Mark Burke

Burke joined Aston Villa as a youth team scholar in June 1985 and played for England Schoolboys and England Youth before signing professionally in February 1987. He made his senior debut in a 1–0 defeat to Everton on 18 April 1987, as the "Villans" were relegated out of the First Division in 1986–87. They were immediately promoted in 1987–88. Burke managed only eight appearances for the club but he impressed the author, Lee Child, a fan of Aston Villa; the naming of the fictional character, Rev. Patrick Burke, friend of Reacher in the 23rd book of the Jack Reacher series, Past Tense (2018) is a nod to Mark. He joined fellow Second Division side Middlesbrough for £50,000 in December 1987. "Boro" ended the campaign behind second-placed Aston Villa on goals scored. Yet, they too won promotion after beating Chelsea in the promotion/relegation play-offs to claim a place in the top flight; Burke did not feature in either leg of the play-off final. They finished one place and one point behind Aston Villa in 1988–89, but this time, their inability to surpass his former club cost them, as they occupied the final relegation place. "Boro" plummeted to 21st in the second tier in 1989–90, finishing just two points ahead of relegated Bournemouth. Burke was largely on the sidelines after falling out with manager Bruce Rioch. After a spell on loan at Darlington in October 1990, he finally left Ayresome Park in search of regular football at Wolverhampton Wanderers, signing for a £25,000 fee…

He has been described as "sure of touch, calm of mind, he would lope around in seemingly lackadaisical fashion before offering a cute little pass here or a deft touch there. A man with an eye for ball retention."

In 2013, Burke released his first eBook A different kind of soccer book, which was aimed at children, coaches, and parents. He is capable in several languages: English, Spanish and Dutch.

Darlington

Football League Fourth Division: 1990–91 IF Brommapojkarna

Division 2 Östra Svealand: 2001