| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Malachy Martin Donaghy | ||
| Date of birth | (1957-09-13)13 September 1957 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| ?-1976 | Post Office Social Club | ||
| 1976–1977 | Cromac Albion | ||
| 1977–1978 | Larne | 20 | (0) |
| 1978–1988 | Luton Town | 408 | (16) |
| 1988–1992 | Manchester United | 89 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | →Luton Town (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1992–1994 | Chelsea | 68 | (3) |
| Total | 590 | (19) | |
| International career | |||
| 1978 | Northern Ireland U-21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1980–1994 | Northern Ireland | 91 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Malachy Martin Donaghy[1] (born 13 September 1957[2] inBelfast) is a formerNorthern Ireland internationalfootballer who played forLuton Town andManchester United.
Originally from WestBelfast, began his football career as a goalkeeper with little-knownDown and Connor League side team St. Agnes', before moving on to play as an outfield player for works team Post Office Social Club.
After barely six months, he was on the move again, this time joining Amateur League side Cromac Albion, where his blossoming talent was spotted byLarne manager Brian Halliday.
Donaghy's rapid rise in the game continued when, after just 20 matches with theInver Park club, he was transferred toLuton Town in June 1978 for a fee of £20,000.
He spent ten years at Luton Town, overseeing the most successful era of their history to date. He collected aSecond Division title winner's medal in 1982, enabling him to experienceFirst Division football for the first time yet. He helped Luton retain their First Division status, and was a key part of the team that finished a club record high of seventh in the1986–87 season. In1987–88, he helped Luton win their first major trophy as they achieved a shock 3–2 win overArsenal in the1988 Football League Cup Final.
In October 1988, Donaghy departed fromKenilworth Road in a £650,000 move to his boyhood heroesManchester United.[3] It was at the time a big risk forAlex Ferguson to pay out a large sum of money for a 31-year-old, but Donaghy repaid the United manager's faith in him with some consistent performances in not only his favoured central defensive position but also as afull-back.
Immediately after joining United, Donaghy was the club's first-choice left-back for the1988–89 season, missing only the League Cup game for which he was cup-tied. However, his opportunities were limited in the1989–90 season, and he was unable to make even the substitutes bench for the1990 FA Cup Final triumph overCrystal Palace. Donaghy was an unused substitute for theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup triumph[4] and theLeague Cup final defeat.
In1991–92, United wereFirst Division runners-up and won their first-everLeague Cup. Donaghy's first-team chances continued to be restricted and he was left out of the squad for the1992 Football League Cup final.[5]
His next move was in August 1992 when, just a month short of his 35th birthday,Chelsea managerIan Porterfield paid £100,000 for his services.[6] Donaghy helped Chelsea finish 11th in theinauguralPremier League season and reach the1994 FA Cup final thefollowing season, but again missed the squad for the final, as Chelsea lost 4–0 to his previous club,double-winners Manchester United. At the end of that season, Donaghy announced his retirement from club football.
Shortly after his playing career ended, Donaghy returned to Northern Ireland with his family and after a brief spell as manager atNewry Town, he had stints as a coach withCliftonville and as a Youth Development Officer withDonegal Celtic. In 2000, he was appointed as coach for theNorthern Ireland under-19 team.
The first of his 91caps came in May 1980 atWindsor Park in the 1–0home international victory overScotland, a championship team which Northern Ireland won. He further enhanced his reputation during the1982 and1986 World Cup finals. In the former tournament, he played in four of Northern Ireland's five games. He was sent off after 60 minutes of the famous 1–0 win overSpain inValencia,[7] for the offence of shovingJosé Antonio Camacho, but returned for Northern Ireland's final match, the 4–1 defeat byFrance inMadrid. He made his final appearance for Northern Ireland againstMexico inMiami in June 1994, three months before his 37th birthday.
|  | |