 Dawson after winning promotion withHull City in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Richard Dawson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-11-18)18 November 1983 (age 42)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Northallerton, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre back[4] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2001 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2005 | Nottingham Forest | 83 | (7) |
| 2005–2014 | Tottenham Hotspur | 236 | (7) |
| 2014–2018 | Hull City | 122 | (8) |
| 2018–2021 | Nottingham Forest | 28 | (1) |
| Total | 469 | (23) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2005 | England U21 | 13 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | England B | 2 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | England | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Michael Richard Dawson (born 18 November 1983) is an English former professionalfootball player and sports pundit.
As a player, he was acentre back. Dawson started his career at Nottingham Forest playing alongside veteran defenderDes Walker before moving toTottenham Hotspur with teammateAndy Reid for a fee of £8 million. While at Tottenham, Dawson won theLeague Cup in 2008. His form in the2009–10 season saw him included in England's preliminary2010 FIFA World Cup squad. Although he initially failed to make the final 23-man squad, an injury to captainRio Ferdinand saw him drafted in as replacement.
In August 2014,Hull City signed Dawson from Tottenham for a fee believed to be £3.5 million. Although relegated with Hull at the end of the 2014–15 season, he helped them return to thePremier League when they beatSheffield Wednesday in the2016 Championship play-off final. After 4 years at Hull, he returned to former club Nottingham Forest in May 2018, where he retired in 2021. He is now a regular pundit forSky Sports.
Born inNorthallerton, North Yorkshire,[5] Dawson grew up inLeyburn and attended Wensleydale school.[6] He is the younger brother of fellow footballersAndy Dawson andKevin Dawson.[7]
Dawson started his career playing for his local team, Brompton Juniors, and also spent a year playing for Richmond before signing as a junior professional withNottingham Forest at the age of 14.[6] He turned professional in November 2000 and made his first-team debut for Forest on 1 April 2002 againstWalsall in a 3–2 home defeat.[8]
In February 2003, Dawson signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract at Forest.[9] During the2002–03 season, Dawson established himself in the team alongside veteran defenderDes Walker,[10] as Forest finished sixth in theFirst Division to enter theplay-offs.[11] Forest playedSheffield United, and Dawson was sent off late in the first leg, making it his final appearance that season.[12] Without Dawson, Forest lost 4–3 in the second leg of the semi-final, being eliminated 5–4 on aggregate.[13]
In the close season, Dawson contracted glandular fever whilst on duty with theEngland under-21s, causing him to miss the start of the2003–04 season. Forest also struggled – winning only twice between the end of September and the beginning of February causedPaul Hart to be replaced byJoe Kinnear. The season was transformed from one battling relegation to a confident mid-table finish with the return of Dawson andDavid Johnson to the team being one of the reasons for this.[14]
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Dawson and one of his Forest teammates, wingerAndy Reid, signed forPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur on 31 January 2005 deadline day transfer for a fee thought to be worth a combined £8 million.[15] Dawson made his debut for Tottenham towards the end of the2004–05 season in the 2–2 draw atLiverpool on 16 April 2005.[16]
Dawson enjoyed a good2005–06 season, impressing many with his aerial ability and attitude. This in turn led to a contract extension until 2011.[17] This was followed by a call-up to theEngland squad as a standby player for the2006 FIFA World Cup.[18]
On 5 November 2006, Dawson scored his first goal for Tottenham in their 2–1 win overChelsea atWhite Hart Lane. His goal levelled the score at 1–1 afterClaude Makélélé's strike, withAaron Lennon scoring the winner.[19] Dawson firstcaptained the team in the2006–07 FA Cup quarter-final match away to Chelsea, due to injuries to stand-in captainsRobbie Keane andPaul Robinson and the club's regular captainLedley King.[20] After a season in which he played all but one of Tottenham's 59 matches, he was rewarded with a new five-year contract on 11 May 2007 which would have kept him at the club until 2012.[21]
In the2007–08 season, Dawson scored his first goal in theUEFA Cup home match against the Cypriot teamAnorthosis Famagusta where Tottenham won 6–1.[22] In November 2007, Tottenham went away toWest Ham United in the Premier League and drew 1–1, Dawson scored the away goal.[23] During the course of the season, Tottenham reached the2008 League Cup Final atWembley Stadium, where they beat Chelsea 2–1 to earn Dawson his first ever silverware,[24] though he missed the final through injury.[25]
In October 2008, when Tottenham played away to Stoke,Vedran Ćorluka suffered an injury in the 77th minute. Dawson replaced him only to be sent off in injury time.[26] In March 2009, Tottenham reached theLeague Cup final again and faced Manchester United. Dawson was available and was selected for the final which ended 0–0 after 90 minutes. However, Tottenham lost 4–1 on penalties.[27] In April 2009, Dawson sustained an injury againstNewcastle United which left him out for the rest of the2008–09 season.[28] The2009–10 season was to be judged by many as Dawson's finest season in a Spurs shirt to date as he helped the club to a fourth-place finish, their highest league finish for 20 years and qualification for the2010–11 UEFA Champions League.[29]
On 27 January 2010, he signed a new five-year contract with Tottenham, taking him to 2015.[30] Dawson's excellent performances throughout the course of the season saw him awarded Tottenham's Player of the Year award.[31] His form that season led toManchester City strikerCarlos Tevez calling him "the best English defender I have played against" due to his strength.[32] Dawson missed the rest of the2011–12 season after rupturing an ankle ligament during Tottenham's 3–1FA Cup fifth round win overStevenage on 7 March 2012.[33]
At the beginning of the2012–13 season, Dawson could have signed for Tottenham's Premier League rivalsQueens Park Rangers as the two clubs had agreed a £7.5 million fee, but the move collapsed as Dawson had "an issue with personal terms".[34] Instead, Dawson was appointed club captain and signed a new three-year contract with Tottenham in October 2013.[35] He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win overReading at White Hart Lane on 1 January 2013.[36]
On 26 August 2014, he joined Premier League clubHull City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee understood to be £3.5 million.[37] He made his debut on 31 August 2014 atVilla Park in a 2–1 defeat toAston Villa.[38] During the course of the2014–15 season, Dawson established himself in the team and was selected captain on 17 occasions.[citation needed] With five matches left to go in the Premier League season, Hull played Liverpool, in which Dawson scored his first goal for the club and the only goal in the match, earning a vital three points in their fight against relegation.[39] However, this was not enough as Hull went on to lose their next three matches and in their final match againstManchester United they only drew 0–0, sending Dawson and Hull to the Championship for next season.[40]
Dawson scored in their home match against Queens Park Rangers on 19 September 2015.[41] The2015–16 season saw Hull finish fourth in the table[42] and were promoted back to the Premier League via the play-offs, beatingSheffield Wednesday 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in thefinal.[43]
At the start of the2016–17 season, Dawson picked up an injury in a pre-season friendly againstMansfield Town, which ruled him out for three months.[44]
At the end of the2017–18 season, he entered into discussions with Hull about a new contract.[45]
Dawson re-signed for Championship club Nottingham Forest on 30 May 2018 on a two-year contract,[46] and has since served as club captain. He scored his first goal since his return to the City Ground on 17 August 2019 in a 3-0 win overBirmingham City[47] Forest managerSabri Lamouchi praised Dawson's attitude and leadership, saying "I have never seen in my professional life one guy who is this clever, who has the background he has and who is as professional and positive as him".[48] On 17 June 2020, he signed an additional one-year contract with Forest.[49]
Dawson made no appearances for Forest during the 2020-21 season, and was released by Forest at the end of his contract. Dawson said: "It's been frustrating that I haven't been able to say goodbye to the fans in person but I hope to be back at the City Ground again very soon. Forest has been a massive part of my life since I first put the shirt on at the age of 9. It will always be close to my heart and I leave with some fantastic memories."[50]
In August 2021, Dawson returned to Tottenham Hotspur as a club ambassador.[51] In September, he joinedSky Sports as a pundit, joining the punditry panel forSoccer Saturday.[52]
Dawson made his debut for theEnglish under-21 team againstItaly on 11 February 2003.[53] He went on to earn 13 England under-21 internationalcaps, captaining the team on several occasions. His last appearance for the under-21 team was in a 2–1 loss toFrance on 15 November 2005.[54]
Dawson was capped twice for theEnglish B team, his first cap coming in their 2–1 loss toBelarus at Reading'sMadejski Stadium on 25 May 2006.[55] His second cap came in their 3–1 win overAlbania atBurnley'sTurf Moor ground exactly a year later.[56]
Dawson was named in England's 30-man provisional squad for the2010 FIFA World Cup, but was not selected for the final 23-man squad.[57]Rio Ferdinand was withdrawn from the squad due to an injury sustained in the team's first training session, and Capello announced Dawson as Ferdinand's replacement.[58] He made his first appearance for England in a warm-up match against thePlatinum Stars; however, the match was not counted as a full international, merely a training match, so he did not receive a cap for his appearance.[59] However, Capello did not use Dawson at the World Cup, and he was the only uncapped member of the squad.[60]
He made his full international debut in afriendly againstHungary on 11 August 2010, coming on as a half time substitute and was involved in a controversy over Hungary's goal.[61] After making a mistake in the build-up, he got back to clear the ball off the line – a goal was given, however replays suggested the ball had actually not crossed the line.[62]
On 3 September 2010, Dawson made his first competitive start for England in theUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match againstBulgaria. He sustained a knee injury and left the field on a stretcher after 56 minutes.[63]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nottingham Forest | 2001–02[64] | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03[65] | First Division | 38 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 42 | 5 | ||
| 2003–04[66] | First Division | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2004–05[67] | Championship | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| Total | 83 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 91 | 7 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2004–05[67] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2005–06[68] | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07[69] | Premier League | 37 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10[b] | 0 | — | 58 | 1 | ||
| 2007–08[70] | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6[b] | 1 | — | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09[71] | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5[b] | 0 | — | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10[72] | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 2 | |||
| 2010–11[73] | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | — | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12[74] | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13[75] | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[d] | 1 | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14[76] | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[d] | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15[38] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 236 | 7 | 28 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 40 | 2 | — | 324 | 10 | |||
| Hull City | 2014–15[38] | Premier League | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16[77] | Championship | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17[78] | Premier League | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 4 | |||
| 2017–18[79] | Championship | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 3 | |||
| Total | 122 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 132 | 9 | |||
| Nottingham Forest | 2018–19[80] | Championship | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[81] | Championship | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| Total | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 469 | 23 | 34 | 0 | 32 | 2 | 40 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 579 | 27 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2010 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Tottenham Hotspur
Hull City
Individual
