Callum O'Dowda

Oxford United

O'Dowda is a product of the Oxford United youth academy, which he joined when he was nine. His performances for the academy in the 2012–13 season led him being awarded a Young Player of the Year award, after which he was offered his first professional contract with the club, keeping him for two years with a further one-year option. After making an impression in a pre-season friendly, O'Dowda made his professional debut on 6 August 2013 in a League Cup first-round tie against Charlton Athletic. His league debut came as a substitute versus Southend United in a League Two fixture on 6 October 2013. In his first season at Oxford United, O'Dowda made 13 appearances for the club in all competitions. The 2014–15 season proved to be a breakthrough for O'Dowda, with his first-team opportunities increased by new manager Michael Appleton. He scored his first league goal for Oxford United against Exeter City on 13 September 2014, a goal that was nominated for Goal of the Season. Between 17 January 2015 and 31 January 2015, he scored two goals in three games, against Southend United and Stevenage respectively. O'Dowda signed a three-year contract with the club in February. A few weeks later, he scored his fourth goal, in a 1–0 win over Bury on 7 March 2015. O'Dowda finished the 2014–15 season having made 39 league appearances and scoring four times. O'Dowda made a promising start to the 2015–16 season, scoring twice in his first five league appearances, against…

In March 2015, O'Dowda was called up by Republic of Ireland U21 after becoming eligible for the national team through his late grandfather, Brendan O'Dowda, a famous Irish tenor who was born in Dundalk and sang the Sean Connery song "Pretty Irish Girl" in the Walt Disney film Darby O'Gill and the Little People. O'Dowda told the club's website "I am very proud and very excited to have the call up. It is a privilege to be included. I was approached a few weeks ago to see if I would be interested because of my family's Irish background. I jumped at the chance and can't wait to be involved." O'Dowda made his Ireland U21 debut on 26 March 2015, playing 90 minutes, in a 1–0 win over Andorra U21. He scored his first goal for the U21s in a qualifying match for the 2017 U21 European Championships on 28 March 2016, the only Irish goal in a 3–1 defeat to Slovenia. On 12 May 2016, he received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad. He made his début for Ireland on 31 May, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Belarus. However, on 31 May 2016, O'Dowda was among few players to be cut from the UEFA Euro 2016 squads. On 9 October 2016, he made his competitive debut in a World Cup qualifier in Moldova, coming on as a second-half substitute for Shane Long. O'Dowda scored his first international goal in a 3–2 friendly win against Latvia on 22 March 2023.

Club

As of match played 16 May 2026

International

As of match played 17 November 2024

Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first.

His sister Jade O'Dowda is a track and field athlete who competed in the heptathlon for England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and for Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics. His father is former Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Brendan O'Dowda, and his grandfather was the notable Irish Tenor who was also named Brendan O'Dowda.