 Shawcross withStoke City in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan James Shawcross[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-10-04)4 October 1987 (age 37)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Chester, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Stoke City (First-team coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Buckley Town | |||
| 2002–2006 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Manchester United | 0 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Royal Antwerp (loan) | 22 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | →Stoke City (loan) | 26 | (6) |
| 2008–2021 | Stoke City | 375 | (16) |
| 2021–2022 | Inter Miami | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 435 | (25) | |
| International career | |||
| 2008 | England U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2012 | England | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024 | Stoke City (caretaker) | ||
| 2024–2025 | Stoke City (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ryan James Shawcross (born 4 October 1987) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as acentre-back. He is first-team coachStoke City.
Shawcross began his career withManchester United and made his debut for the club againstCrewe Alexandra in theLeague Cup; he then spent time onloan at Belgian feeder clubRoyal Antwerp. He joined Championship club Stoke City on loan in August 2007 and made an instant impact scoring on his debut againstCardiff City. His good form prompted Stoke to pay Manchester United £1 million in January 2008 to keep him at theBritannia Stadium. He formed a good defensive partnership withLeon Cort as Stoke gained promotion to thePremier League for the first time, ending 23 years away from the top flight.
Despite making a bad start to Premier League football, Shawcross established himself as first-choice centre-back along withAbdoulaye Faye. Stoke comfortably stayed up, and after another mid-table finish in2009–10, Shawcross was handed the captaincy by managerTony Pulis ahead of the2010–11 season. With Faye drifting out of the team,Robert Huth became Shawcross's defensive partner and the team reached the2011 FA Cup Final, finishing runners-up toManchester City. The run to the final also meant that Stoke entered theUEFA Europa League in2011–12, and they reached the round of 32 losing to Spanish teamValencia. Shawcross continued to be a regular under Pulis in2012–13 and then underMark Hughes in2013–14 which saw him win theplayer of the year award. Shawcross remained at Stoke until February 2021, after making 453 appearances over a 14-year period with the club. He ended his career withInter Miami before retiring from playing in January 2022 and began coaching.
Born inChester, Cheshire, Shawcross grew up in the Welsh town ofBuckley, Flintshire where he attended Mountain Lane Primary School andElfed High School.[4] While living in Buckley, Shawcross played in the youth team atCymru Alliance clubBuckley Town.[5]
During his primary school days, Shawcross played representative level football for Flintshire Boys; this team countsGary Speed,Michael Owen andIan Rush amongst its former players.[6] When Shawcross was 15 years old, he and a number of Flintshire Boys players had a trial at Football League clubWrexham who offered contracts to some players but not to Shawcross. However, just three weeks later, he had a trial atManchester United and was offered a contract at their academy.[7]
Shawcross progressed through the youth teams at Manchester United and made his first-team debut on 25 October 2006 as a substitute for fellow debutantMichael Barnes in a 2–1League Cup third round win away atCrewe Alexandra.[8] He also came on in the final minute of a 1–0 defeat toSouthend United in the next round.[9] In January 2007, he was sent onloan to Belgian clubRoyal Antwerp, where he appeared regularly, and helped Antwerp to make it into theBelgian Second Division play-offs, scoring three goals, before returning to Manchester in the summer.[10]
On 9 August 2007, Shawcross was sent on loan again, this time toChampionship clubStoke City, for six months.[11][12] He scored his first two goals for Stoke during his first two matches, one on his debut during a 1–0 win on the opening day of the season, againstCardiff City,[13] with the other during a League Cup match againstRochdale in which Stoke lost on penalties.[14] After Stoke's 2–1 win overCharlton Athletic Shawcross expressed his delight at Stoke's early season form.[15] Shawcross was named as the Championship's player of the month for October 2007.[16]
Stoke made advances to make Shawcross' loan permanent during the January 2008 transfer window,[17] and the move was finally completed on 18 January 2008, with Stoke paying Manchester United an initial £1m, which eventually rose to a club record £2m due to Shawcross' appearances for Stoke and the team achieving promotion the following May.[18] Additionally, Alex Ferguson negotiated a clause that gives Manchester United first refusal on any offer for the player.[19] He lost his place in the team for the final few matches of the promotion winning season to loan signingChris Riggott.[20] Although he did play in the final match against Leicester City.[21] At the end of the2007–08 season, Shawcross was named in the ChampionshipPFA Team of the Year along with teammatesRicardo Fuller andLiam Lawrence.[22]
After starting in Stoke's first match in the Premier League in a 3–1 defeat away atBolton Wanderers Shawcross lost his place in the team to new signingIbrahima Sonko and he stated that he might have to leave Stoke if the manager signed another defender.[23] Shawcross re-claimed his place in team in late 2008 due to Sonko's poor performances.[24] In a match againstArsenal in November 2008, a Shawcross off-the-pitch tackle led to a three-week injury toEmmanuel Adebayor.[25] Following his return to the team, Shawcross scored in matches againstAston Villa,[26]Everton,[27] andMiddlesbrough.[28] The goal against Boro proved to be vital win for Stoke in the fight from relegation.[29] After a fine debutPremier League season, Shawcross was linked to several clubs Premier League rivals however both Shawcross and Stoke managerTony Pulis dismissed this speculation.[30][31]
He scored from a header in Stoke's first match of the2009–10 season, helping them to a 2–0 win overBurnley.[32] On 12 December 2009, he scored his second goal in the 2009–10 season for Stoke againstWigan Athletic in a 2–2 draw.[33] Shawcross was again involved in an incident with Emmanuel Adebayor in a FA Cup fifth-round replay againstManchester City, Adebayor struck Shawcross in the face and was sent-off. Shawcross went on to score Stoke's second goal in a 3–1 win.[34] On 27 February 2010, in a match against Arsenal, Shawcross was sent off after his tackle left Arsenal midfielderAaron Ramsey with a broken leg.[35] Shawcross himself wept when he saw the extent of the injury to Ramsey, who had to be stretchered off and taken to hospital.[36][37] Shawcross, who apologised via text message,[38] was defended by his teammatesDanny Pugh andRory Delap after the match.[39] On the same day, Shawcross received a call-up to the England national team.[40]
Shawcross was given the Stoke Citycaptaincy for the2010–11 season, taking over fromAbdoulaye Faye.[41] After a number of impressive performances for Stoke Shawcross has again been linked with a move away from theBritannia Stadium, however City chairmanPeter Coates issued a 'Hand off warning'.[42] He scored his first goal for almost a year in theFA Cup againstBrighton & Hove Albion.[43] Stoke beatWest Ham United in the quarter-final and Shawcross has said he will be proud to lead out Stoke City atWembley Stadium in the semi-final against Bolton Wanderers.[44] Stoke beat Bolton 5–0 to earn a place in the2011 FA Cup Final, the club's first appearance in aFA Cup Final.[45] Shawcross therefore became the first Stoke captain to play in a FA Cup Final, losing to Manchester City.[46] Despite the defeat, Stoke were able to claim a place in theUEFA Europa League.[47]
Prior to the start of the2011–12 season, manager Tony Pulis confirmed that Shawcross would remain as club captain.[48] He had a busy season playing in 49 of the club's 56 fixtures, helping the club reach the last 32 of the Europa League and the quarter-final of the FA Cup.[49] He was named as captain for a third season running, with Pulis warning Shawcross against complacency.[50] In a Premier League match against Everton on 15 December 2012 Shawcross was deliberately headbutted byMarouane Fellaini which was missed by refereeMark Halsey.[51] After the match Fellaini issued a public apology to Shawcross and was given a retrospective three match ban.[52] On 3 January 2013, Shawcross signed a5+1⁄2-year contract extension with the "Potters", keeping him at the Britannia Stadium until the summer of 2018.[53][54][55] After agreeing to his new contract, Tony Pulis stated that Shawcross could go on to become a legend at the club.[56] He played in 40 matches in2012–13 season, scoring once against Wigan Athletic as Stoke finished in 13th position.[57][58]
At the end of the 2012–13 season, Tony Pulis was dismissed and replaced byMark Hughes, who decided that Shawcross would retain the captaincy for a fifth season.[59] On 24 August 2013 Shawcross scored the winning goal againstCrystal Palace which earned City their first win of the2013–14 season.[60] On 12 April 2014 Shawcross made his 200th appearance in the Premier League becoming the first Stoke player to reach that milestone.[61][62] Shawcross missed just one match in 2013–14 as Stoke finished in 9th position in the Premier League and he also won theplayer of the year award.[63]
Shawcross scored Stoke's first goal of the2014–15 season in a 1–1 draw withHull City on 24 August 2014.[64] AgainstSwansea City on 29 October 2014, Shawcross was penalised by refereeMichael Oliver for holdingWilfried Bony at a corner.[65] This prompted Mark Hughes to take Shawcross off man-marking duties at set-plays.[66] He made his 300th appearance for Stoke on 29 November against Liverpool.[67] On 1 January 2015 he scored against his former club Manchester United in a 1–1 draw.[68] He missed February and most of March with a back injury.[69] He played 37 times for Stoke in 2014–15 as the Potters finished in 9th position for a second season running and they ended the campaign with a 6–1 victory againstLiverpool.[70][71][72]
Shawcross was ruled out for the first two months of the2015–16 season after undergoing back surgery.[73] He returned from injury on 27 October 2015 playing in a League Cup victory against Chelsea.[74] However his season was continually disrupted by his back injury restricting him to 23 appearances as Stoke again finished in ninth position.[75][76] Shawcross scored his first goal for two years on 3 January 2017 in a 2–0 win againstWatford.[77] Shawcross missed just three matches in2016–17 playing 38 times as Stoke finished in 13th position.[78][79]
Shawcross signed a new four-year contract with Stoke on 31 August 2017.[80] Shawcross made 27 appearances in2017–18 as Stoke suffered relegation to the Championship, ending their ten-year spell in the Premier League.[81][82] He played 36 times in2018–19 as Stoke failed to mount a promotion challenge, finishing in 16th position.[83] His only goal of the campaign came in the final match againstSheffield United.[84]
Shawcross suffered a serious injury on 27 July 2019 in a pre-season friendly againstLeicester City.[85] He then underwent surgery after scans revealed that had broken hisfibula, ruling him out for up to four months.[86][87] He returned to training in November 2019 making several appearances for the under-23 side.[88] Shawcross made his return againstLuton Town on 10 December 2019 but lasted only 14 minutes after picking up a groin injury.[89] He returned on boxing day againstSheffield Wednesday but in the next match atFulham he suffered another calf injury.[90][91] The2019–20 season was suspended in March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and Shawcross was able to return to training.[92] He started the first match of the restart on 20 June 2020 atReading but was again unable to complete the match and was later ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.[93][94]
Shawcross' injury problems continued in2020–21 which saw him make just two substitute appearances in December 2020.[95][96] Shawcross' contract was cancelled by mutual consent on 19 February 2021 ahead of a move toInter Miami CF in the United States.[97][98] In total Shawcross spent 14 years with Stoke, making 453 appearances and is eighth on theclub's all time record appearance list.[99]
On 20 February 2021, Shawcross joinedMajor League Soccer clubInter Miami.[100] In August 2021, Shawcross suffered a season-ending back injury and ultimately retired from playing in January 2022.[101]
In January 2008, Shawcross won his first call up to theEngland under-21 squad for a2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against theRepublic of Ireland.[102] Shawcross previously played for theWales under-15 team, against Belgium and the Republic of Ireland.[citation needed] Following Shawcross' fine form in his debut Premier League season, Tony Pulis, his manager at Stoke, tipped Shawcross to break into theEngland senior team.[103]
In September 2009, it was announced that changes have been proposed to the eligibility criteria for British players, which would make Shawcross eligible to play for Wales. Wales under-21 coachBrian Flynn commented that "People who grew up in Wales often can't represent the country they've lived in most of their life because their nearest maternity hospital is in England".[104] In October 2009, FIFA ratified the changes to allow players with five years of compulsory education in a country before the age of 16 to represent that country. Despite this, Shawcross was named in an England squad for the first time for their match againstEgypt in March 2010.[40] He was named in the matchday squad but was an unused substitute.[105] Shawcross has been backed by his defensive partner,Robert Huth to earn an England call-up.[106] In July 2011 Shawcross confirmed that he will not consider playing for Wales.[107]
On 11 July 2012, Wales national team managerChris Coleman said he would consult Arsenal and Wales team ex-captain Aaron Ramsey regarding the possibility of Shawcross playing for Wales.[108] However, Shawcross again stated that his only international ambition was to play for England.[109]
Shawcross was called up to the England team byRoy Hodgson on 4 October 2012 for the2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers againstPoland andSan Marino.[110] He made his England debut in a friendly againstSweden on 14 November 2012 at theFriends Arena, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute forSteven Caulker.[111] During Shawcross' 16 minutes on the pitch Swedish strikerZlatan Ibrahimović scored a hat-trick which included a 30-yard bicycle kick. Shawcross was not called up again by Roy Hodgson and claimed in March 2016 said that Ibrahimović had ended his England career before it had started.[112][113]
Shawcross began coaching in 2022, joiningInter Miami'sMLS Next Pro affiliateInter Miami II as an assistant coach.[114] Shawcross returned to England in May 2023.[115] In June 2023 he became academy coach withStoke City U18s, moving up to the under-21s a year later.[116][117] On 16 September 2024, afterSteven Schumacher was sacked, Shawcross andAlex Morris became caretaker managers,[118] overseeing one game againstFleetwood Town in theEFL Cup beforeNarcís Pèlach was announced as Stoke's new manager on 18 September 2024.[119] Pèlach left Stoke in December 2024 and Shawcross took caretaker charge.[120] In January 2025 Shawcross was appointed first-team-coach to new managerMark Robins.[121]
Shawcross lived in Miami with his wife Kath. The couple have three children.[122] He has been involved in charity work.[123]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2006–07[124] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[125] | Premier League | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Royal Antwerp (loan) | 2006–07[10] | Belgian Second Division | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 3 | ||
| Stoke City | 2007–08[125] | Championship | 41 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 44 | 8 | |
| 2008–09[126] | Premier League | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2009–10[127] | Premier League | 28 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11[128] | Premier League | 36 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 44 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12[129] | Premier League | 36 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[c] | 0 | 49 | 2 | |
| 2012–13[58] | Premier League | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14[130] | Premier League | 37 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15[70] | Premier League | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16[76] | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[78] | Premier League | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18[81] | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19[83] | Championship | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20[131] | Championship | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[132] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 401 | 22 | 25 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 453 | 25 | ||
| Inter Miami | 2021[133] | Major League Soccer | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Career total | 435 | 25 | 28 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 492 | 28 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2012 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Stoke City (caretaker) | 16 September 2024 | 18 September 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 000.0 |
| Stoke City (caretaker) | 27 December 2024 | 1 January 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 050.0 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 033.3 | ||
Stoke City
Individual
