Stephen Warnock

Liverpool

Warnock was born in Ormskirk, Lancashire where, in his childhood, he played for Rufford Colts (based at St Bede's RC High School) and also played for St Bede's RC High School. Following his time spent in the Liverpool youth academy and England youth set up, with his first international cap in the under-16s, he had loan spells at Bradford City (where he scored his first career goal against Sheffield Wednesday) and Coventry City. Warnock made his first-team debut for Liverpool against Grazer AK on 10 August 2004, in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League third qualifying round match. In May 2005 he missed out on a place in the squad for the 2005 UEFA Champions League final. He was initially named in the squad but according to Rafa Benitez this was a mistake and was subsequently removed. In his second season, he was asked to play primarily at left back, in rotation with John Arne Riise. Warnock scored his only goal for Liverpool against Fulham in a 5–1 win on 15 March 2006.

Blackburn Rovers

In a media speculated swap deal, Blackburn's captain Lucas Neill was reported to being changing clubs with Warnock in both summer 2006 and winter 2007. Eventually Neill joined West Ham United, while on 22 January 2007 Warnock joined Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee believed to be £1.5 million. He made his debut in the FA Cup fourth round in a 4–0 away victory over Luton Town. On 31 January 2007, he played his first Premier League match for Rovers against…

Warnock was capped by the England schools team before making one appearance for the under-16s against Norway on 6 April 1998. Despite having made relatively few first team appearances for Liverpool, 23-year-old Warnock was called into the senior England squad for the first time on 29 August 2005, due to lack of cover in the squad at left back. He was again called into the squad by England coach Fabio Capello in May 2008 for the friendlies against the United States and Trinidad and Tobago. He made his England debut against the latter on 1 June coming on as a substitute for Wayne Bridge in the 84th minute. After impressing with Aston Villa in the early 2009–10 season Warnock received a call up to the international squad once more for a friendly against Egypt. On 11 May 2010, Warnock was named in the 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. On 1 June 2010, he was named in the final 23-man selection by manager Fabio Capello, ahead of other left back Leighton Baines. Due to the widely accepted adeptness of Ashley Cole at left back, Warnock did not feature in any of England's matches during their short-lived run in the World Cup which ended against Germany. On 7 June 2010, he played in a friendly match against Platinum Stars before the tournament. This does not count towards a full cap, as it was not played against a full international side. The 28-year-old made his second and final appearance for England against France in November 2010. In May 2012,…

Club

International

Since his retirement, Warnock has become a regular football pundit on radio and television, covering the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Copa Libertadores, and EFL for the BBC, BT Sport, DAZN, Quest TV, and NBC Sports. In 2024, Warnock took part in the Sky Sports News Real Talk series, where he opened up about his struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts following his retirement from football.