Paul Dixon

Dundee

Born in Aberdeen, Dixon played youth football for Monifieth Athletic before he joined the youth teams of Dundee at age of 12. Dixon then progressed through the ranks at the Dens' youth system.

2005–06 season

Ahead of the 2005–06 season, Dixon was promoted to the Dundee's first team by manager Jim Duffy. He later reflected on getting first team, saying: "the club who gave me my break and helped me develop and mature as a player, I will always be grateful. Dundee were in financial trouble themselves when I was there and going into administration meant they had to rely on some of the younger players like myself. I went on to play more than 100 times for them, and that was fantastic grounding." Dixon made his professional debut for the Dens, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win against East Stirlingshire in the first round of the Scottish Challenge Cup match on 31 July 2005. He made his league debut for Dundee, starting a match before being substituted at half–time, in a 3–2 win against St. Mirren in the opening game of the season. After a slow start, Dixon soon won his first team place for the Dens, playing in the left–back position. He then helped Dundee kept five consecutive clean sheets in five matches 31 December 2005 and 21 January 2005. On 21 January 2006, Dixon scored his first goal for Dundee, in a 3–0 win at Brechin City. On 3 February 2006, he was rewarded with a contract extension until the summer of 2008, along with eight other…

Towards the end of his playing career, Dixon began studying for his UEFA A Licence. He stated his intention to move to coaching once his playing career is over. After leaving Falkirk, Dixon worked for the academy coach at Hearts and Dundee United before he joined Peterhead. Shortly after retiring from professional football, Dixon was appointed as a dual role as individual coach analyst and under-16s coach for Dundee United.

In August 2007, Dixon was called up to the Scotland under-21 for the first time and made his debut for the under-21 side, playing 82 minutes in a friendly match, in a 1–0 win against the Czech Republic under-21 team. He then made another (and last) appearance for Scotland U21, in a 4–0 loss against Netherlands under-21 team on 16 October 2007. In May 2009, Dixon missed out on a Scotland B call-up due to a clash with United's league fixture. Dixon was selected in the full Scotland squad for a friendly against the Czech Republic on 3 March 2010, along with Dundee United teammates Andy Webster and Garry Kenneth, but did not play. Two years later, he had to wait until September 2012 to receive another call–up from the national squad. Dixon made his full Scotland debut on 8 September 2012, in a goalless draw with Serbia in Scotland's opening World Cup qualifier of Group A at Hampden Park, playing the full 90 minutes and earning man of the match for his solid performance in defence. He made his second appearance for the national side, making another start, in a 1–1 draw against Macedonia on 11 September 2012. Dixon's third appearance for Scotland came on 14 November 2012 against Luxembourg, where he set up a goal for Jordan Rhodes, who scored twice, in a 2–1 win, in what turns out to be his last appearance. Following this, however, Dixon was not called up to the Scotland's squad by manager Gordon Strachan despite his good performances at Huddersfield Town. He knew that his failure…

Born in Aberdeen, Dixon moved to Dundee when he was a year old. His mother was from Aberdeen, while his father was from the West Country. Growing up, Dixon was a boyhood Dundee United supporter, whom he later joined in 2008. Due to his father being a Bristol Rovers supporter, they attended Football League Second Division play-off final against Huddersfield Town, which Bristol Rovers eventually lost. Outside of football, Dixon is an enthusiastic paddler. He's married to his wife, Stefany, and together they have two children. The birth of their second child was a factor in Dixon returning to Scotland in 2015. Following the end of his professional football career, Dixon sought help from charity Back Onside, undergoing therapy for his mental health.