Michael Richard Dawson (born 18 November 1983) is an English former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who 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 ...
.
Dawson started his career at Nottingham Forest playing alongside veteran defender
Des Walker
Desmond Sinclair Walker (born 26 November 1965) is an English football coach and former player, who played as a defender.
At club level he played in seven cup finals for Nottingham Forest at Wembley, winning five of them. He was Forest's pla ...
before moving to
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
with teammate
Andy Reid
Andrew Walter Reid (born March 19, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. From 200 ...
for a fee of £8 million. While at Tottenham, Dawson won the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
in 2008. His form in the
2009–10 season saw him included in England's preliminary
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
squad. Although he initially failed to make the final 23-man squad, an injury to captain
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was ...
saw him drafted in as replacement.
In August 2014,
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
signed Dawson from Tottenham for a fee believed to be £3.5 million. Although relegated with Hull at the end of the 2014–15 season, he helped them return to the
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 ...
when they beat
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
in the
2016 Championship play-off Final. He returned to former club Nottingham Forest in May 2018.
Early life
Born in
Northallerton
Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increase ...
, North Yorkshire, Dawson grew up in
Leyburn
Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England, sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'L ...
and attended Wensleydale school.
He is the younger brother of fellow footballers
Andy Dawson
Andrew Stuart Dawson (born 20 October 1978) is an English former professional footballer and coach. He is part of the coaching staff at Hull City.
As a player he was a defender from 1997 to 2015. Having left Nottingham Forest as a youngster ...
and
Kevin Dawson.
Club career
Nottingham Forest
![Michael dawson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Michael_dawson.jpg)
Dawson started his career playing for his local team, Northallerton Juniors, and also spent a year playing for Richmond before signing as a junior professional with
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 ...
at the age of 14.
[ He turned professional in November 2000 and made his first-team debut for Forest on 1 April 2002 against ]Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
in a 3–2 home defeat.
In February 2003, Dawson signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract at Forest. During the 2002–03 season, Dawson established himself in the team alongside veteran defender Des Walker
Desmond Sinclair Walker (born 26 November 1965) is an English football coach and former player, who played as a defender.
At club level he played in seven cup finals for Nottingham Forest at Wembley, winning five of them. He was Forest's pla ...
, as Forest finished sixth in the First Division to enter the play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
. Forest played Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
, and Dawson was sent off late in the first leg, making it his final appearance that season. Without Dawson, Forest lost 4–3 in the second leg of the semi-final, being eliminated 5–4 on aggregate.
In the close season, Dawson contracted glandular fever whilst on duty with the England under-21s, causing him to miss the start of the 2003–04 season. Forest also struggled – winning only twice between the end of September and the beginning of February caused Paul Hart
Paul Anthony Hart (born 4 May 1953) is an English association football, football manager, coach, and former professional player who made 567 appearances in the English Football League, Football League as a Defender (association football), def ...
to be replaced by Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick Kinnear (born 27 December 1946) is an Irish former football manager and player. Kinnear played as a defender, spending the majority of his career—ten seasons—with Tottenham Hotspur. With Tottenham he won the FA Cup, the EFL ...
. The season was transformed from one battling relegation to a confident mid-table finish with the return of Dawson and David Johnson to the team being one of the reasons for this.
Tottenham Hotspur
Dawson and one of his Forest teammates, winger Andy Reid
Andrew Walter Reid (born March 19, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. From 200 ...
, signed for 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 ...
club Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
on 31 January 2005 deadline day transfer for a fee thought to be worth a combined £8 million. Dawson made his debut for Tottenham towards the end of the 2004–05 season in the 2–2 draw at Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 16 April 2005.
Dawson enjoyed a good 2005–06 season, impressing many with his aerial ability and attitude. This in turn led to a contract extension until 2011. This was followed by a call-up to the England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
squad as a standby player for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
.
On 5 November 2006, Dawson scored his first goal for Tottenham in their 2–1 win over Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. His goal levelled the score at 1–1 after Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélélé Sinda (born 18 February 1973) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently a youth coach and technical mentor at Chelsea, having formerly been the head co ...
's strike, with Aaron Lennon
Aaron Justin Lennon (; born 16 April 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger.
Lennon began his career at hometown club Leeds United, making his first-team debut in 2003 and becoming the youngest player to play ...
scoring the winner. Dawson first captained the team in the 2006–07 FA Cup quarter-final match away to Chelsea, due to injuries to stand-in captains Robbie Keane
Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional Association football, football coach and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. Keane served as Captain (association football ...
and Paul Robinson and the club's regular captain Ledley King
Ledley Brenton King (born 12 October 1980) is a former player who was a one-club man, spending his entire career at Tottenham Hotspur and playing 323 competitive matches for the club from 1999 to 2012. He is currently a club ambassador for Tot ...
. After a season in which he played all but one of Tottenham's 59 matches, he was rewarded with a new five-year contract on 11 May 2007 which would have kept him at the club until 2012.
In the 2007–08 season, Dawson scored his first goal in the UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
home match against the Cypriot team Anorthosis Famagusta
Anorthosis Famagusta ( el, Ανόρθωση Αμμοχώστου, translit=Anorthosi Ammochostou), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Anorthosis Famagusta multi-sport club fo ...
where Tottenham won 6–1. In November 2007, Tottenham went away to West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
in the Premier League and drew 1–1, Dawson scored the away goal. During the course of the season, Tottenham reached the 2008 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, where they beat Chelsea 2–1 to earn Dawson his first ever silverware, though he missed the final through injury.
In October 2008, when Tottenham played away to Stoke, Vedran Ćorluka
Vedran Ćorluka (; born 5 February 1986) is a Croatian football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He is an assistant to Zlatko Dalić in the Croatia national team.
Ćorluka graduated from the Dinamo Zagreb Youth Academ ...
suffered an injury in the 77th minute. Dawson replaced him only to be sent off in injury time. In March 2009, Tottenham reached the League Cup final again and faced Manchester United. Dawson was available and was selected for the final which ended 0–0 after 90 minutes. However, Tottenham lost 4–1 on penalties. In April 2009, Dawson sustained an injury against Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
which left him out for the rest of the 2008–09 season. The 2009–10 season was to be judged by many as Dawson's finest season in a Spurs shirt to date as he helped the club to a fourth-place finish, their highest league finish for 20 years and qualification for the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League.
On 27 January 2010, he signed a new five-year contract with Tottenham, taking him to 2015. Dawson's excellent performances throughout the course of the season saw him awarded Tottenham's Player of the Year award. His form that season led to Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
striker Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. A quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, as a winger ...
calling him "the best English defender I have played against" due to his strength. Dawson missed the rest of the 2011–12 season after rupturing an ankle ligament during Tottenham's 3–1 FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
fifth round win over Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
on 7 March 2012.
At the beginning of the 2012–13 season, Dawson could have signed for Tottenham's Premier League rivals Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
as the two clubs had agreed a £7.5 million fee, but the move collapsed as Dawson had "an issue with personal terms". Instead, Dawson was appointed club captain and signed a new three-year contract with Tottenham in October 2013. He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over 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 ...
at White Hart Lane on 1 January 2013.
Hull City
On 26 August 2014, he joined Premier League club Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee understood to be £3.5 million. He made his debut on 31 August 2014 at Villa Park
Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway station ...
in a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
.[ During the course of the 2014–15 season, Dawson established himself in the team and was selected captain on 17 occasions. With five matches left to go in the Premier League season, Hull played Liverpool, in which Dawson scored his first goal for the club and the only goal in the match, earning a vital three points in their fight against relegation. However, this was not enough as Hull went on to lose their next three matches and in their final match against ]Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
they only drew 0–0, sending Dawson and Hull to the Championship for next season.
Dawson scored in their home match against Queens Park Rangers on 2 October 2016. The 2015–16 season saw Hull finish fourth in the table and were promoted back to the Premier League via the play-offs, beating Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
1–0 at Wembley Stadium in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
.
At the start of the 2016–17 season, Dawson picked up an injury in a pre-season friendly against Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
, which ruled him out for three months.
At the end of the 2017–18 season, he entered into discussions with Hull about a new contract.
Return to Nottingham Forest
Dawson re-signed for Championship club Nottingham Forest on 30 May 2018 on a two-year contract, and has since served as club captain. He scored his first goal since his return to the City Ground on 17 August 2019 in a 3-0 win over Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi
Sabri Lamouchi (born 9 November 1971) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder. He was the manager of Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail.
Early life
Lamouchi was born in Lyon, France, and is of Tun ...
praised Dawson's attitude and leadership, saying "I have never seen in my professional life one guy who is this clever, who has the background he has and who is as professional and positive as him". On 17 June 2020, he signed an additional one-year contract with Forest.
Dawson made no appearances for Forest during the 2020-21 season, and was released by Forest at the end of his contract. Dawson said: “It’s been frustrating that I haven’t been able to say goodbye to the fans in person but I hope to be back at the City Ground again very soon. Forest has been a massive part of my life since I first put the shirt on at the age of 9. It will always be close to my heart and I leave with some fantastic memories."
After retirement
In August of 2021, Dawson returned to Tottenham Hotspur as one of the club's ambassadors.
International career
England U21
Dawson made his debut for the English under-21 team against 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 ...
on 11 February 2003. He went on to earn 13 England under-21 international caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
, captaining the team on several occasions. His last appearance for the under-21 team was in a 2–1 loss to France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
on 15 November 2005.
England B
Dawson was capped twice for the English B team, his first cap coming in their 2–1 loss to Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
at Reading's Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a Association football, football stadium in Reading, Berkshire, Reading. It is the home of Reading F.C., Reading Football Club, who play in the E ...
on 25 May 2006. His second cap came in their 3–1 win over Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
at Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
's Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football ...
ground exactly a year later.
England senior team
Dawson was named in England's 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, but was not selected for the final 23-man squad. Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was ...
was withdrawn from the squad due to an injury sustained in the team's first training session, and Capello announced Dawson as Ferdinand's replacement. He made his first appearance for England in a warm-up match against the Platinum Stars; however, the match was not counted as a full international, merely a training match, so he did not receive a cap for his appearance. However, Capello did not use Dawson at the World Cup, and he was the only uncapped member of the squad.
He made his full international debut in a friendly against Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
on 11 August 2010, coming on as a half time substitute and was involved in a controversy over Hungary's goal. After making a mistake in the build-up, he got back to clear the ball off the line – a goal was given, however replays suggested the ball had actually not crossed the line.
On 3 September 2010, Dawson made his first competitive start for England in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 was a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, held in Poland and Ukraine. The draw for the qualifying rounds was hel ...
match 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 ...
. He sustained a knee injury and left the field on a stretcher after 56 minutes.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Tottenham Hotspur
*Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
: 2007–08;[ runner-up: 2008–09][
Hull City
*]Football League Championship play-offs
The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...
: 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
[
Individual
*]PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...
: 2002–03 First Division, 2015–16 Championship
* Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year: 2009–10
* Hull City Player of the Year: 2014–15
References
External links
Profile
at the Nottingham Forest F.C. website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Michael
1983 births
Living people
People from Northallerton
People from Leyburn
Footballers from North Yorkshire
English footballers
England under-21 international footballers
England B international footballers
England international footballers
Association football defenders
Nottingham Forest F.C. players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Hull City A.F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
2010 FIFA World Cup players