Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing (born 22 July 1984) is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool and the England national team. Primarily a left winger, Downing has previously played for Aston Villa, Middlesbrough (with whom he won the League Cup) and Sunderland.

Club career

Middlesbrough

Downing grew up in Middlesbrough's Pallister estate and supported the club since his school days. He was considered one of the most promising graduates of the Middlesbrough Academy.

His debut came on 24 April 2002 in a FA Premier League game away at Ipswich Town. He was limited to just three appearances during that season, plus a further three the following season despite scoring his first senior goal in a 4–1 League Cup victory over Brentford. He was sent out on loan to Sunderland in 2003 in order to gain experience. His first-team chances at Middlesbrough were limited due to the form of Bolo Zenden in the left-midfield slot. Downing's career began to take-off when he was recalled from his loan during an injury crisis and was pushed into the first-team.

The 2004–05 season saw Downing make forty-nine appearances, scoring six goals, as well as providing numerous assists. In a UEFA Cup match against S. S. Lazio in November 2004, both Downing and Zenden were in the starting lineup. Though Zenden scored both goals in the 2-0 victory, Downing drew praise for his performance down the left. Such performances that season saw him called up to Sven Göran Eriksson's England squad in February 2005 for a friendly against the Netherlands.[2]

A knee injury saw Downing sidelined for five months at the end of 2005,[3] though he returned to play his part in the run to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, including three assists in the 4–2 (4–3 agg) victory over Steaua Bucharest in the semi-final second leg.[4]

On 26 February 2008, Downing signed a new five-year contract, keeping him signed on at Middlesbrough until 2013.[5] With the departure of Mark Schwarzer in May 2008, Downing became Middlesbrough's second longest serving player after Brad Jones.

The 2008–09 season was a mixed one for Downing. Middlesbrough had their best start to the season in six years which saw them climb to 8th in the table, however, a terrible winless run which started in November 2008 saw them fall into the relegation zone. On the 5 January 2009, he handed in a written transfer request expressing his desire to leave the club but the request was turned down on the same day.[6] In the penultimate match of the season, he sustained a foot injury after a challenge from Stilian Petrov in a home game against Aston Villa in May, which needed an operation, ruling him out for at least four months.[7] After spending the whole of the second half of the season in the relegation zone, Middlesbrough were relegated on the final day after they lost 2–1 away at West Ham United. Downing, having started every league game, except the last match, ended the season with no league goals, having only scored two against West Ham United in the FA Cup.

Aston Villa

Following Middlesbrough's relegation, Downing signed a four-year contract with Aston Villa, becoming Martin O'Neill's first signing of the 2009 Summer transfer window for a fee of £10 million with an extra £2 million to be paid depending on appearances.[8] On November 7, 2009, O'Neill announced that Downing had returned to full training following his injury against Villa while playing for Middlesbrough during the 2008–09 season. Downing made his Aston Villa début coming on as a 69th minute substitute for Steve Sidwell in the away game versus Burnley.[9] He scored his first goal for Villa in the Carling Cup fourth round tie against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 1 December 2009.[10]

Downing's return to action saw him returning to his preferred left wing role, with James Milner moving to central midfield for Villa. Downing played in Villa's first win at Old Trafford against Manchester United since 1983 on 12 December 2009 in their 1-0 victory over the Red Devils. Downing then went on to score his first and second league goal for Villa in their 5–2 win against Burnley on the 2st February 2010. His second season with Aston Villa has been a much improved one, he scored the first premier league goal of the season against West Ham United at Villa Park on the 14 August in a 3-0 win. His next goal came against Stoke City with a brilliant curling header on the 13th September. Against Aston Villa's rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park, he scored his third goal of the season from a Marc Albrighton cross. In the Carling Cup game versus Burnley, he scored an extra-time winner to send Villa through to the next round. On the 10th November he scored his fifth of the season against Blackpool which saw Villa win the match 3–2. On 21 November 2010, Downing started and played the full 90 minutes against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in a 2-0 defeat. He netted his sixth of the season against Villa rival's West Brom. On 26 February, Downing scored against Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park in a match which Villa went on to win 4-1. In the final game of the season, Downing scored his eighth against Liverpool at Villa Park with the result ending 1-0. At the end of the 2010-2011 season Downing made 44 appearances and scored 8 goals in all competitions and was probably one of their best players throughout the campaign along with Ashley Young. He has currently played in 79 games for the Villa and scored 11 goals for the club in total. Downing was the subject of much speculation over the summer, with Liverpool showing a great deal of interest in the winger. On 6 July, Liverpool tabeled a bid of £15 million for Downing but this was quickly rejected by Villa, who said they would not let Downing go for less than £20m.[11] New Villa boss Alex McLeish then stated that Downing was not for sale and he would not be leaving Villa in the summer.[12] However, on 13 July 2011, a fee was agreed between Aston Villa and Liverpool for the transfer of Downing[13].

Liverpool

Downing completed his move to Liverpool on July 15, 2011, for an undiclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £20 million. [14]

International career

Downing was first called up as a 19-year-old for the 2003 UEFA European U-19 Championship. With seven Under-21 caps to his credit, Downing made his England debut on 9 February 2005 in a home friendly, played at Villa Park against the Netherlands, replacing Shaun Wright-Phillips in the second half.[15]

Downing's international career took a setback in May 2005 when he was injured training with England on their tour of the United States, keeping him out of the game until 2006. Downing was included in the England World Cup squad in May 2006 by Sven-Göran Eriksson,[16] primarily as a back-up for Joe Cole, and came on as a second half substitute in England's victorious opening game against Paraguay.[17] He was brought on once again in the match against Trinidad and Tobago, when England scored two goals in the last ten minutes.[18]

On 16 August 2006, Downing made his first start for England, as Greece were beaten by 4–0, with Downing involved in three of the goals.[19] He started the subsequent three Euro 2008 qualifiers, against Andorra and the Republic of Macedonia. His performances drew criticism from the press, with many stating that Downing was only being selected due to his friendship with manager Steve McClaren. However, Downing hopes to have proven many of his critics wrong after Fabio Capello became the third successive England manager to give him an England cap, on 26 March 2008 in a 1–0 friendly defeat to France.[20] He was also called up (alongside Middlesbrough teammate David Wheater) for Capello's friendlies against United States and Trinidad and Tobago, where he received the nod ahead of Ashley Young. His performance justified his selection by contributing with the first two goals and won praise from the press who had previously slated his inclusion in the squad.[21] A few months after Capello took charge of England, the Italian boss stated that he had been most impressed by Downing.[22][23] He was chosen again by Capello to replace Aaron Lennon for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro on the 12th October 2010.[24] His second season with Aston Villa saw him recalled to the England squad for the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

His debut came on 24 April 2002 in a FA Premier League game away at Ipswich Town. He was limited to just three appearances during that season, plus a further three the following season despite scoring his first senior goal in a 4–1 League Cup victory over Brentford. He was sent out on loan to Sunderland in 2003 in order to gain experience. His first-team chances at Middlesbrough were limited due to the form of Bolo Zenden in the left-midfield slot. Downing's career began to take-off when he was recalled from his loan during an injury crisis and was pushed into the first-team.

The 2004–05 season saw Downing make forty-nine appearances, scoring six goals, as well as providing numerous assists. In a UEFA Cup match against S. S. Lazio in November 2004, both Downing and Zenden were in the starting lineup. Though Zenden scored both goals in the 2-0 victory, Downing drew praise for his performance down the left. Such performances that season saw him called up to Sven Göran Eriksson's England squad in February 2005 for a friendly against the Netherlands.[2]

A knee injury saw Downing sidelined for five months at the end of 2005,[3] though he returned to play his part in the run to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, including three assists in the 4–2 (4–3 agg) victory over Steaua Bucharest in the semi-final second leg.[4]

On 26 February 2008, Downing signed a new five-year contract, keeping him signed on at Middlesbrough until 2013.[5] With the departure of Mark Schwarzer in May 2008, Downing became Middlesbrough's second longest serving player after Brad Jones.

The 2008–09 season was a mixed one for Downing. Middlesbrough had their best start to the season in six years which saw them climb to 8th in the table, however, a terrible winless run which started in November 2008 saw them fall into the relegation zone. On the 5 January 2009, he handed in a written transfer request expressing his desire to leave the club but the request was turned down on the same day.[6] In the penultimate match of the season, he sustained a foot injury after a challenge from Stilian Petrov in a home game against Aston Villa in May, which needed an operation, ruling him out for at least four months.[7] After spending the whole of the second half of the season in the relegation zone, Middlesbrough were relegated on the final day after they lost 2–1 away at West Ham United. Downing, having started every league game, except the last match, ended the season with no league goals, having only scored two against West Ham United in the FA Cup.

Aston Villa

Following Middlesbrough's relegation, Downing signed a four-year contract with Aston Villa, becoming Martin O'Neill's first signing of the 2009 Summer transfer window for a fee of £10 million with an extra £2 million to be paid depending on appearances.[8] On November 7, 2009, O'Neill announced that Downing had returned to full training following his injury against Villa while playing for Middlesbrough during the 2008–09 season. Downing made his Aston Villa début coming on as a 69th minute substitute for Steve Sidwell in the away game versus Burnley.[9] He scored his first goal for Villa in the Carling Cup fourth round tie against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 1 December 2009.[10]

Downing's return to action saw him returning to his preferred left wing role, with James Milner moving to central midfield for Villa. Downing played in Villa's first win at Old Trafford against Manchester United since 1983 on 12 December 2009 in their 1-0 victory over the Red Devils. Downing then went on to score his first and second league goal for Villa in their 5–2 win against Burnley on the 2st February 2010. His second season with Aston Villa has been a much improved one, he scored the first premier league goal of the season against West Ham United at Villa Park on the 14 August in a 3-0 win. His next goal came against Stoke City with a brilliant curling header on the 13th September. Against Aston Villa's rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park, he scored his third goal of the season from a Marc Albrighton cross. In the Carling Cup game versus Burnley, he scored an extra-time winner to send Villa through to the next round. On the 10th November he scored his fifth of the season against Blackpool which saw Villa win the match 3–2. On 21 November 2010, Downing started and played the full 90 minutes against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in a 2-0 defeat. He netted his sixth of the season against Villa rival's West Brom. On 26 February, Downing scored against Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park in a match which Villa went on to win 4-1. In the final game of the season, Downing scored his eighth against Liverpool at Villa Park with the result ending 1-0. At the end of the 2010-2011 season Downing made 44 appearances and scored 8 goals in all competitions and was probably one of their best players throughout the campaign along with Ashley Young. He has currently played in 79 games for the Villa and scored 11 goals for the club in total. Downing was the subject of much speculation over the summer, with Liverpool showing a great deal of interest in the winger. On 6 July, Liverpool tabeled a bid of £15 million for Downing but this was quickly rejected by Villa, who said they would not let Downing go for less than £20m.[11] New Villa boss Alex McLeish then stated that Downing was not for sale and he would not be leaving Villa in the summer.[12] However, on 13 July 2011, a fee was agreed between Aston Villa and Liverpool for the transfer of Downing[13].

Liverpool

Downing completed his move to Liverpool on July 15, 2011, for an undiclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £20 million. [14]

International career

Downing was first called up as a 19-year-old for the 2003 UEFA European U-19 Championship. With seven Under-21 caps to his credit, Downing made his England debut on 9 February 2005 in a home friendly, played at Villa Park against the Netherlands, replacing Shaun Wright-Phillips in the second half.[15]

Downing's international career took a setback in May 2005 when he was injured training with England on their tour of the United States, keeping him out of the game until 2006. Downing was included in the England World Cup squad in May 2006 by Sven-Göran Eriksson,[16] primarily as a back-up for Joe Cole, and came on as a second half substitute in England's victorious opening game against Paraguay.[17] He was brought on once again in the match against Trinidad and Tobago, when England scored two goals in the last ten minutes.[18]

On 16 August 2006, Downing made his first start for England, as Greece were beaten by 4–0, with Downing involved in three of the goals.[19] He started the subsequent three Euro 2008 qualifiers, against Andorra and the Republic of Macedonia. His performances drew criticism from the press, with many stating that Downing was only being selected due to his friendship with manager Steve McClaren. However, Downing hopes to have proven many of his critics wrong after Fabio Capello became the third successive England manager to give him an England cap, on 26 March 2008 in a 1–0 friendly defeat to France.[20] He was also called up (alongside Middlesbrough teammate David Wheater) for Capello's friendlies against United States and Trinidad and Tobago, where he received the nod ahead of Ashley Young. His performance justified his selection by contributing with the first two goals and won praise from the press who had previously slated his inclusion in the squad.[21] A few months after Capello took charge of England, the Italian boss stated that he had been most impressed by Downing.[22][23] He was chosen again by Capello to replace Aaron Lennon for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro on the 12th October 2010.[24] His second season with Aston Villa saw him recalled to the England squad for the Euro 2012 qualifiers.