20 EFL Championship title. This win meant they were promoted to the Premier League, which is the top football league in England.
From 2015 to 2022, Dallas also played regularly for the Northern Ireland national team. He played in over 50 games for his country. He was also part of the team that played in the UEFA Euro 2016.
Stuart Dallas had to stop playing football on April 10, 2024. This was because of a serious injury that he struggled with for two years. Michael O'Neill, the Northern Ireland manager, said that Dallas "maximised everything from his career." This means he made the most of his talent and worked very hard.
Contents
Stuart Dallas's Football Journey
Starting Out: Coagh United and Crusaders
Stuart Dallas was born in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. He went to Cookstown Primary School and Cookstown High School. He won football titles with his high school team.
He began his football journey at Coagh United in 2007. At that time, he also worked as a joiner. In January 2010, he played against Crusaders in a cup match. His great performance caught the eye of the Crusaders' manager, Stephen Baxter.
Dallas joined Crusaders in the summer of 2010. He trained once a week and earned £70 a week. He played his first game for Crusaders on August 7, 2010. He scored his first goals on August 21 against Coleraine. He was named both the best player and best young player for the 2010–11 season. In that season, he played 38 games and scored 16 goals.
In the 2011–12 season, Dallas played in two Europa League matches against Premier League team Fulham. His last goal for Crusaders was the winning goal against Portadown in January 2012. He also scored in a penalty shootout during the 2012 Setanta Sports Cup final, which Crusaders won. He played 47 games and scored 10 goals that season. Overall, he played 85 games and scored 26 goals for Crusaders.
Playing for Brentford
In April 2012, Dallas signed a deal to join League One team Brentford. He made his first professional appearance for Brentford on October 9, 2012. This was in a 1–0 win against Crawley Town. He played 11 games in the 2012–13 season.
In October 2013, Dallas went on loan to League Two team Northampton Town. He scored in his first game for them, helping them win 2–0. He scored three goals in 12 games for Northampton. He said his time there was a good experience because he played every week.
Dallas returned to Brentford and signed a new two-year contract. He started playing more often in April 2014. He scored his first goal for Brentford in a 4–1 loss to Colchester United. He scored again in the next game, a 2–0 win over Stevenage. Brentford won promotion to the Championship that season. Dallas played 21 games and scored two goals.
In June 2014, Dallas signed another new contract with Brentford. He scored two goals in a League Cup match against Dagenham & Redbridge. This game ended in a 6–6 draw and went to a penalty shootout. He also scored his first league goal of the 2014–15 season in a 2–1 win over Blackpool.
He had an injury in September 2014 but came back in November. He scored a winning goal in the 93rd minute against Derby County. He sometimes played as a right-back or on the left side when other players were injured. Dallas scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Rotherham United in January 2015. He scored twice against Fulham in April, and one of those goals won the club's Goal of the Season award. He played 44 games and scored eight goals that season.
Time at Leeds United
In August 2015, Stuart Dallas joined Leeds United. He signed a three-year deal. He played his first game for Leeds in a 1–1 draw against Burnley. He scored his first goal for the club in December 2015 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. In April 2016, he scored two goals in a 2–1 win against Birmingham City. He played 49 games in the 2015–16 season and scored five goals. He was voted Leeds United's Players' Player Of The Year for that season.
Dallas missed some pre-season training for the 2016–17 season because he was playing for Northern Ireland in UEFA Euro 2016. He got a calf injury in October 2016 but returned in November. He scored his first goal of the season in an FA Cup win against Cambridge United. He scored three goals in 35 games that season. In August 2017, Dallas signed a new three-year contract with Leeds. He played as a right-back sometimes due to other players being injured. He scored two goals in 32 games in the 2017–18 season.
In the 2018–19 season, Dallas played in many different positions under new coach Marcelo Bielsa. He often played as a right-back because of injuries to other players. He scored his first goal of the season in November 2018 against Reading. However, he broke his foot in December and was out for several weeks. He got another injury in January 2019.
Leeds finished third in the league and went into the play-offs. Dallas played as a left-back in the play-off semi-finals against Derby County. Leeds won the first game 1–0. In the second game, Dallas scored two goals, but Leeds lost 4–2 and Derby went to the final. Dallas played 29 games and scored four goals that season.
In June 2019, Dallas and his teammate Bailey Peacock-Farrell chose to start pre-season training early. This was to make sure they fought for a starting spot in the team. In August, Dallas scored his first goal of the 2019–20 season in a 3–0 win over Stoke City. In September 2019, he signed a new four-year contract. Dallas became a regular starter, playing in many positions like left-back, right-back, and central midfield.
The football season was paused in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it started again in June, Leeds won the EFL Championship. This meant they were promoted to the Premier League. Dallas scored five goals in 46 games that season and won Leeds' Players' Player of the Season award.
Dallas made his Premier League debut on September 12, 2020, against Liverpool. He scored his first Premier League goal in November 2020 against Leicester City. In April 2021, he scored both goals as Leeds won 2–1 away at Manchester City. This was a big win because Leeds played with only ten players for the second half. Coach Bielsa praised Dallas, saying he showed a part of himself they didn't know he had. Dallas scored eight goals in 38 games that season. He won Leeds' Player of the Season, Players' Player of the Season, and Goal of the Season awards. In July 2021, he signed another three-year contract.
Dallas scored his only goal of the 2021–22 season in January 2022 against Burnley. On April 30, Dallas got a very serious knee injury after a clash with Manchester City's Jack Grealish. He had a femoral fracture and needed surgery. This injury kept him out of the entire 2022–23 season. Leeds was relegated to the Championship that season.
Even though he returned to team training in September 2023, Dallas missed the whole 2023–24 season too. On April 10, 2024, Stuart Dallas announced he was retiring from football. He said his knee had "irreparable damage," meaning it could not be fixed.
Playing for Northern Ireland
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Because he played so well for Crusaders, Stuart Dallas was called up to the Northern Ireland U23 squad in October 2010. He played the whole game in a 2–0 loss to Portugal U23.
At the end of the 2010–11 season, Dallas was called up to the main Northern Ireland squad. He made his debut against Wales in Dublin in May 2011.
After playing well for Brentford in 2015, Dallas was called up again for Northern Ireland. He played his first full international game in nearly four years against Scotland in March 2015. On May 31, 2015, Dallas scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw with Qatar.
On October 8, 2015, Northern Ireland qualified for UEFA Euro 2016 in France. This was a big moment, as it was the first time in 30 years they had qualified for a major tournament. Dallas played a key part in helping them qualify. In May 2016, Dallas was chosen for the final squad for Euro 2016. He played in Northern Ireland's first game against Poland. He also started in their 2–0 win over Ukraine.
On June 10, 2017, Dallas scored the winning goal for Northern Ireland in a 1–0 win against Azerbaijan. This was a 2018 World Cup qualifying match. Dallas played in 8 World Cup qualifying games. Northern Ireland finished second in their group and went to the play-offs. Dallas played in both games against Switzerland, but Northern Ireland lost 1–0 overall and missed out on the World Cup.
Dallas played in 9 games for Euro 2020 qualifying. Northern Ireland did not qualify for the tournament after losing to Slovakia in the play-off final.
How Stuart Dallas Played
Stuart Dallas was known for being very versatile. This means he could play in many different positions on the football field. He could play as a full-back or winger on both the left and right sides. He could also play as a central midfielder. He even played in five different positions in one game for Northern Ireland!
Former Leeds manager David O'Leary said that Dallas's best quality was how he could adapt to so many positions. He always played well, no matter where he was on the field. He was often called a utility player. Darren Bent even called him "probably the best utility man in history."
Stephen Baxter, his old manager at Crusaders, said Dallas could play "left-wing, right-wing, centre-forward or the number 10." He added that any position worked for Dallas because he was very athletic and smart on the field.
Stuart Dallas's Life Outside Football
Stuart Dallas has an older brother named Marcus Dallas, who also played football for Loughgall.
In June 2016, Stuart Dallas married his long-time partner, Juneve Lamont. They had been together since they were 16 years old and went to Cookstown High School together. Stuart and Juneve have three children.
Honours and Awards
Stuart Dallas won several awards and titles during his career:
With Crusaders
- Irish League Cup: 2011–12
- Setanta Sports Cup: 2012
With Leeds United
- EFL Championship: 2019–20
Individual Awards
- Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Player of the Year: 2010–11
- Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Young Player of the Year: 2010–11
- Leeds United Player of the Year: 2020–21
- Leeds United Players' Player of the Year: 2015–16, 2019–20, 2020–21
- Leeds United Goal of the Season: 2020–21
Images for kids
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Dallas playing for Brentford in December 2014
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Dallas playing for Northern Ireland in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Stuart Dallas para niños
