Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing
Downing training with Middlesbrough in 2016
Personal information
Full name Stewart Downing[1]
Date of birth (1984-07-22) 22 July 1984 (age 40)[2]
Place of birth Middlesbrough, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3]
Position(s) Wing Midfield, attacking midfielder
Youth career
0000–2001 Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2009 Middlesbrough 181 (17)
2003Sunderland (loan) 7 (3)
2009–2011 Aston Villa 63 (9)
2011–2013 Liverpool 65 (3)
2013–2015 West Ham United 69 (7)
2015–2019 Middlesbrough 153 (9)
2019–2021 Blackburn Rovers 59 (2)
Total 597 (50)
International career
2001 England U16 2 (0)
2002 England U18 3 (0)
2002–2003 England U19 7 (0)
2004–2005 England U21 8 (0)
2007 England B 1 (2)
2005–2014 England 35 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stewart Downing (born 22 July 1984) is an English former professional footballer. He played most of his career as a winger. As of 2024 he is the assistant coach for Leeds United Under 21s.[4]

Downing started his career at Middlesbrough, where after a loan at Sunderland, he became a key part of the team, winning the League Cup in 2004 and helping them to the UEFA Cup final two years later. In 2009, after Boro's relegation, he joined Aston Villa for an initial £10 million, then moved on to Liverpool for twice that amount two years later, again winning the League Cup in 2012. He played for two seasons at West Ham United before returning to Middlesbrough, where he won promotion to the Premier League. In 2019, he was released by Middlesbrough after 404 total appearances, and signed for Blackburn Rovers.

A full international from 2005 to 2014, Downing earned 35 caps for England. He was included in the nation's squads that reached the quarter-finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He announced his retirement in August 2021.

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Blackburn Rovers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 5. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  2. ^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ^ "19. Stewart Downing". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Scott Gardner appointed Under-21s head coach". 20 January 2024.