Jonathan Woodgate

Leeds United

Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United at the age of sixteen after disagreements over his future between Middlesbrough and his family. He helped Leeds to win the FA Youth Cup in 1997, and in October the following year made his debut for the senior side. Woodgate was a consistent and impressive performer for Leeds during his time there, competing with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Lucas Radebe and Dominic Matteo for a starting place. He was regarded as one of the most complete all round players to come through the Leeds academy, and performed for Leeds in a time when they competed in the UEFA Cup, Champions League and regularly finished towards the top of the Premier League. His number of appearances were heavily reduced due to picking up several injuries on different occasions. But as a result of Leeds' financial problems Woodgate was sold to Newcastle to raise some much needed funds. He was described as the club's 'jewel in the crown' and his sale caused anger for many Leeds United fans as Peter Ridsdale revealed the perilous financial situation at the club. The sale also led to the dismissal of Terry Venables, who disagreed with Woodgate's departure.

Newcastle United

Woodgate signed for Newcastle United in January 2003 for £9 million with add ons. He impressed and quickly became a fan favourite. One of his finest games came in Newcastle's 2004 UEFA Cup semi final clash with Marseille, completely nullifying the…

Woodgate was first called up to the England squad in April 1999, Kevin Keegan named him in the squad for the friendly against Hungary. However, he picked up an injury playing for Leeds United and had to withdraw from the squad. In May 1999, he was called up for the Euro 2000 qualifiers against Sweden and Bulgaria. On 9 June, Woodgate made his debut in the 1–1 draw against Bulgaria; he started the game before being replaced by Ray Parlour in the 64th minute. He retained his place in the squad for the Euro 2000 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Poland, but did not feature in either game. Woodgate was called up for the friendly against Belgium in October 1999, but he later withdrew from the squad because of a back injury. This turned out to be his last involvement with the England squad for nearly three years. The Football Association decided that Woodgate would not be allowed to play for England until the court case stemming from an incident during a night out in Leeds in January 2000 was over, and any subsequent punishments served. This meant he would miss out on both Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. On 2 September 2002, manager Sven-Göran Eriksson recalled Woodgate to the England squad for the friendly against Portugal. He went on to earn his second cap, replacing Rio Ferdinand at half-time in the 1–1 draw at Villa Park. Woodgate was called up for the Euro 2004 qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia in October 2002; he started and played the whole 90 minutes in both…

Middlesbrough

After a brief spell as an international scout for Liverpool in Spain and Portugal, on 31 March 2017, Woodgate was appointed as an assistant coach to newly appointed Middlesbrough caretaker manager Steve Agnew, following the dismissal of Aitor Karanka, with Woodgate becoming one of three new arrivals in the club's coaching staff alongside fellow part-timers Joe Jordan and Paul Jenkins. After the club were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season, Woodgate vacated his position after new manager Garry Monk brought in his own coaching staff, with him being replaced by James Beattie. Following his departure from the first team, Woodgate joined the club's Academy coaching staff in June 2017, as the under-18 team's assistant coach under Mark Tinkler. In December 2017, Woodgate returned to his previous position as first team assistant coach, under the management of Tony Pulis, who replaced a dismissed Monk. In May 2019, Woodgate was the only member of Pulis' coaching staff not to be relieved from his duties, which saw him become the frontrunner to succeed the Welshman. After huge speculation, on 14 June 2019, Woodgate was appointed as the new permanent manager of Middlesbrough, signing onto a three-year contract. He brought in former associates Robbie Keane and Leo Percovich as his assistants, whereas Danny Coyne was appointed as the club's new goalkeeping coach. Following his appointment, Woodgate stated that he wanted to reintroduce…

Woodgate grew up supporting his local side Middlesbrough and cites Gary Pallister as his hero. In 2000, he was a defendant with teammate Lee Bowyer in a court case after his involvement in an altercation outside the Majestyk nightclub in Leeds, in which a student was left unconscious lying in his own blood, with a broken cheekbone, broken nose, fractured leg, bitemarks on his face and a wound in the back of his head requiring a dozen stitches, after a group including several Leeds United players had attacked him. The initial trial at Kingston upon Hull Crown Court collapsed, and following a second trial, also at Kingston upon Hull Crown Court in December 2001, Bowyer was cleared of charges of grievous bodily harm with intent and affray, while Woodgate was convicted of affray and sentenced to 100 hours' community service. He was also banned from international selection by the Football Association, which prevented him from being selected in the England squad for the 2000 European Championship and the 2002 World Cup. Woodgate has two children with his wife Natalie Downing, the sister of former Middlesbrough teammate and England midfielder Stewart Downing.