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.jpg) Allen lining up forWales in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Michael Allen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1990-03-14)14 March 1990 (age 35)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Carmarthen, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2000 | Tenby | ||
| 2000–2007 | Swansea City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2012 | Swansea City | 127 | (7) |
| 2008 | →Wrexham (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2012–2016 | Liverpool | 91 | (4) |
| 2016–2022 | Stoke City | 212 | (18) |
| 2022–2025 | Swansea City | 69 | (4) |
| Total | 501 | (34) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Wales U17 | 10 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Wales U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2011 | Wales U21 | 14 | (2) |
| 2009–2025 | Wales | 77 | (2) |
| 2012 | Great Britain Olympic | 5 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joseph Michael Allen (born 14 March 1990) is a Welsh former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder.
Allen began his career atSwansea City, making his first-team debut in January 2007 at age 16. He played in 150 matches across all competitions in six years at theLiberty Stadium, also having a loan atWrexham. During his time at Swansea, they won two promotions, going fromLeague One to thePremier League. He also representedGreat Britain at the2012 Olympics. In the same year, he joinedLiverpool for £15 million, signed by his former Swansea managerBrendan Rodgers. Allen spent four seasons atAnfield, making 132 appearances. In July 2016, he signed for Stoke City for a £13 million transfer fee. After making over 220 appearances for the Potters, he returned to Swansea in 2022.
A full international forWales from 2009, Allen represented Wales at theUEFA European Championship in2016 and2020, helping the team reach the semi-finals of the former tournament. He also helped Wales qualify for theFIFA World Cup in2022, the nation's first appearance at the competition since1958.
Born inCarmarthen,[2] Allen was raised in thePembrokeshire town ofNarberth, and is a former student of Narberth Primary School andYsgol y Preseli.[4][5] He is a fluentWelsh language speaker.[6] Allen started his career playing in local team Tenby up to age ten.[7][8]
Allen was part of theSwansea City youth set-up from age nine. As a first-year scholar in the youth team in the2006–07 season, he featured as an unused first-teamsubstitute in a 3–0 away win overPremier League sideSheffield United in the third round of theFA Cup.[9] Two weeks later, when Allen was just 16, SwanseamanagerKenny Jackett gave him his debut in theFAW Premier Cup away tie to localWelsh Premier League sidePort Talbot Town. He played the first half of the match as Swansea lost 2–1 after extra time.[10] Allen made his league debut for Swansea as a 75th-minute substitute forAndy Robinson in a 6–3 home defeat toBlackpool on 7 May, the final day of theLeague One season, as Swansea missed out on a play-off position under new manager and former team captainRoberto Martínez.[11]
Allen made a first start on 14 August 2007 in a 2–0 home win overWalsall in the first round of theLeague Cup. He was namedman of the match for his performance, which included assisting in the first goal by providing a left-footed chipped cross toPaul Anderson. Two days later, Martínez awarded Allen his first professional contract, to keep him at Swansea until 2010.[12] Allen started in the next round of the tournament at home toReading and again received the man of the match award, despite a 1–0 loss.[13] He made 14 appearances over the campaign, six in theSwans' victoriouscapture of the League One title.
The following season, Swansea's first in theChampionship, Allen struggled to get into the first team due to competition from midfieldersDarren Pratley,Ferrie Bodde,Owain Tudur Jones,Jordi Gómez andLeon Britton. On 7 October 2008, Allen joinedConference Premier clubWrexham on a one-monthloan[14] and scored a goal from 25 yards on his debut for the North Wales team the same day, in a 3–1 win overYork City at theRacecourse Ground.[15] His loan was curtailed after only one more match, when he damaged ankle ligaments and was sidelined for a month.[16] Allen returned from the injury in December, entering the Swansea squad at home toBarnsley after regular midfielder Ferrie Bodde had been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury.[17] With Swansea 2–0 down and playing poorly, manager Martínez was prompted to bring Allen on from the substitutes' bench. The club went on to earn a late 2–2 draw and despite only playing 25 minutes, Allen once more received the man of the match award.[18] On 5 April 2009, Allen came on as a 68th-minute substitute forMark Gower, and 20 minutes later scored his first goal for Swansea in aSouth Wales derby 2–2 draw away atCardiff City.[19] At the end of the season, he signed a new three-year contract lasting until 2012.[20]
After frequently being injured in the2009–10 season, Allen returned to regular first-team football at the start of the2010–11 season. A string of impressive performances prompted managerBrendan Rodgers to play Allen in the South Wales derby in November 2010, with Allen receiving the man of the match award in the 1–0 win. He played 40 league matches and scored twice over the Championship campaign, and featured for the full 90 minutes as Swansea won promotion with a 4–2 victory over Reading in theplay-off final atWembley Stadium. However, he scored anown goal in that match.[21]
A few days prior to the beginning of the2011–12 Premier League, Allen signed a new four-year contract with Swansea lasting until 2015.[22] He played 36 out of 38 top-flight fixtures that season, scoring four goals. On 3 December 2011, he was sent off for two bookings in a 4–2 loss toBlackburn Rovers atEwood Park.[23]
On 10 August 2012, after passing a medical atMelwood,[24] Allen signed a long-term contract withLiverpool in a transfer deal worth £15 million, following Brendan Rodgers' move toAnfield.[25] Allen made hisPremier League debut on 18 August 2012, starting in a 3–0 loss againstWest Bromwich Albion atThe Hawthorns.[26] He started Liverpool's next match of the league campaign againstManchester City, where he was voted man of the match on the club's official website by fans and journalists.[27] He went on to win the Liverpool Player of the Month award for August 2012.[28] Allen scored his first goal for Liverpool on 27 January 2013 in a 3–2 defeat toOldham Athletic in the fourth round of theFA Cup.[29] He scored his first European goal on 21 February in a 3–1 win overZenit Saint Petersburg in theUEFA Europa League.[30] On 20 March, it was announced Allen would be ruled out for the remainder of the2012–13 season, with him requiring surgery on his left shoulder.[31]
On 5 May 2014, Allen scored his first goal for Liverpool in the2013–14 Premier League season with a header from a corner to give Liverpool the lead in a 3–3 draw againstCrystal Palace atSelhurst Park.[32] Allen played 26 times for Liverpool in 2013–14 as the side narrowly missed out on the Premier League title.[33] In the2014–15 season, Allen made 32 appearances as the side finished in sixth position.[34] Allen was praised when he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win against Manchester City, where he outplayed City starYaya Touré.[35] On 13 April 2015, Allen scored the second goal in a 2–0 win overNewcastle United, his first at Anfield.[36]
Before the start of the2015–16 season, Allen suffered an injury during one of the pre-season matches and was ruled out for a month.[37] On 13 January 2016, he scored a last-minute equalizer in a 3–3 home draw against league leadersArsenal.[38] Thirteen days later, he scored the winning penalty in a shootout againstStoke City to send Liverpool to the2016 League Cup Final.[39] Allen was an unused substitute for Liverpool as they lost the final on penalties to Manchester City.[40] However, Allen did play in the2016 UEFA Europa League Final againstSevilla on 18 May 2016 inBasel, where despite initially taking the lead, Liverpool were defeated 3–1.[41] At the end of the season, Allen expressed his desire to play regular football.[42]
On 25 July 2016, Allen joinedStoke City on a five-year contract for a reported £13 million transfer fee.[43] He made his Premier League debut for Stoke on 13 August 2016 in a 1–1 draw away atMiddlesbrough.[44] Speaking after his move to Stoke, Allen said he "had to move on" from Liverpool in order to receive regular playing time.[45] He scored his first goal for Stoke on 24 September 2016 in a 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion.[46] Allen then scored againstManchester United on 2 October as Stoke earned their first point atOld Trafford since 1980.[47][48] Allen continued his goal scoring run with both goals in a 2–0 win againstSunderland earning Stoke their first victory of the2016–17 season.[49][50] In November 2016, Allen was included in the 40-man shortlist for the UEFA Team of the Year.[51] He scored a vital winning goal against Crystal Palace on 11 February 2017.[52] Allen made 39 appearances in 2016–17, scoring six goals, as Stoke finished in 13th position.[53][54] Allen played 38 times in2017–18, scoring four goals as Stoke suffered relegation to the Championship.[55][56] Following relegation, Allen said he would be willing to stay with the club.[57]
Allen signed new four-year contract with the Potters in June 2018.[58] Allen was the only member of the squad to play every Championship game in2018–19, as Stoke failed to mount a promotion challenge finishing in 16th.[59] He scored six goals during the campaign most notably winning ones againstLeeds United and his former club Swansea.[60][61] Stoke began the2019–20 season in poor form with Allen being sent-off againstBristol City on 14 September 2019.[62] Allen scored inMichael O'Neill's first match in a 4–2 win againstBarnsley which lifted Stoke off the bottom of the table.[63] Allen scored twice againstLuton Town on 10 December 2019 in a 3–0 victory but came in for criticism after he celebrated by cupping his ears at the crowd.[64] Allen was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering anachilles tendon rupture on 7 March 2020 playing againstHull City.[65] In his absence Stoke managed to avoid relegation and finished in 15th position.[66][67]
Allen returned to match fitness in December 2020 making his return from injury on Boxing day againstCoventry City.[68] He went on to play nineteen times in the2020–21 season, before he suffered another injury set-back in March 2021 whilst on international duty with Wales.[69] Prior to the start of the2021–22 season, Allen was made captain byMichael O'Neill.[70] Stoke had a frustrating season as after being in the top six for the first half of the campaign a poor second half saw them slip down the table and finish in 14th.[71] Allen left Stoke at the end of the season following the expiration of his contract.[72]
On 8 July 2022, Allen returned to his first club Swansea City, signing a two-year contract.[73] On 2 May 2025, the club announced he would retire at the end of the 2024–25 season and his final game was a 3–3 draw toOxford United.[74]
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Soon after receiving his first professional contract for Swansea City in August 2007, Allen was called up for theWales under-21 team in afriendly match away toSweden. He scored the winning goal in a 4–3 victory.[75]
In May 2009, Allen made his debut for thesenior Wales team as an 80th-minute substitute forJack Collison during a friendly againstEstonia. Wales, who won 1–0 inLlanelli, were fielding their youngest team ever, with an average age of 21.[76] He made his first start for Wales in a 2–0UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group G match againstSwitzerland at his club'sLiberty Stadium in October 2011.[77] He was awarded the prize for the Wales' Player of the Year for 2012 in October of that year.[78]
Allen captained Wales for the first time in the absence ofAshley Williams through injury on 4 June 2014 against theNetherlands.[79] He played throughout the nation's successfulqualification for UEFA Euro 2016. On 13 November 2015, in a 3–2 home loss to the Dutch, he had a penalty saved byJasper Cillessen, butJoe Ledley scored from the rebound.[80]
AtEuro 2016, Allen set-upAaron Ramsey's goal in a 3–0 win overRussia on 20 June, which allowed Wales to top their group and advance to the knockout round of the tournament.[81] Wales were eliminated following a 2–0 defeat to eventual championsPortugal in the semi-final on 6 July.[82] Allen was named to theteam of the tournament for his performances.[83] In May 2021 he was selected for the Wales squad for the delayedUEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[84] In November 2022 he was named in the Wales squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar.[85]
On 7 February 2023, Allen officially announced his retirement from international football with theWales national team.[86] In October 2024 Allen was recalled to the Wales national team squad by managerCraig Bellamy following injury to experienced Wales midfieldersAaron Ramsey andEthan Ampadu.[87]
Allen is a hard-working, tactically disciplined and tenacious—albeit not overly physical—midfielder, who is capable of aiding his team both creatively and offensively courtesy of his ability to transition the ball from defence to attack effectively after winning back possession. A versatile and gifted player with a low centre of gravity and quick feet, he is capable of playing in several midfield roles. Due to his vision, composure in possession, efficient passing and ability to dictate the tempo of his team's play in midfield as aplaymaker, Allen has been described as the "WelshXavi" and as the "WelshPirlo" by his former manager at Swansea City and Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers.[88][89][90][91][92][93]
Allen is married to Lacey, with whom he has a son. Inspired by her involvement inanimal welfare, he adopts hens to save them when they can no longer lay eggs.[94] Allen's brother Harry lost his hearing at age three due tomeningitis, and Joe became ambassador for Action on Hearing Loss Cymru in March 2015.[95] Harry also played football and became captain of the Welsh deaf futsal team.[96]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Swansea City | 2006–07[97] | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007–08[98] | League One | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[99] | Championship | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10[100] | Championship | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11[101] | Championship | 40 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 48 | 2 | |
| 2011–12[102] | Premier League | 36 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 4 | ||
| Total | 127 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 150 | 7 | ||
| Wrexham (loan) | 2008–09[103] | Conference Premier | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| Liverpool | 2012–13[104] | Premier League | 27 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7[c] | 1 | 37 | 2 |
| 2013–14[105] | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15[34] | Premier League | 21 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 2015–16[106] | Premier League | 19 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11[c] | 0 | 37 | 3 | |
| Total | 91 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 132 | 7 | ||
| Stoke City | 2016–17[53] | Premier League | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 39 | 6 | |
| 2017–18[55] | Premier League | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 38 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19[59] | Championship | 46 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 46 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20[66] | Championship | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21[107] | Championship | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22[108] | Championship | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | ||
| Total | 212 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 221 | 20 | |||
| Swansea City | 2022–23[109] | Championship | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 28 | 1 | |
| 2023–24[110] | Championship | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25[111] | Championship | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| Total | 69 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 78 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 501 | 34 | 31 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 583 | 39 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 2009 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 77 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 September 2016 | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | 32 |  Moldova | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 6 October 2016 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria | 33 |  Austria | 1–0 | 2–2 |
Swansea City
Liverpool
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