.jpg) Coleman as manager ofWales in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Patrick Coleman[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1970-06-10)10 June 1970 (age 55)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Asteras Tripolis (manager) | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –1986 | Manchester City | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1987–1991 | Swansea City | 160 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | Crystal Palace | 154 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Blackburn Rovers | 28 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Fulham | 136 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 478 | (23) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2002 | Wales | 32 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Fulham | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Real Sociedad | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Coventry City | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | AEL | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2017 | Wales | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Sunderland | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Hebei China Fortune | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Atromitos | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | AEL Limassol | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | OH Leuven | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Asteras Tripolis | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Christopher Patrick ColemanOBE (born 10 June 1970) is a Welsh professionalfootball coach and formerplayer. He is the current manager ofGreek Super League clubAsteras Tripolis.
As a player, Coleman usually played indefence, while also occasionally appearing as a forward. He began his career atManchester City, leaving as a teenager to make his debut for hometown teamSwansea City in 1987. In 1991, he joinedCrystal Palace, whom he represented in thePremier League. He spent a year-and-a-half at league championsBlackburn Rovers before signing forFulham in 1997, helping the team to two promotions from the third tier to the top flight. He won 32caps playing forWales. Coleman's playing career ended at the age of 32, when his leg was broken in a car crash.
Following this, he started his coaching career at Fulham. In his first full season as manager, he guided the club to ninth place in the2003–04 Premier League. After leaving Fulham, Coleman was appointed manager ofReal Sociedad, where he resigned in January 2008 due to differences with the incoming president. He returned to England to manageCoventry City, but was dismissed in May 2010 following a poor run of results. Coleman then managed Greek sideAEL for the first half of the 2011–12 season before resigning due to financial troubles at the club. In 2012, he took over asWales national team manager after the death ofGary Speed, and led Wales toUEFA Euro 2016, their first major tournament since the1958 FIFA World Cup, where they made the semi-finals.
Coleman was born inSwansea.[2] His Irish father was fromDublin.[3]
Coleman was educated at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School andBishop Vaughan Catholic School.[4] Coleman has been nicknamed "Cookie" since childhood, as friends likened his eating habits to theCookie Monster fromSesame Street.[5]
The first professional team Coleman was contracted to wasManchester City, aged 16, although he later left them, citing homesickness as the major reason.[6] He then joined his hometown clubSwansea City.[7]
He made his first professional appearance for them aged 17, in the autumn of 1987. He made nearly 200 appearances for the south Wales club and helped win theWelsh Cup in 1989 and 1991.[8][9]
After spending four years with Swansea, Coleman was signed byCrystal Palace in 1991 for a transfer fee set by a Football League tribunal at around £270,000, plus a percentage of any future sale. After making 143 appearances, scoring 16 goals in that period – a 1 in 9 record explained by the fact that managerSteve Coppell often used Coleman as a makeshift centre forward. Palace finished 10th in Coleman's first season atSelhurst Park, but they were relegated from the newFA Premier League in his second season (although they did reach the semi-finals of the League Cup). They won promotion as Division One champions at the first attempt, but went straight back down again despite reaching the semi-finals of both cups that season. Coleman was sold toBlackburn Rovers, the defending league champions, for £2.8 million in December 1995. While at Palace, he was capped for Wales at senior level for the first time.
In 2005, Palace supporters voted Coleman into theirCentenary XI.
Coleman joinedPremier League championsBlackburn Rovers for a fee of £2.8 million. Blackburn did not retain the Premier League title they had won in1995, and finished seventh, just missing out on aUEFA Cup place. Coleman made 28 league appearances over his season-and-a-half at the club, and when he found himself out of the starting line-up too often (not helped by a persistentAchilles injury), he took the gamble to further his career by dropping two divisions to joinFulham.
Fulham, at the time in thethird tier, were financed by wealthy businessmanMohamed Al-Fayed, and were able to spend a record transfer fee for the division and club, of £2.1 million for Coleman in late 1997.[10] He quickly became clubcaptain, and led Fulham to promotion under managerKevin Keegan in1998–99 to theFirst Division.
He remained captain and a regular in the team under new managerJean Tigana in the2000–01 season as Fulham made a successful start to the campaign. However, Coleman's career was effectively ended midway through the season, after he broke his leg in a car crash nearBletchingley in Surrey on 2 January 2001, just days before anFA Cup tie againstManchester United.[11] He never recovered from this injury despite playing a reserve fixture in March 2002, a game that only served as an indication that he would never again play at the highest level of English football. He announced his retirement as a player in October 2002, but stayed at theWest London club as a member of the coaching staff.[12]
Coleman wascapped by Wales at school, youth,under-21 andsenior levels.[2][13] His only competitive football appearance after his leg injuries came for Wales on 14 May 2002, when he was called up to the squad as a replacement forDanny Gabbidon,[14] and then came on as a late substitute for goalscorerRobert Earnshaw in the 1–0 win overGermany at theMillennium Stadium.[15]
Coleman was also eligible to play for Ireland, through his father.[3]
Coleman joined Fulham's coaching staff in October 2002 under Tigana.[16] He later succeeded the Frenchman as caretaker manager in April 2003, and steered Fulham away from relegation danger. He was named as Fulham's permanent manager in May 2003, beating the more experiencedKlaus Toppmöller andGeorge Burley to the post, and also became the youngest manager in the Premier League.[17]
His first full season in charge saw Fulham finish a surprise ninth place, as many pundits tipped them to struggle and for Coleman to be sacked.[18] Many of Fulham's key players, such asEdwin van der Sar,Louis Saha,Steed Malbranque andLuís Boa Morte, were sold in the following years and Fulham did not repeat their earlier successes under Coleman though he kept them clear of relegation. He was sacked on 10 April 2007 in a move that caught some observers by surprise, after a seven-game winless run that left the club four points above the relegation zone.[19]
Coleman moved abroad to manage recently relegatedSegunda División sideReal Sociedad on 4 July 2007, after being recommended to the club by fellow Welshman and former Real Sociedad managerJohn Toshack.[20] He was linked withBolton Wanderers in October 2007[21] though nothing came of it. With the club in 5th place and having only lost once in its previous eleven games, Coleman resigned as manager on 16 January 2008, citing a divergence in vision for the club with newly elected President Iñaki Badiola.[22]
Coleman was appointed manager ofChampionship clubCoventry City on 19 February 2008, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. He replacedIain Dowie, who had been sacked by new ownerRay Ranson.[23]
On 26 August 2008, the BBC reported that Coleman was no longer interested in the Wales national team.[24] He later said that his words had been misinterpreted; when answering a question on whether Coventry strikerFreddy Eastwood was fit to play for Wales, he meant to say that he wanted Eastwood fit for club before returning to international duty.[25] On 4 May 2010, Coleman was sacked following Coventry's 19th-place finish during the 2009–10 season,[26] their lowest league finish in more than 45 years. They would be relegated two years later.
On 26 May 2011, Coleman was appointed as manager of Greek sideAEL.[27] In January 2012, Coleman announced that because of financial troubles at the club he would be quitting from his position as manager.[28]
On 19 January 2012, Coleman was appointed team manager of theWales national team, as successor to his friendGary Speed, who had died the previous November.[29] After letting his assistantOsian Roberts take charge in Speed's memorial match againstCosta Rica in February,[30] his first game in charge was a 2–0 defeat againstMexico at theMetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 27 May.[31]
Wales' first match in2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was on 7 September at home toBelgium, with centre backJames Collins sent off for a late lunge onGuillaume Gillet in the 25th minute of an eventual 2–0 loss.[32] Four days later inNovi Sad, the team lost 6–1 to Serbia; Coleman said in October 2015 that he considered leaving his post after the defeat.[33] After becoming the first Welsh manager to lose his first five games, Coleman got his first win on 12 October 2012, a 2–1 victory againstScotland.[34] On 26 March 2013, in a qualifier againstCroatia at theLiberty Stadium, Wales led 1–0 for the majority of the game through aGareth Bale penalty, but two late goals from the opponents ended any hopes of qualification.[35]
In October 2015, Coleman led Wales to their best ever position on theFIFA World Rankings, 8th.[36] On 10 October, their qualification for theUEFA Euro 2016 tournament was confirmed, a first tournament qualification since 1958.[37] The team came first in their group in France, and eliminated Northern Ireland and Belgium to reach the semi-finals, losing to eventual champions Portugal. Coleman received interest from other teams due to his management of the Welsh team at the tournament.[38]
On 23 May 2016, it was announced at aFootball Association of Wales press conference that Coleman had signed a two-year contract extension to take in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.[39] Wales's 1–0 home loss to the Republic of Ireland on 9 October 2017 meant that they were eliminated from qualification.[40] Coleman resigned as Wales manager on 17 November.[41]
On 19 November 2017, Coleman was appointed as the new manager of under-performingChampionship clubSunderland.[42] He replaced the dismissedSimon Grayson, who had left the Black Cats third from bottom of the league table in twenty-second place and within the relegation drop zone.[43] Coleman's first game in charge was a 2–1 defeat atAston Villa, two days after his appointment.[44] By the conclusion of 2017, Sunderland had collected eleven points, out of a possible twenty-four, under Coleman's guidance, briefly lifting out of the relegation zone into twenty-first place, following a satisfactory run of form.[45]
During thewinter transfer window, Coleman was informed that club chairmanEllis Short had refused to invest any more money into player transfers, with the American businessman announcing his intentions to sell the club.[46] Joining the club for free of charge included the loan signings ofJake Clarke-Salter fromChelsea,Ovie Ejaria fromLiverpool,Lee Camp fromCardiff City andAshley Fletcher from fierce rivalsMiddlesbrough;Kazenga LuaLua was the only permanent transfer that window, joining fromBrighton & Hove Albion on a free transfer.[46]
After their transfer window nightmare, Sunderland went on a nine-game winless run, ending when they defeatedDerby County 4–1 atPride Park.[47] This was Coleman's final victory in charge of Sunderland; his final six games saw the Black Cats record three draws and three defeats.[48] Relegation toLeague One was confirmed following a 2–1 defeat againstBurton Albion at theStadium of Light.[49] His final game in charge was a 2–1 defeat toFulham.[48] On 29 April 2018, Coleman was dismissed shortly following the club's sale.[50]
On 10 June 2018, Coleman was appointed as the head coach of Chinese clubHebei China Fortune, as successor toManuel Pellegrini,[51] who left the side to return to thePremier League withWest Ham United.[52] The club had become notable during the year for completing the high-profile signing ofJavier Mascherano from SpanishLa Liga giantsBarcelona.[53][54][55] His side finished the2018 Super League season in sixth position, two places and fourteen points adrift from qualification to the2019 AFC Champions League.[56]
Coleman's side struggled to adapt in the2019 league campaign, with the club sat in fifteenth place, in the relegation zone, following nine games.[57] Having only won one game that league season, a 2–1 victory overShanghai Greenland Shenhua, he was sacked on 15 May due to poor performance.[58]
He is married to TV presenterCharlotte Jackson. They had a son at the end of 2014.[59][60] Coleman's godson isRepublic of Ireland internationalRonan Curtis, who plays as a forward for AFC Wimbledon.[61]
In June 2010, Coleman worked as acommentator forITV at the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[62] He has also worked as a commentator and pundit forSky Sports.[63] ForEuro 2020, he worked forESPN.[64]
On 20 October 2016 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Swansea.[65] Coleman was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2017 New Year Honours for services to football.[66] In 2017, he was awarded an honorary degree from his hometown'sUniversity of Swansea,[67] and fellowships at bothBangor University andUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David.[68][69][70] In July 2017, he endorsed the Welsh Government's project to double the number of speakers of Welsh by 2050.[71]
 | This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Chris Coleman" footballer – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Swansea City | 1987–88 | Fourth Division | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 1988–89 | Third Division | 43 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| 1989–90 | 46 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 2 | ||
| 1990–91 | 41 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 55 | 1 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 1991–92 | First Division | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 38 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 7 | |
| 1993–94 | First Division | 46 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 3 | |
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 35 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 2 | |
| 1995–96 | First Division | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Blackburn Rovers | 1995–96 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 1996–97 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Fulham | 1997–98 | Second Division | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| 1998–99 | 45 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 5 | ||
| 1999–2000 | First Division | 40 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 5 | |
| 2000–01 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 478 | 23 | 36 | 3 | 48 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 576 | 30 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Fulham | 17 April 2003 | 10 April 2007 | 176 | 61 | 44 | 71 | 034.7 | [19][72] |
| Real Sociedad | 4 July 2007 | 16 January 2008 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 038.1 | [20][22][73] |
| Coventry City | 19 February 2008 | 4 May 2010 | 117 | 34 | 37 | 46 | 029.1 | [72] |
| AEL | 26 May 2011 | 10 January 2012 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 050.0 | [72] |
| Wales | 19 January 2012 | 17 November 2017 | 50 | 19 | 13 | 18 | 038.0 | [29][41][72] |
| Sunderland | 19 November 2017 | 29 April 2018 | 29 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 017.2 | [72] |
| Hebei China Fortune | 10 June 2018 | 15 May 2019 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 033.3 | [citation needed] |
| Atromitos | 7 January 2022 | 10 October 2023 | 60 | 16 | 21 | 23 | 026.7 | |
| AEL Limassol | 25 May 2024 | 27 November 2024 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 045.5 | |
| OH Leuven | 2 December 2024 | 11 June 2025 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 026.9 | |
| Asteras Tripolis | 7 October 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 016.7 | ||
| Total | 529 | 169 | 153 | 207 | 031.9 | — | ||
Swansea City
Crystal Palace
Fulham
Individual
Individual
The Wales manager also shed light on the origins of "Cookie", the nickname from his playing days, revealing it was from popular Children's TV show 'Sesame Street'. With a wry smile Chris Coleman said: "I was quite a big young boy and my friends called me Cookie Monster as I was forever eating biscuits and chocolate bars and that's where it stuck."
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
|  | |