McGoldrick playing forSheffield United in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David James McGoldrick[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-11-29)29 November 1987 (age 37)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England[3] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[4] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Barnsley | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2004 | Notts County | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004 | Notts County | 4 | (0) |
| 2004–2009 | Southampton | 64 | (12) |
| 2005 | →Notts County (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2007 | →AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 12 | (6) |
| 2007–2008 | →Port Vale (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 2009–2013 | Nottingham Forest | 63 | (8) |
| 2011 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | →Coventry City (loan) | 22 | (16) |
| 2013 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 13 | (4) |
| 2013–2018 | Ipswich Town | 133 | (36) |
| 2018–2022 | Sheffield United | 127 | (27) |
| 2022–2023 | Derby County | 39 | (22) |
| 2023–2025 | Notts County | 72 | (29) |
| 2025– | Barnsley | 10 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2014–2020 | Republic of Ireland | 14 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:06, 21 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
David James McGoldrick (born 29 November 1987) is a professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forEFL League One clubBarnsley. He won 14caps for theRepublic of Ireland national team between 2014 and 2020, scoring one international goal.
A trainee atNotts County, he made his senior debut in 2004 before being signed bySouthampton later in the year. He spent five years with the "Saints", also playing onloan for Notts County in 2005 and bothAFC Bournemouth andPort Vale in 2007. Hetransferred to Nottingham Forest in 2009 for a£1 million fee. He joinedSheffield Wednesday on loan in September 2011 and was loaned out toCoventry City in August 2012. After a successful spell at Coventry, he joined Ipswich Town in July 2013 following an initial loan period. He stayed with the club for five more seasons before being released after hiscontract expired in the summer of 2018.
He signed withSheffield United in July 2018. He was named the club's Player of the Year as they securedpromotion into thePremier League in the 2018–19 season. He was released after four years and went on to sign with Derby County in July 2022, winning the club'sPlayer of the Year award and thePFA Fans' Player of the Year award in 2023. He rejoined his hometown club, Notts County, in June 2023. He was named in the 2024–25EFL League Two Team of the Season. He joined Barnsley in July 2025.
McGoldrick was born inNottingham,[2] and graduated through theNotts Countyyouth team to make his senior debut on 24 January 2004, in aSecond Division clash withSwindon Town atMeadow Lane. He replacedFrazer McHugh with minutes to go of a 2–1 defeat. He won his first start on 14 February, playing 86 minutes of a 1–0 loss atAFC Bournemouth. He made two further appearances in2003–04, at the end of which County wererelegated into theThird Division.[5]
In August 2004, at the age of 16, he was signed bySouthampton for an undisclosed fee.[6]Leon Best also made the move from Notts County to Southampton over the summer.[7] McGoldrick did not feature in the2004–05Premier League campaign. He was a member of Southampton's youth team that reached the final of theFA Youth Cup in 2005, losing onaggregate toIpswich Town.
On 20 September 2005, he made his "Saints" debut as asubstitute in a 1–0League Cup defeat toMansfield Town, having replacedDexter Blackstock on 81 minutes. Four days later, he returned toNotts County for a one-monthloan spell to gain more first-team experience.[8] On his return to Southampton he scored 44 goals for the Reserves and Under-18 teams, bagging ahat-trick in the Under-18s play-off final win overAston Villa, as well as three goals over the two legs of theFA Youth Cup semi-final againstLiverpool.[7] These feats earned him a league debut for the club at home toMillwall on 17 April. He was replaced byRicardo Fuller after 61 minutes. He scored his first goal for the club on 19 September 2006, in a 4–0 win over Millwall in the League Cup.
In February 2007, he joinedLeague One team Bournemouth on a one-month loan.[9] The loan was later extended until the end of the season,[10][11] but an injury-hit Southampton recalled McGoldrick on 23 April.[12][13] He maintained a record of a goal every other game for Bournemouth, having struck six times in twelve games. His efforts helped the club to avoid relegation intoLeague Two.
However, his first-team opportunities remained limited at Southampton, and so in August 2007, he joinedMartin Foyle'sPort Vale on loan until January 2008.[14][15] He went on to score twice in 18 games for the "Valiants" in2007–08, though was unable to save them from relegation. Back at Southampton, he found himself behindStern John,Marek Saganowski andBradley Wright-Phillips in the pecking order and therefore considered quitting the club.[16]
McGoldrick rarely featured underGeorge Burley orNigel Pearson, but managed to force his way into the first-team regularly under youth-focused DutchmanagersJan Poortvliet andMark Wotte.[7] After an impressive pre-season, which included two goals againstPremier League sideWest Ham United,[17] McGoldrick scored his first league goal for the "Saints" in a 2–1 defeat toCardiff City on 9 August 2008.[18] This was followed three days later by another two goals in a League Cup victory overExeter City.[19]
After four goals in four games at the start of the2008–09 campaign, he signed a new three–yearcontract with Southampton in September.[20] An ever-present throughout the season, he scored 14 goals in fifty appearances to finish as the club's top-scorer. However, Southampton were relegated and faced a financial crisis;[21] which meant that McGoldrick was expected to move away fromSt Mary's.[22]

In June 2009, he joinedNottingham Forest for a fee of£1 million, signing a four-year contract.[23][24] He faced competition from numerous other strikers at his new club.[25] McGoldrick made his Forest debut againstReading at theMadejski Stadium on 8 August. Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for Forest away atQueens Park Rangers. However, he endured a disappointing2009–10, scoring just three league goals in 18 starts and 17 substitute appearances.[26]
After undergoing ashoulder operation in the2010–11 pre-season, he was out of action until late September.[27] He recovered to post six goals that season, and also pushed Forest back into theplay-off picture when he came off the bench to score twice pastBurnley on 12 April.[28] However, he could not prevent his team from exiting the play-offs at the semi-final stage, after a 3–1 loss to eventual play-off winnersSwansea City.[29]
On 15 September 2011, McGoldrick joinedSheffield Wednesday on an emergency one-month loan.[30][31] Two days later he scored on his Owls debut away atYeovil Town.[32] He returned to Nottingham having made four appearances for Wednesday.[33][34]
On 31 August 2012, McGoldrick joined League One clubCoventry City on loan until 2 January 2013.[35] He opened his account for the "Sky Blues" at theRicoh Arena with consolation goals in 2–1 home defeats toStevenage andCarlisle United.[36][37] On 6 October, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 home win against Bournemouth. After a goal in a 4–0 win againstYork City in theFootball League Trophy, McGoldrick then scored two in a 2–2 draw againstSwindon Town.[38][39][40] McGoldrick then scored the first goal in a 2–1 away defeat toBrentford, and followed that up with the winner in a 1–0 win overLeyton Orient – his performance against Orient earned him a place on the League One Team of the Week.[40][41][42] By the end of the calendar year he had scored 17 goals for Coventry, becoming the division's leading scorer and winning theLeague One Player of the Month award for December.[43][44]

On 4 January 2013, McGoldrick joinedMick McCarthy'sIpswich Town on loan until the end of the2012–13 season, with a view to a permanent move in the summer.[45] He made his debut for Ipswich on 5 January 2013, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–2 away loss toAston Villa in an FA Cup third round tie.[46] On 2 February, he scored his first goal for Ipswich in a 4–0 home win againstMiddlesbrough.[47] McGoldrick scored 4 goals in 14 appearances during his loan spell at Ipswich.[48]
McGoldrick agreed to sign a two-year deal with Ipswich in July 2013.[49] He formed at a strong partnership withDaryl Murphy atPortman Road during the2013–14 season, as the pair netted 18 goals in 22 games in the first half of the campaign. He was named asChampionship Player of the Month for September 2013 after scoring braces against Middlesbrough andBrighton & Hove Albion.[50] However, he was struck down for ten weeks with a partialtear of themedial ligament in his rightknee in mid-February.[51] He finished the season as Ipswich's top goalscorer, scoring 16 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions. He was voted Ipswich's Players' Player of the Year at the end of the campaign.[52]

He returned to fitness just before the start of the2014–15 season and marked his return to the first-team with the winning goal againstFulham on 9 August.[53] Newly-promotedPremier League clubLeicester City placed an initial £5 million bid for the striker during the close of the summertransfer window, but Ipswich held out for a sum of £8 million. Leicester decided to pull out of the deal.[54] He was a key part of Ipswich's side during the first half of the season, before getting injured in February. He missed the second half of the season with a recurring thigh problem,[55] only managing to return for the final 20 minutes of the play-off semi-final second leg defeat toEast Anglian rivalsNorwich City atCarrow Road on 16 May.[56]
He signed a contract extension in August 2015 to keep himself tied to the club until summer 2018.[57] He scored his first goal of the2015–16 season on 18 August, netting in a 2–0 home win againstBurnley. McGoldrick struggled with niggling injuries in the first half of the 2015–16 campaign and then picked up a "nastytear" in hishamstring in December.[58] The injury kept him out of action for four months.[59] In total, he made 27 appearances during the season, scoring 5 goals.[60] McGoldrick scored his first goal of the2016–17 campaign on the opening day of the season, scoring apenalty in a 4–2 home win againstBarnsley at Portman Road. He scored five goals in 31 games in the 2016–17 season.[61]
He made a strong start the following season, scoring a brace in a 2–0 win againstLuton Town in an EFL Cup first round tie on 8 August, his first appearance of the2017–18 season.[62] He then scored in the following league match against Barnsley in a 2–1 away win.[63] Speaking about McGoldrick in January 2018, McCarthy stated that "he is an obvious target. None of us want to lose him but we'll see what happens" after the club reportedly put a £500,000 price tag on his potentialtransfer, with the player out of contract in the summer.[64] However, he stayed put and ended up picking up agroin injury the following month, which kept him out of action for the rest of the2017–18 season.[65] McGoldrick scored 8 goals in 24 appearances during an injury-hit season in 2017–18.[66] After five years at Ipswich, in which we scored 45 goals in 159 appearances, McGoldrick's departure from the club was confirmed by new managerPaul Hurst on 25 June 2018, following the end of his contract.[67]
On 24 July 2018, McGoldrick signed a one-year contract with Championship sideSheffield United after impressing managerChris Wilder during a one-week trial period.[68][69] On the day of his signing, he played and scored for the Blades in a pre-season friendly againstInter Milan atBramall Lane which ended 1-1.[70] On 29 September, he scored twice in a 3–2 win at Millwall and was named on the EFL Team of the Week.[71] On 25 January, Sheffield United announced that McGoldrick had signed a contract extension with them.[72] On 22 April, he scored a brace in a 3–0 victory overHull City atKCOM Stadium and was again named in the EFL Team of the Week.[73] He featured only in league matches during the2018–19 campaign, and was named as the club's Player of the Year as his 15 goals in 44 appearances helped to secure promotion out of the Championship.[74][75]
McGoldrick suffered a long domestic goal drought in the2019–20 season, which he ended by opening the scoring in a 2–1 win atReading in the fifth round of the FA Cup on 3 March.[76] In the league though, it was reported thatOpta Sports statistics showed no Premier League player had ever managed 36 shots on target or had anexpected goals rating of 6.2 without finding the net; in a positive light, he made 36 tackles per game, more than any other regular Premier League forward that season.[77][78] During his run he missed anopen goal against Brighton & Hove Albion and had a goal againstTottenham Hotspur atWhite Hart Lane ruled out foroffside by thevideo assistant referee.[79] On 13 June, Sheffield United announced that McGoldrick had signed a contract extension with them.[80] On 11 July, he scored his first Premier League goals with a brace in a 3–0 home win overChelsea.[81]
On 17 December 2020, McGoldrick scored two goals in a 3–2 home defeat toManchester United that left Sheffield United bottom of the Premier League with just one point and said that the team had to stay positive despite their poor start to the season.[82] He scored nine goals from 40 games in the2020–21 season, including eight Premier League goals, to become the club's top-scorer.[83] He won the club's Players' Player of the Year and Goal of the Season awards, with his strike againstArsenal at theEmirates Stadium winning the fans' vote.[84] However, the season was a poor one for the club, as Wilder left and Sheffield United were relegated in last place undercaretaker managerPaul Heckingbottom.[85]
He started the2021–22 season poorly underSlaviša Jokanović.[86] He was then sidelined with a thigh injury picked up in February.[87] Nevertheless, he acted as a "father figure" for young players such asRhian Brewster andJayden Bogle.[88] Having been limited to two goals in 21 appearances during the season, he was released upon the expiry of his contract in the summer.[89][90]
On 6 July 2022, McGoldrick joined League One clubDerby County on a one-year contract.[91] On 29 October, he scored a first-half hat-trick to securePaul Warne's first home win as Derby manager in a 4–2 win overBristol Rovers atPride Park.[92] It was his first career hat-trick.[93] He scored another hat-trick on 17 December, during a 4–0 home victory overForest Green Rovers.[94] He scored a third hat-trick of the season on 4 February, in a 5–0 home win overMorecambe.[95] He won the League One Player of the Month award for February 2023 after scoring six goals and providing three assists,[96] and went on to be named asDerby County's Player of the Year,PFA Fans' Player of the Year and in thePFA Team of the Year for the2022–23 season.[97][98][99] He scored 25 goals in 45 games and was offered a new contract.[100]
On 10 June 2023, McGoldrick re-signed with League Two club Notts County on a two-year deal, having first left his hometown club 19 years previously.[101] A club statement read that "David hasn't made this decision for financial reasons. His love and respect for the club have brought him home".[102] ManagerLuke Williams said that it was "a joy" to manage McGoldrick, who struck up astrike partnership withMacaulay Langstaff as the club sat top of the table in September.[103][104] He ended the2023–24 season with 13 goals from 39 games.[105]
He opened his2024–25 scoring tally with consecutive braces againstSwindon Town andAccrington Stanley, also earning a place on the EFL League Two Team of the Week.[106] He was named as the League Two Player of the Week after scoring both goals in a 2–0 win overSwindon Town on 4 January.[107] He again was named on the EFL Team of the Week after following this with another brace in a 3–0 win atAccrington Stanley.[108] A goal in a 2–1 win atGillingham on 1 February saw him named as one of that week's top five performers in League Two.[109] He was named in the League Two Team of the Season at theEFL Awards.[110] He also won the club's Player of the Year award.[111] However, he was ruled out of the play-offs due to a hamstring injury sustained in the first leg of the semi-finals.[111] He was offered a new deal at the end of the campaign, with head coachStuart Maynard saying "he is incredible, we want him to be at the club".[112] However, McGoldrick left the club after rejecting the contract offer.[113]
On 9 July 2025, McGoldrick signed a one-year deal with League One clubBarnsley, having been a former international teammate of managerConor Hourihane.[114] On 21 October, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–2 win overManchester United U21 in anEFL Trophy game atOakwell.[115]
In 2014, McGoldrick – who is adopted – discovered that he was eligible to play forIreland after researching his family tree and finding that he had a biological grandfather born in Ireland.[116] McGoldrick turned down an approach byScotland managerGordon Strachan to play for that country, stating he would prefer to play for Ireland. Ipswich managerMick McCarthy encouraged McGoldrick to represent the "Boys In Green".[117] Ipswich teammatesStephen Hunt andDaryl Murphy backed McGoldrick for an Ireland call-up.[118] In August 2014, Ireland managerMartin O'Neill confirmed that McGoldrick was in his plans, subject to paperwork.[119]
On 10 November 2014, McGoldrick received his first call-up to the Irish squad for the games against Scotland and theUnited States.[120] He made his debut for Ireland in a 4–1 win over the United States on 18 November 2014, providing two assists forAnthony Pilkington andRobbie Brady goals.[121][122]
McGoldrick scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland on 5 September 2019, scoring theequaliser in a 1–1 draw withSwitzerland at theAviva Stadium inDublin in aUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.[123]
In August 2020, McGoldrick was named the 2019FAI Senior International Player of the Year.[124] He announced his retirement from international football three months later on 4 November, citing a wish to spend more time with his family and to focus more on his club career.[125][126]
"He's got pace, he can get in behind defenders and can run all day. He's skilful and he's got all the attributes."
— BournemouthcaptainSteve Fletcher on McGoldrick in March 2007.[127]
McGoldrick was a father of four children by 2022.[128] His nickname is "Didzy".[129]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Notts County | 2003–04[130] | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Southampton | 2004–05[131] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005–06[132] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07[133] | Championship | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2007–08[134] | Championship | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09[135] | Championship | 46 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 50 | 14 | ||
| Total | 64 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 15 | ||
| Notts County (loan) | 2005–06[132] | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 2006–07[133] | League One | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| Port Vale (loan) | 2007–08[134] | League One | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2009–10[136] | Championship | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 38 | 3 |
| 2010–11[137] | Championship | 21 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 24 | 6 | |
| 2011–12[138] | Championship | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13[48] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 63 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 73 | 9 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2011–12[138] | League One | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Coventry City (loan) | 2012–13[48] | League One | 22 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 25 | 17 |
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2012–13[48] | Championship | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 4 | |
| Ipswich Town | 2013–14[139] | Championship | 31 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 16 | |
| 2014–15[140] | Championship | 26 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 29 | 7 | |
| 2015–16[60] | Championship | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 27 | 5 | ||
| 2016–17[61] | Championship | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 5 | ||
| 2017–18[66] | Championship | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 24 | 8 | ||
| Total | 133 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 145 | 41 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2018–19[141] | Championship | 45 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 45 | 15 | |
| 2019–20[142] | Premier League | 28 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21[83] | Premier League | 35 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 40 | 9 | ||
| 2021–22[89] | Championship | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| Total | 127 | 27 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 30 | ||
| Derby County | 2022–23[143] | League One | 39 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 45 | 25 |
| Notts County | 2023–24[105] | League Two | 37 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 39 | 13 |
| 2024–25[144] | League Two | 35 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 37 | 17 | |
| Total | 72 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 76 | 30 | ||
| Barnsley | 2025–26[145] | League One | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Career total | 580 | 165 | 25 | 8 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 638 | 181 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland[146] | 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 September 2019 | Aviva Stadium,Dublin, Ireland | 11 | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification | [123] |
Sheffield United
Individual