Tom Huddlestone

Derby County

Born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Huddlestone was taken on by Nottingham Forest at an early age but was released at 12 as he was claimed to be "not strong enough". He joined Derby County and after progressing well, made his debut for Derby County's reserve team at the age of just 15, when he appeared as an 80th minute substitute at right wingback in a match against Coventry City. He was given his first-team debut by George Burley at the age of 16 on the opening day of the 2003–04 season in a 3–0 home defeat to Stoke City, where he was voted man of the match. Though Derby struggled in Huddlestone's first full season, Huddlestone was one of Derby's few bright points, with Burley saying "He's a terrific talent. As a young player, he (is) the best passer of a ball I (have) ever seen, and I've worked with some good young players." He eventually went on to appear in 43 of Derby's 46 league matches that season. He enjoyed an equally successful 2004–05 as Derby reached the First Division play-offs, where they lost to Preston North End in the semi-final. However, halfway through the season Huddlestone signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in January 2005 for a fee reported to be worth up to £2.5 million, though he remained at Derby for the rest of the season. He had made a total of 95 appearances for Derby, without scoring.

Tottenham Hotspur

Huddlestone spent a few months of the 2005–06 season on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring…

Youth

Having been capped at the U-17 and U-19 levels, Huddlestone was a regular in the England under-21s. He played twice in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship before a red card for dissent ruled him out of the semi-final and final. In October 2008, he scored the opening goal from a free kick in the second leg of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs against Wales. Although the match ended in a draw which ensured qualification for England, it was marred by his sending-off in the second half for a reckless challenge on Darcy Blake. He missed the tournament through injury.

Senior team

He was called up into the England squad for the first time by coach Fabio Capello to face the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in friendlies. On 14 November 2009, he received his first cap for the senior team in the 1–0 loss in a friendly against Brazil, after coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute. His next appearances came in a 2010 FIFA World Cup warm up match against Mexico, where he came on as a substitute in the 61st minute. His latest appearance for England also came in a World Cup warm-up match against Japan where he started for the first time in 2–1 victory. In May 2010, Fabio Capello announced that Huddlestone would be in his preliminary World Cup squad of 30 players. However, was not selected for the final 23-man squad. On 11 November 2012, new England manager Roy Hodgson gave Huddlestone his first call up to the…

He is known for his passing ability, which has led to comparisons with former Tottenham player Glenn Hoddle. He also has a powerful shot that has enabled him to score long-range goals from midfield.

On 2 July 2024, it was announced that he had been appointed as a first team coach at EFL League One side Wigan Athletic along with Shadab Iftikhar. On 23 August 2024, Huddlestone joined Ben Futcher's interim backroom staff with the England U21s. On 18 September 2024, Huddlestone left Wigan Athletic to join fellow League One side Birmingham City.