Michael Dawson

Nottingham Forest

Dawson started his career playing for his local team, Brompton Juniors, and also spent a year playing for Richmond before signing as a junior professional with Nottingham Forest at the age of 14. He turned professional in November 2000 and made his first-team debut for Forest on 1 April 2002 against Walsall in a 3–2 home defeat. In February 2003, Dawson signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract at Forest. During the 2002–03 season, Dawson established himself in the team alongside veteran defender Des Walker, as Forest finished sixth in the First Division to enter the play-offs. Forest played Sheffield United, and Dawson was sent off late in the first leg, making it his final appearance that season. Without Dawson, Forest lost 4–3 in the second leg of the semi-final, being eliminated 5–4 on aggregate. In the close season, Dawson contracted glandular fever whilst on duty with the England under-21s, causing him to miss the start of the 2003–04 season. Forest also struggled – winning only twice between the end of September and the beginning of February caused Paul Hart to be replaced by Joe Kinnear. The season was transformed from one battling relegation to a confident mid-table finish with the return of Dawson and David Johnson to the team being one of the reasons for this.

Tottenham Hotspur

Dawson and one of his Forest teammates, winger Andy Reid, signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on 31 January 2005 deadline day transfer…

England U21

Dawson made his debut for the English under-21 team against Italy on 11 February 2003. He went on to earn 13 England under-21 international caps, captaining the team on several occasions. His last appearance for the under-21 team was in a 2–1 loss to France on 15 November 2005.

England B

Dawson was capped twice for the English B team, his first cap coming in their 2–1 loss to Belarus at Reading's Madejski Stadium on 25 May 2006. His second cap came in their 3–1 win over Albania at Burnley's Turf Moor ground exactly a year later.

England senior team

Dawson was named in England's 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but was not selected for the final 23-man squad. Rio Ferdinand was withdrawn from the squad due to an injury sustained in the team's first training session, and Capello announced Dawson as Ferdinand's replacement. He made his first appearance for England in a warm-up match against the Platinum Stars; however, the match was not counted as a full international, merely a training match, so he did not receive a cap for his appearance. However, Capello did not use Dawson at the World Cup, and he was the only uncapped member of the squad. He made his full international debut in a friendly against Hungary on 11 August 2010, coming on as a half time substitute and was involved in a controversy over Hungary's goal. After making a mistake in the build-up, he got back to clear the ball off the line – a goal was given,…

Club

International

Born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Dawson grew up in Leyburn and attended Wensleydale school. He is the younger brother of fellow footballers Andy Dawson and Kevin Dawson.