 Finnan withLiverpool in 2006 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen John Finnan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-04-24)24 April 1976 (age 49)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Limerick, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1993 | Wimbledon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1995 | Welling United | 41 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Birmingham City | 15 | (1) |
| 1996 | →Notts County (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 1996–1998 | Notts County | 80 | (5) |
| 1998–2003 | Fulham | 172 | (7) |
| 2003–2008 | Liverpool | 145 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Espanyol | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Portsmouth | 21 | (0) |
| Total | 495 | (17) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2008 | Republic of Ireland | 53 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen John Finnan (born 24 April 1976) is an Irish formerinternationalfootballer who played as aright-back.
He is the only player to have played in the World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Intertoto Cup, all four levels of the English league football and theFootball Conference.[4] Among the honours won during his career was the2005 UEFA Champions League Final forLiverpool. Finnan was known for his attacking role and ability to cross the ball.[5]
He played 52 internationals for theRepublic of Ireland from his debut in 2000, scoring twice. He played for them at the2002 FIFA World Cup.
Finnan was born in the Janesboro area ofLimerick, and moved toChelmsford, England, at a young age.[6] He began his career playing inWimbledon'syouth system,[7] but he joinednon-League clubWelling United in 1993 after being released at the age of 16. Finnan turned professional when he signed withBirmingham City in 1995, who paid afee of £100,000 to Welling United to acquire his services.[8] He scored his first professional goal againstWatford.[9]
Finnan made aloan switch toNotts County in March 1996, making his debut in a 2–1 victory overWalsall and scoring his first goal a month later in a 4–2 victory overBristol Rovers.[10][11] He appeared in all of Notts' games for the remainder of the season,[11] helping the team finish fourth in theSecond Division and qualify for thepromotion play-offs.[12] In the first leg of the semi-finals held at theAlexandra Stadium he scored againstCrewe Alexandra, with the match ending 2–2.[11] The return leg at home saw Notts win 1–0, winning 3–2 on aggregate.[11] In theplay-offs final againstBradford City atWembley Stadium, Notts County lost 2–0.[11] He returned to Birmingham following the conclusion of the loan deal.
During the following season,1996–97, Notts County signed Finnan for a fee £300,000 on 30 October 1996.[13] He played his first match as a permanent player for Notts County after being introduced as asubstitute againstShrewsbury Town.[14] The season was not a successful one for Finnan as Notts County finished 24th in the table and were relegated to theThird Division.[15]
In the1997–98 season, his first full season at the club, Finnan established himself as a key member of the team and was an ever present, appearing in 51 matches,[16] helping the club win the Third Division title with record points and time.[17] The other notable record Finnan established with Notts County during this season was a streak of 10 consecutive victories; a club record and one which still stands today.[18]
After strong showings for Notts County in the 1997–98 season,Fulham managerKevin Keegan paid £600,000 for his services in November 1998.[19] He made his Fulham debut againstChesterfield on 21 November 1998 and scored his first goal for Fulham againstBlackpool on 20 March 1999.[20] While at Fulham, he also became a favourite among the fans.[21] His first season with the club was a success, with Fulham winning the Second Division championship and being promoted to theFirst Division.[22]
Finnan finished ninth with Fulham the following season under new managerPaul Bracewell, despite promising early season form and an unbeaten run lasting over two months.[23] Bracewell was replaced withJean Tigana in May 2000, and under him in the2000–01 season, Fulham won the First Division championship, winning promotion to thePremier League, with Finnan appearing in all but one of the league matches.[24][25]
In his debut season in the Premier League, he helped Fulham qualify for theUEFA Intertoto Cup, was voted into the2001–02Professional Footballers' Association team of the year and was also voted as the Fulham player of the year.[26][27] Fulham then went on to win the Intertoto Cup, giving Finnan his first taste of European football.[28] Next season saw Jean Tigana replaced byChris Coleman, Finnan's fourth manager in five seasons.[29] By April 2003 with few games to go, Fulham were close to the relegation zone but picked up 10 points out of a possible 15 to stay in the top-flight, finishing in 14th position.[30]
In the summer of 2003 Finnan found himself courted by many of England's top clubs,[31] and eventually Fulham agreed to sell Finnan to Liverpool for a fee of £3.5m.[2]
Finnan made his Liverpool debut against Chelsea on 17 August 2003. His first season was disrupted by injury,[32] but in2004–05, he established himself as the first-choice right-back and a firm fan favourite.[33] The season was a highly successful one for Finnan. He scored his first and only goal for Liverpool againstWest Bromwich Albion,[34] played in theLeague Cup final,[35] and was in the starting eleven as Liverpool won theChampions League Final, though a thigh injury meant he was substituted at half time.[36] Finnan's goal against WBA meant that he became only the second player to score in each of the five highest divisions of English football; the first wasJimmy Willis.[37]
In the2005–06 season, Liverpool broke their record for number of points in a Premier League season, finishing on 82 points with Finnan being ever present.[38] At the end of the season he picked up another medal with Liverpool, winning theFA Cup.[39]
Finnan played for Liverpool as first-choice right-back for the2006–07 season despite heavy competition from newly arrived teammateÁlvaro Arbeloa.[40] He started in the2007 UEFA Champions League Final and was subbed off after 88 minutes, Liverpool went on to lose the game 2–1.[41] In July 2007, Finnan agreed a new two-year contract to remain with Liverpool.[42]
The following season, Liverpool's success continued as they finished third in the League and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. Finnan took his total appearances for Liverpool past the 200 mark and also made it into the top 100 capped Liverpool players of all time.[43][44] Finnan featured in 35 games, but lost his starting place, managerRafa Benítez often preferring Arbeloa to start.[45][46][47] In the summer of 2008, after the arrival of fullbackPhilipp Degen at the club fromBorussia Dortmund, Finnan was linked with a move away fromAnfield.[48] He was offered by Liverpool as a makeweight in a deal to signGareth Barry fromAston Villa; the player accepted the move but the clubs were unable to agree a fee.[49] He made a guest appearance inJamie Carragher's testimonial match in September 2010.[50]
On transfer deadline day, 1 September 2008, Finnan signed a two-year deal with La Liga clubEspanyol for an undisclosed fee.[51] Injuries limited his first team appearances,[52] and rumours of a return to the Premier League in the January 2009 transfer window withArsenal orTottenham Hotspur were dismissed by Espanyol's sports directorPaco Herrera and by coachMané, who considered him an important member of the team.[53] By mid-January, Espanyol were "surprised" that a move toHull City did not proceed, apparently for medical reasons.[54] In July 2009, Espanyol and Finnan agreed to mutually terminate the remainder of his contract.[55]
Finnan signed a one-year contract with Premier League sidePortsmouth on 31 July 2009.[56] He made his debut for the club on 3 October in a 1–0 victory againstWolverhampton Wanderers atMolineux, and played regularly in the second half of the season,[57] but with the club inadministration and relegated to the Championship, he was not offered a new deal.[58] His last appearance for the club was the2010 FA Cup Final againstChelsea.[59]
ARepublic of Ireland Under-21 international, Finnan stepped up to the senior side in 2000 againstGreece. He cemented his place in the Irish starting XI during the2002 World Cup qualification matches, supplying the cross forJason McAteer to score the only goal in a crucial 1–0 home win against theNetherlands in September 2001.
Finnan appeared in all three of Ireland's group E games in the 2002 FIFA World Cup againstCameroon,Germany andSaudi Arabia. Ireland progressed to the second round of the tournament for only the third time in their history where they facedSpain. The match ended 1–1 in extra time and went to penalties. Finnan took a penalty and scored, but Ireland eventually lost 3–2.
Injury disrupted Finnan's participation in the unsuccessful attempt to reach theEuro 2004 finals. He was a regular choice in the2006 World Cup qualification games but Ireland failed to qualify for the finals.
He was again a regular selection in the2008 Euro qualification games but Ireland did not qualify for the finals. He scored his second international goal in the group game againstCyprus in a 1–1 draw.[60] He then announced his retirement from international football on 22 January 2008 after making 50 appearances for theRepublic of Ireland.[61] Tempted by the prospect of working with the newly appointed Ireland managerGiovanni Trapattoni,[62] Finnan came out of retirement in August 2008 to be included in the squad to faceNorway in an international friendly.[63]
Finnan was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving in June 2005 after hisRange Rover ran over an 81-year-old man from Liverpool,[64][65] who later died of his injuries.[66] Finnan faced no charges over the man's death,[67] despite his vehicle travelling at 58mph in a 30mph zone. Finnan later expressed his sympathy to the man's family.[68]
In 2015, Finnan was living in London and working in property development.[69]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Welling United | 1993–94[70] | Football Conference | 22 | 0 | – | 22 | 0 | |||||
| 1994–95[70] | Football Conference | 19 | 1 | – | 19 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 41 | 1 | – | 41 | 1 | |||||||
| Birmingham City | 1995–96[71] | First Division | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| 1996–97[72] | First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| Notts County (loan) | 1995–96[73] | Second Division | 17 | 2 | – | – | 3[b] | 1 | 20 | 3 | ||
| Notts County | 1996–97[72][74] | Second Division | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1997–98[75] | Third Division | 44 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 6 | |
| 1998–99[76] | Second Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total[77] | 97 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 112 | 9 | ||
| Fulham | 1998–99[76] | Second Division | 22 | 2 | 4 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| 1999–2000[78] | First Division | 36 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | – | 46 | 3 | ||
| 2000–2001[79] | First Division | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 48 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02[80] | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03[81] | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[d] | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| Total | 173 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 209 | 7 | ||
| Liverpool | 2003–04[82] | Premier League | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2004–05[83] | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 14[f] | 0 | 52 | 1 | |
| 2005–06[84] | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13[g] | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
| 2006–07[85] | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13[h] | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[86] | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[f] | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| Total | 145 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 217 | 1 | ||
| Espanyol | 2008–09[87] | La Liga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | ||
| Portsmouth | 2009–10[88] | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 | 0 | |
| Career total | 496 | 16 | 43 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 66 | 1 | 631 | 19 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2000 | 5 | 1 |
| 2001 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 November 2000 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland |  Finland | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 17 October 2007 | Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland |  Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
Notts County
Fulham
Liverpool
Portsmouth
Individual
