Danny Higginbotham

Manchester United

Higginbotham started his career at his local club Manchester United but was not highly rated during the first year of his apprenticeship, and his career was almost ended when he broke his femur in a B team match. However, he recovered well from the injury and was given a two-year professional contract in 1998. He made his Premier League debut on 10 May 1998, coming on for Michael Clegg 60 minutes into a 2–0 win over Barnsley at Oakwell. He was sent to Belgian Second Division side Royal Antwerp on a loan spell. He got off to a bad start at the club and asked to return to Old Trafford after being abused by Antwerp supporters outside the Bosuilstadion, and had to be talked into staying by manager Regi Van Acker. Following this start, the club then won 15 matches in a row, and Higginbotham became popular with the fans. However, the season ended with defeat in a play-off game. After the final whistle, Ronnie Wallwork allegedly attacked the referee Amand Ancion. Higginbotham was subsequently banned from football for a year for his alleged involvement in the attack. In September 1999, a Belgian court reduced Higginbotham's ban to four months. Ancion maintained that Wallwork had grabbed him by the throat and that Higginbotham had headbutted him. Higginbotham always maintained his innocence, stating that he had tried to intervene peacefully after Wallwork had aggressively confronted Ancion. Alex Ferguson believed the player's innocence and handed both…

Born and raised in England, Higginbotham was eligible to play for the Gibraltar national team through his maternal grandmother. The former Gibraltar manager, Allen Bula, is his uncle. Higginbotham made his international debut in Gibraltar's first ever match as a UEFA member, a 0–0 draw in a friendly against Slovakia, on 19 November 2013. He was praised for his performance and was named man of the match. He announced his retirement from international football in March 2014, having earned three caps for Gibraltar.

In February 2013, Higginbotham began to write his own column in The Sentinel, a local newspaper in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire area. Higginbotham also has a regular sports column in The Independent. He released his autobiography in April 2015, entitled: Rise of the Underdog. He has appeared on several television and radio stations, including Talksport, BBC Radio 5 Live, BT Sport, ESPN, Sky Sports and NBC Sports. On 17 December 2020, it was announced that Higginbotham would be the new color commentator for the Philadelphia Union starting with the 2021 season.

Born in Manchester, Higginbotham grew up in nearby Altrincham. Despite passing his eleven plus exam he was denied entry into Altrincham Grammar School for Boys. His elder brother, Paul, played non-League football for Witton Albion.