Wayne Hennessey

Hennessey is a cousin of Terry Hennessey, who earned 39 caps for Wales from 1962 to 1972. Born in Bangor, Gwynedd, and raised in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Hennessey is a fluent Welsh language speaker. and was educated at Ysgol David Hughes but switched to Connah's Quay High School as it was easier to travel to Manchester. Hennessey began as a trainee at Manchester City but was released in 2003, whereupon he joined the youth academy at Wolverhampton Wanderers. After progressing through the ranks, he signed his first professional contract in April 2005. After remaining in Wolves' reserve and youth teams during the 2005–06 season, Hennessey was sent on trial with Bristol City in July 2006 with a view to a loan move to gain first team experience but was recalled to Wolves after an injury to their first-choice goalkeeper Matt Murray. He did go back to Bristol City in August 2006, however, on a one-month loan deal, but he did not make an appearance and returned to his parent club early due to an arm injury.

Stockport County

To gain first-team football, Hennessey joined League Two side Stockport County in January 2007 on a one-month loan. On his senior debut against Boston United, he kept a clean sheet and after keeping another five clean sheets in successive matches, his loan spell was extended by an extra month. He went on to set a Football League record of nine successive clean sheets and wins. Stockport broke the 119-year-old record, when they beat Swindon Town 3–0 on 3 March 2007. After this accomplishment, he was named the League Two Player of the Month for February 2007. His feat also means he now holds County's record for the longest period without conceding a goal, beating Harry Hardy's 85-year-old record. His record now stands at 857 minutes, from the start of his competitive club debut, against Boston United on 13 January 2007, until Oliver Allen of Barnet scored on 10 March 2007. He therefore did not concede in his first nine-and-a-half matches of competitive club football.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Hennessey was recalled by Wolves in April 2007 after another injury to first-choice Matt Murray, and found himself on the substitutes bench for several games. When Murray broke his shoulder on the eve of Wolves' Championship play-off semi-final first leg against local rivals West Bromwich Albion, Hennessey stepped in to make his Wolves debut. With Murray sidelined for the whole of the 2007–08 season with yet another injury, Hennessey became firmly…

Hennessey was capped for Wales at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level. He once scored for the under-19 side with a 40-yard free kick against Turkey. He made his full international debut for Wales in a 2–2 friendly draw against New Zealand on 26 May 2007 and has since established himself as his country's first-choice goalkeeper. Hennessey made his 50th appearance for Wales on 3 September 2015, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 away win over Cyprus in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. Hennessey played in all ten of Wales' qualifying matches for UEFA Euro 2016, conceding just four times, as they reached their first major international tournament since the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He was named in Wales' 23-man squad for the tournament as first choice goalkeeper but was forced to miss the opening game of the tournament, a 2–1 victory over Slovakia, after suffering a back spasm prior to the match, being replaced by Danny Ward. Hennessey started the remaining matches as Wales progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament before losing to Portugal. On 3 September 2020, Hennessey reached his 35th clean sheet with Wales in a 1–0 UEFA Nations League win over Finland, to break the previous record held by Neville Southall. He was selected for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 in May 2021, but was now second-choice to Ward, who had taken his place while he was injured. Hennessey earned his 100th Wales cap on 29 March 2022 in a 1–1 friendly match draw against the Czech Republic at the Cardiff City…

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