James Ward-Prowse

Early years

After playing locally for East Lodge from the age of six, Ward-Prowse joined the Southampton Academy at the age of eight, later featuring in every match for the under-18 team in the 2010–11 season before becoming a full-time scholar in 2011. While at the Southampton academy, he secretly trained with non-League team Havant & Waterlooville to "toughen" himself.

Southampton

2011–2014

Ward-Prowse was first called up to the Southampton first team in October 2011, when he made his debut at the age of 16 in the Football League Cup against Crystal Palace. In his second starting appearance for the team, Ward-Prowse scored Southampton's first goal in a 2–1 win over Coventry City to help his side through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. Following the club's promotion to the top flight in May 2012, Ward-Prowse was one of four youth players offered a professional contract for their return to the Premier League, along with Jack Stephens, Luke Shaw, and Calum Chambers. Ward-Prowse made his Premier League debut for Southampton on the opening day of the 2012–13 season, playing the first 65 minutes of a 3–2 loss against reigning champions Manchester City. After the match, his performance was described by manager Nigel Adkins as "outstanding". After a substitute appearance against Wigan Athletic, the 17-year-old returned to the starting line-up for the third match of the campaign against Manchester United, continuing to draw praise from…

Youth

Ward-Prowse began his international career with the England under-17 team, gaining seven caps for the team in two tournaments between 2010 and 2011. In 2012, he made the step up to the under-19 team, for whom he played four times, and in 2013 joined the under-20s for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey; the midfielder played all three matches in the tournament, none of which England won. In August 2013, at the age of 18, Ward-Prowse received his first call-up to the England under-21 team, for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Moldova and Finland. He played for 64 minutes in the first match, and for the full 90 against Finland, in which he had some of England's clearest goal-scoring opportunities. He scored his first under-21 goal on 15 October, scoring a free kick from 20 yards in a 5–0 win against Lithuania. During the 2014 Toulon Tournament, he scored a "stunning" free kick against Brazil during the group stages. This was later voted "Goal of the Tournament"; Ward-Prowse was also voted as one of the best three players in the tournament. In April 2015, Roy Hodgson called Ward-Prowse a "big prospect" and hinted at a possible senior team call-up by saying "he'll be in our thoughts because we like him very much." On 29 May 2016, he captained England under-21s to their first Toulon Tournament victory since 1994, by beating hosts France 2–1. Ward-Prowse was nominated for the Vauxhall England Under-21 Player of the Year…

Mainly playing as a central midfielder, Ward-Prowse can also play as an attacking midfielder, right midfielder, or right back. He is particularly known for his skill and accuracy at taking free kicks, and in February 2023 was described as "one of the best ever" set-piece takers by the BBC. He holds the Southampton record for Premier League free-kick goals, has the league's best free-kick conversion rate since 2003, when Opta started recording them, and is considered one of the top set-piece specialists in the game. In 2020, then-Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola remarked that Ward-Prowse is "the best free-kick taker I have seen in my life". Ward-Prowse is also acclaimed for his exceptional fitness levels and stamina; in 2021, he became the first Premier League player to play every single minute of two consecutive Premier League seasons. He is known for celebrating his goals by mimicking a golf swing.

Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Ward-Prowse is the son of John Ward-Prowse, a barrister. Although his family are Portsmouth supporters, Ward-Prowse joined their South Coast derby rivals Southampton at the age of eight. Ward-Prowse and his wife, Olivia, have one son, born in 2018.