Steve Staunton

Stephen Staunton (born 19 January 1969) is an Irish football manager, scout and former professional footballer.

He played as a defender with two separate spells each with Premier League sides Aston Villa and Liverpool.

He also played in the Football League for Bradford City, Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Walsall.

Staunton was spotted by Liverpool playing in Ireland for his home club of Dundalk as a 17-year-old and was signed on 2 September 1986 by manager Kenny Dalglish for a fee of £20,000.

He spent the first two seasons in the reserves and even went on loan to Bradford City for eight games during the 1987–88 season as cover for the injured Karl Goddard.

He made his Liverpool debut on 17 September 1988 in the 1–1 league draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

As a result of his impressive performance he remained in the side for the rest of the season, despite him being vastly inexperienced compared to the players around him who were defending a League championship title won the year before.

Following on from his impressive debut he scored his first goal three days later on 20 September; however, his 80th-minute strike wasn't enough to prevent Arsenal winning the Centenary Trophy semi-final 2–1.

An injury to captain Alan Hansen meant that regular left back Gary Ablett had to be shifted across to the centre of defence.

Staunton was therefore given his chance and proved an impressive and consistent performer in a team of strong players, playing his part as Liverpool challenged for the title again.

In the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 97 fans at the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989, Staunton was among the players who comforted bereaved families and attended many of the funerals.

He also put in an outstanding performance when the fateful FA Cup semi-final was rescheduled a month later, with Liverpool beating Nottingham Forest 3–1.

Staunton played in the FA Cup Final at Wembley – he was substituted at the start of the extra-time period – as Liverpool defeated Merseyside rivals Everton 3–2.

However, the season ended with disappointment when Liverpool lost the League title in a decider against Arsenal at Anfield.

The Gunners needed to win by two clear goals and were 1–0 up with just seconds remaining.

With virtually the last kick of the season Michael Thomas broke through the centre of the Reds defence to score thus stopping Liverpool gaining a second league and FA Cup double – something which no English club had yet achieved.

The following year, Staunton was a frequent presence again as Liverpool reclaimed the League title.

His first goals for Liverpool came in remarkable fashion on 4 October 1989 when he came on as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Wigan Athletic and scored a hat-trick.

The following season he scored twice more; against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup and Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup.

However 1990–91 was his final season with Liverpool before being astutely signed up by Aston Villa on 7 August 1991 for £1.1 million.

He soon became a regular in Villa's defence, alongside the likes of the legendary Villan Paul McGrath, as they finished seventh during the 1991–92 season.

The following year he played an important role in the club's push for the title in the first Premier League season.

Villa, in the end, lost out to Manchester United and had to settle for second place.

The following season, he won a League Cup winners medal when he helped a wounded Villa gain revenge on Manchester United by beating them 3–1 (denying them a domestic treble).

The League Cup medal completed his domestic medal set.

In the 1994–95 season, despite the club's managerial problems, he had a fine season and regularly captained the side.

New manager Graeme Souness was accused of misjudging the player's abilities, though the ruling for European ties possibly had a bearing, with Staunton being classed as a foreigner, of which no team was allowed to field more than four; the Bosman ruling (which included the abolishment of quotas for EU citizens on teams in member countries) was not passed until 1995.

Staunton made a good impression on the Villa fans by marking his debut on 17 August with a goal in the 3–2 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

The 1995–96 season was a mixed one for Staunton.

He won another League Cup medal, this time as a non-playing substitute in the excellent 3–0 victory over Leeds United, but his playing time was limited due to a number of injuries.

Over the next two seasons he was once again a regular in defence, playing his part in Villa's run to the UEFA Cup quarter finals in 1996–97.

He also scored from a corner during his time at Villa.

Meanwhile, in the league, he helped a transitional Villa team to a fifth-place finish in 1996–97 and seventh in 1997–98.

He earned 102 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team, captained his team to the knock-out stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and earned his place in the FIFA Century Club.

After retiring, he served as Republic of Ireland national team coach prior to Giovanni Trapattoni.

He also spent five months as manager of Darlington in Football League Two and has worked on the coaching staff at Leeds United and Sunderland.

Born in Dundalk, County Louth, Staunton was an accomplished all-round sportsman.

He lived in Dundalk, County Louth, and attended the De La Salle College in the town.

As well as playing soccer for his home club of Dundalk, he played Gaelic football, appearing for Louth's U-16 team and winning a Louth Senior Championship medal with Clan na Gael.

He also played for his local team St Dominic's at underage level.