Luke Chadwick

Manchester United

Born in Cambridge, Chadwick had a three-week trial at his local club Cambridge United at the age of 10. After a spell at Arsenal, he was signed to the Manchester United youth system. He made his professional debut on 13 October 1999 in the third round of the League Cup as a young United side lost 3–0 at Aston Villa. After loans at Royal Antwerp in Belgium, he made his Premier League debut on 11 November 2000 in a 2–1 home win over Middlesbrough as an added-time substitute for Dwight Yorke. On 17 December, he came on in the 80th minute for Denis Irwin at home to Liverpool and was sent off for a foul on Vladimír Šmicer in a 1–0 loss. He scored two league goals in the title-winning 2000–01 season, one in a 3–0 win at Bradford City on 13 January 2001 and the other on 3 March in a 1–1 draw at Leeds United. After playing rarely for United in 18 months, Chadwick went on a one-month loan to First Division team Reading in February 2003. He was inspired by Arsenal's Matthew Upson increasing his standing by making the same move. On his debut for the Royals on 10 February, he equalised in a 2–1 home win over Gillingham. His deal was extended until the end of the season. He helped the club to the play-off semi-finals, where they were ousted by eventually promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. In July 2003, Chadwick was loaned for the season to First Division side Burnley. He missed pre-season due to two jaw operations as part of a two-year treatment. In 40 total…

Chadwick made his debut for the England under-21s in the win against Luxembourg in September 1999. He played the full 90 minutes as England won 5−0 in the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier at the Madejski Stadium. England qualified for the finals in Slovakia and Chadwick made substitute appearances against Italy and Slovakia as they were eliminated at the group stages. He featured four times during England's qualifying campaign for 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with his last appearance coming in the 5−0 win against Albania on 4 September 2001. Overall, Chadwick made 13 appearances for the U21s but scored no goals.

Chadwick and his wife Hayley have two sons. As of 2015, both were in the youth ranks of Cambridge United. From 2016, Chadwick began mentoring young footballers, and in August 2023 was praised by England women's footballer Georgia Stanway for his help. Chadwick's childhood fear of dentists prevented the fitting of braces to repair his overbite. In May 2020, he spoke about how his mental health had been affected by abuse about his appearance he had received as a young player. He highlighted how the media had made fun of his appearance, "spots on my face, teeth sticking out, that sort of thing", making particular mention of the abuse he had received on the BBC panel show They Think It's All Over. He received an apology from the show's hosts Nick Hancock and Gary Lineker. In May 2025, Chadwick released an autobiography called Not Just a Pretty Face talking about his football career, personal life and mental health struggles.

Royal Antwerp

Belgian Second Division: 1999–2000 Manchester United

Premier League: 2000–01 Cambridge United

Conference Premier play-offs: 2013–14 Individual

Milton Keynes Dons Player of the Year: 2009–10, 2010–11