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Darren O'Dea (born 4 February 1987) is an Irish retired professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player, who is currently the coach of Celtic B team. O'Dea has played as a
centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
for clubs in Scotland, England, Canada, Ukraine and India, and represented the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
internationally. O'Dea began his career on the youth team of
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
, with whom he played from 2006 to 2012. During his time on Celtic, he was loaned to
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
,
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
and
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
. While playing for Leeds, O'Dea won the Ireland Young International Player of the Year Award. For more first-team opportunities he switched clubs and countries, joining
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
for a year until 2013. The following season, he represented
FC Metalurh Donetsk Football Club Metalurh Donetsk ( uk, Футбо́льний клуб «Металу́рг» Доне́цьк, ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Donetsk that went bankrupt in July 2015. History Club predecessor Football ...
in
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. O'Dea's stint was cut short due to the Ukrainian political situation, and he returned to England with
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
. In July 2015, he signed with
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
club Mumbai City FC. After three years with
Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
, O'Dea retired from playing professionally in 2019. He then became a coach at Motherwell, while playing semi-professionally for East Kilbride. After being
capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
by the youth national teams of the Republic of Ireland, O'Dea made his senior-team debut in 2009 and has been capped 20 times. He represented Ireland at the 2012 UEFA European Championship.


Club career


Celtic

Born in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, O'Dea played for Home Farm before he was signed by Celtic as a teenager. After making his way through the reserves and academy side, he made his first-team debut for Celtic in the
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
against St Mirren in September 2006. A month later, O'Dea made his league debut against
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional F ...
, where he played the last thirty minutes after substituting for
Gary Caldwell Gary Caldwell (born 12 April 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach who is the current manager of Exeter City. Caldwell played for Newcastle United, Darlington, Coventry City, Derby County, Hibernian, Celtic, Wigan Ath ...
. His
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
debut was on 6 December against Danish club
F.C. Copenhagen Football Club Copenhagen ( da, Football Club København, ), commonly known as FC København, FC Copenhagen, Copenhagen or simply FCK, is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. FCK was founded in 1992 as a superstructure on ...
as a substitute for the injured Stephen McManus. O'Dea made his first league starting appearance against
Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...
four days after his Champions League debut. Later that month he scored his first goal in a match against
Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
, with his rebound of a 78th-minute free kick by
Shunsuke Nakamura is a Japanese former professional footballer. He is the only person to have been named J.League Most Valuable Player more than once, receiving the award in 2000 and 2013. Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans wi ...
tying the match 2–2. O'Dea's first season saw him also score against
Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...
in the run to the 2006–07 Scottish Cup. After playing 16 times for Celtic, O'Dea signed a three-year contract in March 2007 and considered it a "reward for the hard work" he had done. In his second season he contributed to Celtic winning the league championship, although he did not feature in the title winning match against Dundee United. After O'Dea did not play for two months (since his last Champions League match against
FC Spartak Moscow FC Spartak Moscow (russian: Футбольный клуб «Спартак» Москва, Futbolʹnyy klub «Spartak» Moskva, ) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships (second only to Dyna ...
), the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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reported in October that he would be recalled to the injury-plagued team as a replacement for
Gary Caldwell Gary Caldwell (born 12 April 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach who is the current manager of Exeter City. Caldwell played for Newcastle United, Darlington, Coventry City, Derby County, Hibernian, Celtic, Wigan Ath ...
, and he played the entire league match against Rangers on 20 October 2007. That season, he primarily played centre-back. During the 2008–09 season O'Dea made a total of sixteen appearances, scoring twice. His extra-time goal in the
2009 Scottish League Cup Final The 2009 Scottish League Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Scottish League Cup, the 62nd season of the Scottish League Cup. The match was played at Hampden Park, Glasgow on 15 March 2009, and was won by Celtic, who beat Old Firm riv ...
gave Celtic the trophy. After playing fifty times for the club, O'Dea was loaned to
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
club
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in September 2009 for more first-team experience and he called it a "massive chance" to represent Celtic. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
, with his second-half shot saved by Doncaster goalkeeper
Neil Sullivan Neil Sullivan (born 24 February 1970) is a professional football player and coach. He played as a goalkeeper from 1988 until 2013, playing in the Premier League for Wimbledon, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and represented Scotland internat ...
. In a September interview, O'Dea was reluctant to return to Celtic for rare match opportunities. Returning from Reading in January 2010, he started all five games that month. O'Dea was appointed stand-in captain after Stephen McManus went on loan to
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and
Gary Caldwell Gary Caldwell (born 12 April 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach who is the current manager of Exeter City. Caldwell played for Newcastle United, Darlington, Coventry City, Derby County, Hibernian, Celtic, Wigan Ath ...
left for
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
. At the start of the following season, again finding himself superfluous at Celtic, he was loaned to
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
on 18 August 2010 until January 2011 and made his Ipswich debut against
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
on 21 August. In January O'Dea said he was uncertain if his loan would be extended because of the sacking of Ipswich manager
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during ...
, expressing his desire to stay. New manager
Paul Jewell Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is an English football manager and former player, who was most recently director of football at Swindon Town. Jewell began his playing career with Liverpool, continued at Wigan Athletic and concluded in a t ...
unexpectedly extended his loan to the end of the season. ''Vital Football'' praised O'Dea's performance in a league cup match against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, with Jewell calling it "tremendous and crucial in the result". Two months later, he expressed a desire to return to Celtic instead of signing permanently with Ipswich. O'Dea said he would play for another club if he did not have first-team opportunities at Celtic, since he felt that playing was "not about sitting on a bench". In May 2011, he said he "may quit Celtic" to play regularly and represent the national team at the 2012 UEFA Euro qualifiers. The following month
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
signed him on loan until the end of the season, and he said his objective on his new club was to win promotion to
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. O'Dea made his Leeds debut in a 3–1 loss to
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. He scored his first goal for the club against
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
, an "angled shot" for a 1–1 draw. O'Dea again found the net in the next game, against
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
, in the 95th minute for a 3–2 win. Against Cardiff City, according to the BBC Leeds conceded a goal due to O'Dea's "indecision" which "opened the door for Joe Mason". In a January 2012 interview he expressed his desire to sign permanently with Leeds, although he received a red card in a loss to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
. O'Dea played 38 times for Leeds, scoring twice. Due to his form with Leeds and Ireland, O'Dea and teammate
Aidy White Aidan Peter White (born 10 October 1991) is an English-born Irish association football, footballer who plays for Rochdale A.F.C., Rochdale. He has represented both England national under-19 football team, England U19s and Republic of Ireland unde ...
were nominated for the Young International Player of the Year at the Football Association of Ireland International Football Awards. He won the award in a ceremony held in February 2012. After spending the previous two seasons out on loan, O'Dea was released by Celtic at the end of his contract on 1 June 2012 despite a one-year contract-extension option. He said he "had a great time at Celtic and have a lot of friends there so it was important for me that I left properly".


Toronto FC

O'Dea signed with
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
club
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
on 3 August 2012, and made his club debut on 18 August in a 1–0 home loss to
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...
. According to
CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
, he looked "lively" in his first match with the team. In a match against
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
he passed to
Terry Dunfield Terence Dunfield (born February 20, 1982) is a Canadian former soccer player, coach and pundit who is head coach of Toronto FC's under-17s team, as well as soccer analyst for TSN and colour commentator for OneSoccer. As a player he was a midf ...
, who scored, and at the end of the game said he was "delighted" with the result. Manager
Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English football player and coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley. He became a professional player in 1973 with Plymouth Argyle, where he scored ...
named O'Dea team captain in September, succeeding the injured
Torsten Frings Torsten Klaus Frings (born 22 November 1976) is a German former footballer and manager, who last managed SV Meppen. A former midfielder, throughout his career he played for several German clubs, namely Alemannia Aachen, Werder Bremen, Borussia D ...
. The following month, he was unable to play a match against Montreal Impact due to a thigh injury sustained during World Cup qualifying play for Ireland. In O'Dea's first season for Toronto, he played nine times as Toronto finished tenth in the Eastern Conference. O'Dea was employed at left back for the 2013 season after the regular player at that position was injured. According to him, it had been two years since he had previously played left back. O'Dea scored his first goal for Toronto on 3 July 2013 in a 3–3 home draw with Canadian rivals Montreal Impact. Because of his "keen sense of positioning and timing" against Sporting Kansas City, he was named to the Team of the Week for 12 March. Originally part of a transfer (a "win-win for both parties", according to head coach
Ryan Nelsen Ryan William Nelsen (born 18 October 1977) is a former New Zealand professional football player and former head coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto FC. Nelsen commonly played as a defender, and his professional career began in 1995. He ...
, since O'Dea was the highest-paid player in the league), he was released by Toronto on 18 July 2013 to sign with
FC Metalurh Donetsk Football Club Metalurh Donetsk ( uk, Футбо́льний клуб «Металу́рг» Доне́цьк, ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Donetsk that went bankrupt in July 2015. History Club predecessor Football ...
. Club president Kevin Payne wished him luck and hoped he would return in the future. O'Dea played a total of 26 times for Toronto, scoring one goal and setting up three, and was succeeded as team captain by Steven Caldwell.


Metalurh Donetsk

After his release from Toronto O'Dea signed a three-year contract with Ukraine's
FC Metalurh Donetsk Football Club Metalurh Donetsk ( uk, Футбо́льний клуб «Металу́рг» Доне́цьк, ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Donetsk that went bankrupt in July 2015. History Club predecessor Football ...
. He debuted for the team in a 20 July, 2013 1–1 draw with
FC Karpaty Lviv Football Club Karpaty Lviv ( ) is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Lviv. History Early years (1963–68) The team of Karpaty was founded on 18 January, 1963 in association football, 1963. In 1961 Silmash Lvi ...
, playing 46 minutes before being substituted. O'Dea scored his first goal for Metalurh in his second game, a 2–1 away win over
Vorskla Poltava FC Vorskla Poltava ( uk, ФК «Во́рскла» Полта́ва ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Poltava that competes in the Ukrainian Premier League, the top flight of Ukrainian football. History Kolos Poltava The club ...
. He left the club in August 2014, terminating his contract two years early due to the unrest in Ukraine. O'Dea described the situation in the country as "hostile and intense, but also surreal".


Blackpool

O'Dea then signed with
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
club
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
in December 2014, making his debut in a 6–1 loss to
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
. Bournemouth's fourth goal was scored by
Brett Pitman Brett Douglas Pitman (born 31 January 1988) is a footballer who plays as a forward for AFC Portchester. He has spent most of his career at AFC Bournemouth in two separate spells, totalling 102 goals in 301 games. After starting his career on ...
, converting a penalty shot incurred by O'Dea (who fouled
Callum Wilson Callum Eddie Graham Wilson (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Newcastle United and the England national team. Early life Wilson was born in Coventry, West Midlands. H ...
in the
penalty area The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 16.5m (18 yd) to each side of the goal and 16.5m (18 yd) in front of it. Wit ...
). Against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
, the BBC reported that he "got into a terrible muddle trying to cut out a pass from
Kevin McDonald Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably th ...
" and allowed
Benik Afobe Benik Tunani Afobe (born 12 February 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Hatta. Born in England, he represented the DR Congo national team on six occasions between 2017 and 2018. Afobe signed a professional contract ...
(in his first game for Wolverhampton) to score the second goal. O'Dea was injured in a match against
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in February 2015, forcing him to miss the game with
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
. Released when his contract expired in May, he said the club had a "disastrous season". O'Dea played 20 times for Blackpool.


Mumbai City

Although the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...
'' reported in May 2015 that O'Dea might re-sign with the city's MLS club, he signed a contract until 22 December with
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
club Mumbai City FC, managed by
Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and retired Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly fe ...
. Calling his signing "a new experience, a new chapter", he said he knew little about the quality of football in the league. O'Dea made his ISL debut on 10 October, starting in a goalless draw at
Kerala Blasters Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established i ...
. He left the club after making nine appearances.


Dundee

O'Dea signed a short-term contract with
Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
in January 2016. On 22 March 2016, he signed a new three-year contract. In June 2017, O'Dea was named as permanent club captain by Dundee, having performed the role during the previous season in place of the injured
James McPake James McPake (born 24 June 1984) is a professional football coach and former player, who is currently the manager of Dunfermline Athletic. McPake played for Livingston, Greenock Morton, Coventry City, Hibernian and Dundee. He mainly played as a ...
. On 7 May 2019, O’Dea announced in a long-form announcement on his Twitter account that he would be leaving Dundee at the end of the season, and that this would mark the conclusion of his last season as a full-time professional footballer.


East Kilbride

O'Dea signed for his local side
East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...
in May 2019 but left in August without making a single
Lowland league The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior association football, football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, actin ...
appearance for the club. O'Dea left to focus on his coaching commitments with
Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
full time.


International career

After playing for the Irish under-19 and under-21 teams, O'Dea was called up to the international squad within a year. Promoted to the Irish under-21 international squad by manager
Don Givens Daniel Joseph "Don" Givens (born 9 August 1949) is an Irish former footballer and coach. A forward, Givens played club football for Manchester United, Luton Town, Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham City, AFC Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Neuch ...
on 3 March 2007, he was the team captain. Less than a week later, O'Dea was named to the international squad for Ireland's
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group D Standings and results for Group D of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying tournament. Germany secured qualification to the tournament proper on 13 October 2007 following a 0–0 draw against the Republic of Ireland, becoming the first team in the whole ...
matches on 24 and 28 March. On 13 May 2008, he was listed on
Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), sometimes popularly known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Italian football. A former defensive midfielder, as a p ...
's first squad as Ireland's manager for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8 matches against
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. O'Dea made his senior-team debut on 8 September 2009 in a 1–0 friendly win over
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
at
Thomond Park Thomond Park is a stadium in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and has Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. Limerick FC played home games in Thomond Park fr ...
in
Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
as a 60th-minute substitute for Paul McShane. After a match against the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, O'Dea said he dreamed of being named to the Irish squad for
UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
. Although he was on the roster for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, he did not appear; the Irish were eliminated from the group stage. O'Dea scored his first senior goal for Ireland, an 88th-minute header, in a World Cup qualifying match against the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
on 16 October 2012 which Ireland won 4–1.


Playing style

O'Dea's manager at
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
,
Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English football player and coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley. He became a professional player in 1973 with Plymouth Argyle, where he scored ...
, described him as a "different specimen" with "fantastic habits" and a good leader. According to
Miloš Kocić Miloš Kocić ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Koцић; born June 4, 1985) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Youth and college Kocić was born in Yugoslavia prior to the country's breakup. He began playing socce ...
, he is a good defender of
set pieces "Set Pieces" is the first EP release by Canadian indie band Braids A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. ...
.


Coaching career

O'Dea was appointed to a coaching position with
Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
in May 2019. In September 2019 he left Motherwell and returned to Celtic to become manager of their under-18s. In October 2021 he was promoted to coach Celtic's B team.


Career statistics


Honours


Club

Celtic *
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...
: 2006–07, 2007–08 *
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
: 2008–09 *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2006–07 International * Nations Cup:
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...


Individual

* Ireland Young International Player of the Year Award 2012


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Odea, Darren 1987 births Living people Association footballers from Dublin (city) Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers Association football defenders Home Farm F.C. players Celtic F.C. players Reading F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Toronto FC players FC Metalurh Donetsk players Blackpool F.C. players Mumbai City FC players Dundee F.C. players Scottish Premier League players English Football League players Major League Soccer players Ukrainian Premier League players Indian Super League players Scottish Professional Football League players Expatriate footballers in Scotland Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate soccer players in Canada Expatriate footballers in Ukraine Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Irish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Irish expatriate sportspeople in India People educated at St Aloysius' College, Glasgow UEFA Euro 2012 players Motherwell F.C. non-playing staff East Kilbride F.C. players Celtic F.C. non-playing staff