Dominic Matteo

Liverpool

Matteo was spotted playing for Birkdale United by Liverpool player Kenny Dalglish, who had originally gone to Birkdale United just to watch his son, Paul Dalglish. He progressed to a YTS contract at the age of 16. His versatility counted against him, as he was asked to play several positions in the reserve team and subsequently failed to establish himself in one position. However, he impressed enough to win a one-year professional contract at the age of 18. He then signed a new two-year contract in 1993. He made his Premier League debut for the "Reds" on 23 October 1993, when he replaced an injured John Barnes at left-wing in a 1–1 draw with Manchester City at Maine Road. He made a total of 13 appearances during the 1993–94 season. He joined Mick Buxton's Sunderland on loan in March 1995, but made just one First Division appearance for the "Black Cats", in a 2–0 defeat to Barnsley at Oakwell on 24 March. After the game it transpired that his loan had not been registered in time, leaving him unable to play for Sunderland; though he had technically been an ineligible player against Barnsley, Sunderland escaped with only a £2,500 fine. He scored two goals for Liverpool, one against Southampton in the Premier League and another against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup. After making arguably his biggest impact at Anfield in the 1999–2000 season, Matteo was expected to become a first team regular, but was instead sold to Leeds United in August 2000. He made 155…

Matteo won Under-21 and 'B' caps for England, and was also called up for the main squad on two occasions but was never capped. He later was called up for the Scotland side, having been born and lived as a young boy in Dumfries. He went on to collect six caps for Scotland, making his debut against Australia in November 2000. After injury problems, he retired from international duty to concentrate on his career at Leeds United.

Dominic Matteo was born in Dumfries on 28 April 1974. His birth mother, Margaret, was a 17-year-old pupil when she became pregnant. She named him Stephen. Very young and without an income, she made "the most difficult decision of my life" in putting him up for adoption, being persuaded that it was the best decision by the adoption agency when told about his adoptive parents. Matteo's adoptive father, who "wanted his boy to play like Cesare Maldini", ran Matthew's Cafe in Friars Vennel. His adoptive father had Italian heritage and was a keen follower of European football. The family moved to Southport in late 1978. When he was seven, his adoptive parents, Albert and Marie, told him that he was adopted, along with his older brother.

While at Stoke Matteo progressed studying for his UEFA coaching qualifications. In his autobiography and interviews associated with its launch, Matteo admitted having run up over £1,000,000 in gambling debts. He recalled betting £200,000 on a single horse race, although that bet won. Matteo was declared bankrupt in 2015. His book also repeatedly referenced Matteo being involved in a culture of heavy drinking. In May 2013, Matteo returned to Leeds United in a new role as a Football Ambassador. He left this position in the summer of 2014 following a change of ownership to Massimo Cellino. In November 2019, Matteo underwent surgery on a brain tumour, and was declared fully recovered in April the following year.