Wes Hoolahan facts for kids
Hoolahan with the Republic of Ireland in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wesley Patrick Hoolahan | ||
| Date of birth | 20 May 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.68 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Doncaster City | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Belvedere | |||
| Shelbourne | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2005 | Shelbourne | 155 | (12) |
| 2005–2007 | Livingston | 16 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Blackpool (loan) | 42 | (8) |
| 2007–2008 | Blackpool | 45 | (5) |
| 2008–2018 | Norwich City | 323 | (47) |
| 2018–2019 | West Bromwich Albion | 6 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Newcastle Jets | 5 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Cambridge United | 58 | (8) |
| 2024– | Doncaster City | 1 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2002–2003 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 9 | (1) |
| 2007 | Republic of Ireland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2017 | Republic of Ireland | 43 | (3) |
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Wesley Patrick Hoolahan (born on May 20, 1982) is an Irish professional footballer. He plays as an attacking midfielder for Doncaster City.
Hoolahan started his football journey with Shelbourne. He also played for other teams like Livingston, Blackpool, West Bromwich Albion, and Newcastle Jets. He spent ten years playing for Norwich City. During his time at Norwich, fans gave him fun nicknames like "The Irish Messi" or "Wessi."
He made his first appearance for the Republic of Ireland in 2008. This was in a game they won 1–0 against Colombia. Hoolahan also played for Ireland in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. He played a total of 43 games for his country and scored 3 goals.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting His Football Journey
Wes Hoolahan began playing football as a schoolboy for Belvedere. He also played futsal, which is a type of indoor football, with Belvedere. He started his professional career at Shelbourne. There, he helped his team win the League of Ireland Premier Division championship three times. He also played very well during their games in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. In the 2002–03 season, he was named the PFAI Young Player of the Year. After Shelbourne, he played for a short time at Livingston.
Time at Blackpool
On July 21, 2006, Hoolahan joined Blackpool for one season as a loan player. He scored his first goal for Blackpool on September 30, 2006. It was a penalty kick in a 3–0 win against Leyton Orient.
In June 2007, Hoolahan signed a two-year contract to stay with Blackpool. However, his old club, Livingston, did not want to let him go. They said Blackpool had not followed the rules of the loan agreement. Blackpool disagreed, and the problem was sent to FIFA, which is the world's football governing body. On August 10, 2007, FIFA decided that Hoolahan could officially become a Blackpool player.
Playing for Norwich City
On June 26, 2008, Wes Hoolahan moved to Norwich City. This was part of a deal where another player, Matt Gilks, went to Blackpool. Hoolahan was given the number 14 jersey, which he wore for his entire time at Norwich. He scored his first goal for Norwich on January 17, 2009, in a 4–0 win against Barnsley. Sadly, an injury in March kept him from playing for the rest of that season. Norwich City was then moved down to a lower league, League One.
In the 2009–10 season, a new manager, Paul Lambert, changed Hoolahan's role. He played more in the middle of the field, behind the main attackers. This change helped him score more goals. He scored 13 goals that season, including four penalty kicks.
In the 2010–11 season, Hoolahan scored two goals against Leicester City. One was a penalty, and the other was a great shot from far away. On December 28, 2010, Hoolahan scored his first hat-trick for Norwich City. A hat-trick means scoring three goals in one game. This happened in a 4–2 win against Sheffield United. In January 2011, he signed a new contract, agreeing to stay with Norwich until 2014.
Before the 2011–12 Premier League season, Hoolahan sometimes wore the captain's armband. This happened when the regular captain was not playing. He scored his first Premier League goal on August 13, 2011, in a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic. On March 20, 2012, he was added to Norwich City's Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for important players.
In December 2012, Hoolahan signed another new deal with Norwich City. This kept him at the club until 2015.
In January 2014, another club, Aston Villa, wanted to buy Hoolahan. Norwich City said no to their offer. Hoolahan then asked to leave the club, but Norwich still said no. He scored against Aston Villa in March, but he did not celebrate much.
In August 2014, Hoolahan signed a new contract to stay with Norwich until the 2016–17 season. In April 2015, he was chosen for the "Football Manager Team of the Decade." This is a special team made up of the best players from the last ten years. He played 32 games in the 2015–16 season, scoring four goals. However, Norwich City was moved down from the Premier League again.
On August 1, 2016, Hoolahan agreed to another contract, keeping him at Norwich until 2018. On November 5, 2016, he played his 300th game for Norwich. In May 2017, he was named Norwich City's Player of the Season for 2016–17. In the last game of that season, he scored two goals and helped with another goal against Queens Park Rangers.
On April 23, 2018, it was announced that Hoolahan would leave Norwich City after ten years. Five days later, he played his last home game for the club against Leeds United. Both teams gave him a special "guard of honor" as he walked onto the field. He was also given the captain's armband for this special game. Hoolahan scored a goal and helped with another, as Norwich won 2–1.
Other Clubs
On September 14, 2018, Hoolahan joined West Bromwich Albion for a short time. He played his first game for them four days later. He was released by the club at the end of the season.
In August 2019, Hoolahan signed a one-year deal with Newcastle Jets in Australia. However, he got a serious ankle injury before the season started. He only played five games for them.
Hoolahan then joined Cambridge United on July 28, 2020. In January 2021, he was named the League Two Player of the Month. He scored two goals and helped with two assists, helping Cambridge reach the top of the league. In April 2021, he was named to the EFL League Two Team of the Season. He also signed a new contract to stay with Cambridge until the end of the 2021–22 season. On May 3, 2022, it was announced that Hoolahan had left Cambridge United.
On February 17, 2024, Hoolahan joined Doncaster City.
Playing for Ireland
Wes Hoolahan first played for the under-21 team. He was also a substitute for the senior team in November 2002, but he did not play in that game.
In November 2007, Hoolahan was chosen for the Republic of Ireland "B" squad. He played in their game against Scotland, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
In April 2008, the Irish national team manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, included Hoolahan in a list of players for friendly games. On May 29, he came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Colombia. This was his first game for the senior national team.
On February 6, 2013, Hoolahan scored his first goal for Ireland. It was in a 2–0 win against Poland in a friendly game.
Under the new manager, Martin O'Neill, Hoolahan started to play more often. He was named "Man of the Match" in games against Serbia and Turkey.
On October 11, 2014, Hoolahan played a big role in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar. He helped with several goals and scored one himself in a big 7–0 win. He was again named "Man of the Match."
On March 29, 2015, Hoolahan started in an important Euro 2016 qualifier against Poland. He helped with the goal that made the game a 1–1 draw in the last moments. He was again named "Man of the Match."
Hoolahan scored Ireland's first goal at UEFA Euro 2016 in their opening game against Sweden. He was named "Man of the Match" for his great performance in the 1–1 draw. On June 22, 2016, Hoolahan came on as a substitute in Ireland's final group game against Italy. He made a great pass that led to Robbie Brady scoring the winning goal. This goal sent the Republic of Ireland team to the next round of the tournament. On February 8, 2018, Hoolahan announced that he was retiring from playing for the national team.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Livingston | 2005–06 | Scottish Premier League | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| Blackpool | 2006–07 | League One | 42 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 49 | 10 |
| 2007–08 | Championship | 45 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 50 | 6 | ||
| Total | 87 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 99 | 16 | ||
| Norwich City | 2008–09 | Championship | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| 2009–10 | League One | 37 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 14 | |
| 2010–11 | Championship | 41 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 44 | 10 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 33 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 37 | 5 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | Championship | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 5 | |
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 7 | ||
| 2017–18 | Championship | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| Total | 320 | 47 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 352 | 54 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2018–19 | Championship | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Newcastle Jets | 2019–20 | A-League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Cambridge United | 2020–21 | League Two | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 7 |
| 2021–22 | League One | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| Total | 58 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 491 | 67 | 24 | 3 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 548 | 77 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 43 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hoolahan goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 February 2013 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland | 3 |  Poland |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 October 2014 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland | 17 |  Gibraltar |
7–0 | 7–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 3 | 13 June 2016 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 31 |  Sweden |
1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 |
Awards and Achievements
Shelbourne
- League of Ireland Premier Division: 2001–02, 2003, 2004
Blackpool
- Football League One play-offs: 2007
Norwich City
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2010–11; play-offs: 2015
- Football League One: 2009–10
Cambridge United
- EFL League Two runner-up: 2020–21
Individual Awards
- PFAI Young Player of the Year: 2002–03
- PFA Team of the Year: 2006–07 League One, 2009–10 League One, 2010–11 Championship, 2020–21 League Two
- The Football League Team of the Decade
- Norwich City Player of the Season: 2016–17
- League Two Player of the Month: January 2021
- EFL League Two Team of the Season: 2020–21
See also
In Spanish: Wes Hoolahan para niños
