Michael Dawson (footballer)
Michael Dawson ( 2002)
Michael Richard Dawson ( born November 18, 1983 in Northallerton ) is an English footballer. The center-back and 13- times English U-21 national team went through various youth teams from Nottingham Forest, before he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur in 2005, along with Andy Reid for eight million British pounds.
Sports career
Nottingham Forest
Michael Dawson is the younger brother of Andy and Kevin Dawson, both of which also found their way into professional football. He grew up in Leyburn, attended school in Wensleydale and first played organized football for the local Northallerton Junior Football Club, and one year later for a club in Richmond. At the age of 14 he joined the youth wing of the prestigious Nottingham Forest. In November 2000 he was awarded his first professional contract with "Forest", where he worked in the second-class First Division against Walsall FC (2:3) celebrated its debut on 1 April 2002.
In the subsequent 2002/ 03 Dawson succeeded on the side of Des Walker experienced the sporting breakthrough. He moved to the sixth place in the final table play-off games and fail at the local semi-final at Sheffield United, where he has been for the return leg in Sheffield ( 3:4 ) due to a red card locked in the first game (1:1) had. In recognition for his good performances Dawson was elected to the PFA Team of the Year the second division. In the following good 18 months of his engagement in Nottingham Dawson had to contend both with various injury as well as the glandular fever, which he had captured during a mission for the English U-21 national team. Even athletic let the results to be desired, coach Paul Hart was replaced by the Irish Joe Kinnear in February 2004, and after a weak season in which Forest had found a long time in a relegation battle, the club finished yet safe mid-table - as crucial factors were exposed Dawson and accurate striker David Johnson.
The following year, also Dawson could not avoid relegation in the third division. The defender but had previously left in the direction of Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur in January 2005 together with the left- winger Andy Reid for a total of eight million pounds of the club.
Tottenham Hotspur
In the upper English top flight Dawson debuted on 16 April 2005 in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and in the following season 2005 /06 drew the newcomer by his fighting spirit and heading ability a good reputation among its own appendix. This led to the fact that the parties have a contract extension until the end of season 2010/ 11 were agreed in March 2006. The " central defensive pair " with Ledley King harmonized instantly and as this hurt the long term, Dawson became the leading player in defense.
On November 5, 2006, he shot for the " Spurs " against Chelsea (2-1) and led his first league goal in the FA Cup quarter-final against the same opponent representative of the injured Ledley King, Robbie Keane and Paul Robinson his team for the first time as a captain on the field. He missed the entire 2006/ 07 only one of 59 official matches and signed both by the end of this and the following season 2007/ 08 a new five-year contract. After the return of Ledley King Dawson, who had also to fight at the start of season 2008/ 09 with variations in shape and end up with minor injuries took place, but more often on the bench again and so came on relatively few operations. He completed 28 of 54 possible duty assignments, but was nevertheless elected by their own fans as the "best team player " of last year.
In the season 2009/10 Dawson was an important factor that Tottenham in the Premier League with the fourth succeeded the first time qualifying for the Champions League. He had his place still have to defend at the beginning, since United additional competition was him with Sébastien Bassong from Newcastle have been placed on the page. But since Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate further suffered from injury problems, Dawson profiled more as a defensive boss. After the departure of Robbie Keane to Celtic, he was promoted to captain and in January 2010 he signed a new five -year contract with the Spurs. At the end of the round, he also received the Association's internal award for the best player of the past season.
England national team
On 11 February 2002 Dawson made his debut against Italy for the English U- 21 team, played a total of 13 games for the junior and led the team as captain to the end. Even in the English B- team came to Dawson two international matches, first against Belarus on 25 May 2006 and a year later against Albania.
After the consistently good performance at Tottenham Hotspur England national team coach Fabio Capello called him in May 2010 in the preliminary squad for the World Cup in South Africa - as well as his club mates and Innenverteidigerpendant Ledley King - although he has not been previously in the " first-team " had been used. On August 11, 2010 Michael Dawson made his debut for the England national team in a friendly match against the Hungarian national football team.