Stuart Dallas

Coagh United and Crusaders

Born in Cookstown, Dallas grew up in Cookstown and attended Cookstown Primary School and Cookstown High School during his education, winning the U14 and U15 Coleraine and District League titles with the high school in 2004 and 2005. He started his career at Coagh United, where he made his debut in 2007 whilst working as a joiner. In January 2010, Dallas played in a 4–0 Irish Cup sixth round defeat against Crusaders, with Dallas' performance prompting Crusaders manager Stephen Baxter to talk to Dallas and his father about the possibility of offering him a contract. A deal was agreed later that week, with Dallas joining Crusaders in the summer of 2010, training once a week and earning £70 a week. He made his debut against Donegal Celtic on 7 August 2010. He scored his first goals against Coleraine on 21 August, and his first goal at Seaview proved to be the winning goal in a 5–4 victory over Glenavon. He was chosen as both the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year for the 2010–11 season. Dallas made 38 appearances and scored 16 goals during the 2010–11 season. Dallas made two appearances in Crusaders' Europa League second qualifying round matches against Premier League side Fulham early in the 2011–12 season, starting both games as Crusaders lost 7–1 on aggregate. Dallas' final goal for Crusaders was the winning goal against Portadown on 2 January 2012, and his final match was the 2012…

Due to his form for Crusaders early in the 2010–11 season, Dallas (along with team-mates Chris Keenan, Martin Donnelly and Jordan Owens) received a call-up to the Northern Ireland U23 squad for an International Challenge Trophy match versus Portugal U23 on 12 October 2010. He played the full 90 minutes of the 2–0 defeat. At the end of the 2010–11 season, along with teammates Colin Coates and Jordan Owens, Dallas received a call-up to the full Northern Ireland squad for 2011 Nations Cup games against Republic of Ireland and Wales. He made his debut against Wales in Dublin, coming on in the 63rd minute for Craig Cathcart. Early in the 2011–12 season, Dallas received a call into the Under-21 side for a 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Denmark on 6 September 2011. He played 65 minutes of the 3–0 defeat, before being substituted for future Brentford teammate Will Grigg. A run of starts for Brentford since January 2015 saw Dallas called up for matches versus Scotland and Finland in late March 2015. He won his first full international cap in nearly four years against Scotland on 25 March, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 defeat. On 31 May 2015, Dallas combined with Will Grigg to score his first ever international goal in a 1–1 draw with Qatar at Gresty Road (Crewe, England). On 8 October 2015, Northern Ireland qualified for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, beating Greece 3–1. It was the first time in 30 years that Northern Ireland had qualified for…

Predominantly a defensive midfielder, Dallas was also noted for his versatility, being able to play as a full-back or winger on either side of the pitch or as a central midfielder and having once played in five positions in the same match for Northern Ireland. Former Leeds manager David O'Leary stated that "the big thing about him is the way he is adaptable to so many positions and, when he has to play in all those different positions, he doesn't let the side down in any way". He was often described as a utility player, with Darren Bent describing him as "probably the best utility man in history". Crusaders manager Stephen Baxter stated that "he could play left-wing, right-wing, centre-forward or the number 10. People have had him playing left-back and right-back but any position works for him because of his great athleticism to get around the park and his brain."

Dallas is the younger brother of fellow footballer Marcus Dallas, who played for Loughgall. After getting engaged in 2013, Dallas married his long-term partner Juneve Lamont in June 2016, having been in a relationship with her from the age of 16 when they both attended Cookstown High School. He and his wife have three children.