David Cotterill

Bristol City

Cotterill started his career at Bristol City, making his debut as a substitute for Michael Bell during a 0–0 draw with Colchester United on 30 October 2004. He played 57 games and scored seven goals for Bristol City during the 2005–06 season and was subsequently voted City's Young Player of the Season.

Wigan Athletic

Cotterill joined Premier League side Wigan Athletic on a three-year deal for £2 million on 31 August 2006. He scored his first goal for the club with a curling shot against West Ham United in a 2–0 victory at the Boleyn Ground, on 6 December 2006. Despite scoring two goals in 24 games for the Latics, his other goal coming against Sunderland in the FA Cup, Cotterill never fully established himself in the first team and was made available for loan.

Sheffield United

Seeking first team football to aid his international career, Cotterill joined Championship side Sheffield United on 8 February 2008 on a loan deal to last until the end of the 2007–08 season. He made his debut for the Blades the next day in a 0–0 home draw with Scunthorpe United eventually going on to play sixteen games for the Blades during his loan spell. Cotterill returned to Bramall Lane later that summer and signed permanently for the Blades in July 2008 for an undisclosed fee. Having made his move permanent, Cotterill found it difficult to find the form that had made his loan spell a success and struggled to hold down a place in the side. It wasn't until…

Cotterill was capped three times, scoring once for the under-19 team, and scored four goals from nine appearances for the under-21s. Cotterill was a full Welsh international on 24 occasions. He made his debut on 12 October 2005 as a 73rd-minute substitute for goalscorer Ryan Giggs in a 2–0 home win over Azerbaijan in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. The following 27 May, he made his first start in Giggs's place in a 2–1 friendly win over Trinidad & Tobago, who were preparing for the tournament. He attracted controversy when he criticised the Wales manager John Toshack in May 2007, for having not been picked in the squad. On 11 August 2010, Cotterill scored his first international goal to open a 5–1 friendly win over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli. His only other goal came on 13 October 2014 in a 2–1 home win over Cyprus in UEFA Euro 2016 qualification, opening the score four minutes after replacing the injured Simon Church in the ninth minute. He was part of the Wales squad that reached the semi-finals of the tournament in France – their first major event since the 1958 FIFA World Cup – but did not play. Birmingham City received €350,609.79 compensation from UEFA for his presence in the qualifiers and finals.

Club

International goals

Scores and results list Wales' goal tally first.

Cotterill was born in Cardiff, Wales and has two children with former wife Sasha. After signing for Swansea City in 2010, Cotterill revealed that he had received death threats from fans of Cardiff City after scoring a penalty against them whilst at former club Sheffield United. In September 2018, Cotterill revealed that he has suffered with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts throughout his life and career. In April 2019 he also revealed that he was suffering from alcohol problems. In November 2020, Cotterill was being investigated by South Wales Police for allegedly cheating teammates out of money by convincing them to invest in property schemes. He moved back with his parents due to his financial problems, and began repaying those who had invested; he also took to Twitter to apologise for his actions. Cotterill is an outspoken critic of the mainstream media and often posts on social media, in particular about vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. On 25 May 2022, he caused controversy when he posted on Instagram about the Robb Elementary School shooting suggesting that "crisis actors" were used in the shooting that killed 21 people. After the backlash Cotterill received, he deleted his post. He is the cousin of Swansea City midfielder and Wales youth international Joel Cotterill.