Peter Whittingham

Coventry City

Whittingham began playing football as a youth player with his local side Coventry City, joining the club at the age of seven. His brother had been playing in the club's youth sides and Whittingham had been noticed playing on the side of pitch by one of the club's scouts. Whittingham played with Coventry until the age of 16 but was released in 2001 after the club opted against offering him a contract with officials believing he was too small to play professionally. Coventry scout Ray Gooding, who had argued against his release, instead rang officials at Aston Villa to recommend Whittingham. After a successful trial, he signed for the Midlands club.

Aston Villa

Whittingham signed with Aston Villa in April 2001 and was part of the club's FA Youth Cup-winning team of 2002. He was handed his first team debut on 21 April 2003 by manager Graham Taylor against Newcastle United, as a half-time substitution for Gareth Barry in a 1–1 away draw. He made two further substitute appearances before making his first start in the final day of the season in a 3–1 defeat against Leeds United. Taylor was replaced by David O'Leary ahead of the 2003–04 season, with the Irishman being quick to praise Whittingham's potential. After featuring regularly during the early stages of the campaign, he scored his first senior goal against Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup third round on 23 September 2003, during a 5–0 win at Adams Park. After the match, O'Leary commented…

Whittingham was an England under-21 international, making his debut against the Netherlands in 2004 and was part of the squad that competed in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship held in the Netherlands. He made one substitute appearance during the tournament, coming on late in a 2–2 draw with Italy. Whittingham scored three goals for the under-21 team. He scored his first two in a match against Wales before scoring his last goal in a match against Norway in February 2006.

Whittingham was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and attended King Henry VIII School, Coventry. His father Harry was a well-known fishmonger in the area and was known as "Harry the Fish". His mother worked as a teacher. He has an older brother named James who works as an investment banker for Goldman Sachs.

At the time of his death, he lived in Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan with his wife Amanda and their son; their second son was born two months after his death.