Kevin Doyle
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish 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 le ...
who played as a
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
. He played for
Wexford F.C. Wexford Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Crossabeg, County Wexford. They compete in the League of Ireland First Division. The club joined the league after being awarded a First Division licence for the 2007 League ...
(formerly Wexford Youths),
St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...
, and
Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...
in his homeland before he moved to English side
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 ...
. He was part of Reading's record-breaking promotion to the Premier League in 2006. In June 2009, he moved to
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 ...
for a then-club record £6.5 million and finished his career in the United States with
Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
. Doyle made his debut for the Republic of Ireland national team in 2006. He scored fourteen goals in 62 appearances for Ireland, and played at
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 ...
. In February 2018, Doyle took a job with the
Wexford GAA The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexf ...
Under-20s football team as an advisor to the team.


Club career


Early career

Doyle signed for his first professional club
St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...
in September 2001 as a free agent. Doyle initially played for the club's under 18 side but within weeks had made his
League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...
début as a substitute on 24 September at
Oriel Park Oriel Park is a UEFA Category 2 football stadium located on the Carrickmacross Road in Dundalk, Ireland. The stadium is the home ground of Dundalk Football Club and is owned and operated by the club on land that has been leased from the Casey F ...
.


Cork City

He then had a successful spell with
Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...
, who he joined in February 2003, linking up with his former St. Patrick's Athletic manager
Pat Dolan Patrick Dolan (born 20 September 1967 in Galway, Ireland) is a former football player, manager, and executive. He is also a former soccer analyst on RTÉ Sport. He is currently a FIFA-registered players' agenand has represented a number of p ...
, who had recently taken over at Turners Cross. Doyle scored 25 goals for Cork City where he began playing on the right-wing but soon reverted to his natural position of striker. He also scored two goals from six appearances in the
2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup The 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup football finals (the summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions) were won by Lille, Schalke 04, and Villarreal. All three teams advanced to the ...
, including the winner against Dutch side
NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion fr ...
. Thousands of fans gave him a standing ovation in his final game for Cork City, against
Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...
, before his transfer to Reading.


Reading

On 7 June 2005, Doyle signed for
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 ...
on a two-year deal from
Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...
, Ireland for €117,000 (about £78,000). Despite having left
Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...
, Doyle received a championship medal when they won the
League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland f ...
in November 2005. Originally, he was signed as a back-up, but injuries to
Dave Kitson David Barry Kitson (born 21 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made 420 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 135 for Reading. Kitson began his career with non-Leag ...
and then
Leroy Lita Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita (born 28 December 1984) is an English footballer who plays for Nuneaton Borough. Lita was a product of the Chelsea youth system but never made a first-team appearance for the club; in 2002, he moved to Bristol City and ...
gave him an opportunity in the first team which he retained thanks to a number of important goals along the way. He scored 19 in total including the equalising goal at
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on the day the Royals were promoted 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 ...
for the first time in their history, 25 March 2006. He became an intrinsic part of Reading's
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 ...
-winning 2005–06 squad, and according to the Actim Index was the top player in the Championship. He was named the official
Reading F.C. Reading Football Club ( ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. The team play in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is manag ...
player of the season for 2005–06. In April 2006, he was also named as ''Championship Fans' Player of the Year'' and one of the ''Championship Team of the Year'' by the
Professional Footballers' Association The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members. The aims of ...
(PFA). Doyle played an important role for
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 the 2006–07 Premier League season. His first Premiership goal came in the Royals 2–1 defeat at
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 ...
, when he headed Reading into a third-minute lead. Doyle began to show a great threat in the air, during the year 2007 he scored more headers than any other player in England's leagues. He was nominated for the
PFA Young Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the s ...
but lost out to
Cesc Fàbregas Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como. Fàbregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when h ...
. He finished the season with 13
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 ...
goals after being curtailed with a torn hamstring for two months.
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 ...
were relegated in the 2007–08 season, but they decided to hold onto Doyle and many of their top players. On 1 September 2008, he was linked with a move 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 ...
but in the end the striker remained at
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 ...
. Doyle remained at Reading to try to help them return to the top flight in the 2008–09 season. He scored 18 league goals but the club failed to achieve promotion after finishing fourth and losing in the play-offs to
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 ...
.


Wolverhampton Wanderers

Doyle joined newly promoted
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 ...
side
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 ...
on 30 June 2009 when he signed a four-year contract for a club record fee, reportedly £6.5 million. However, he immediately had to undergo an operation to remove a hernia, which hindered his first pre-season at his new club. He picked up another minor injury while on international duty with Ireland that caused him to miss the start of the league season. He finally made his debut for Wolves on 22 August 2009, as a half time substitute at
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 ...
. He scored his first Wolves goal on 20 September 2009 to earn a 2–1 win over
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
. Throughout much of the season he operated as a lone striker in a 4–5–1 formation. His contribution helped the club finish 15th in their first season in the Premier League. He also won the club's ''Player's Player of the Season Award'' and their ''Top Goalscorer Award'' after reaching nine goals. Doyle continued to play the lone striker role throughout most of the 2010–11 season, despite the arrival of Steven Fletcher who equalled Doyle's club record fee. After Mick McCarthy rotated systems using various strikers, he eventually reverted to his previously successful 4–5–1 formation, with Doyle playing the lone front man role. He went on to score five goals for Wolves in the second half of the season – including the winner 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 ...
that halted their 29 match unbeaten run. On 26 March 2011, Doyle tore a knee ligament while on international duty with
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, which kept him out of action for up to 6 weeks. He returned to action on 14 May against
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, coming on as a substitute, but played no part in their final game in which they narrowly escaped relegation. Doyle was part of the Wolves squad who suffered successive relegations in consecutive seasons, to drop from the Premier League to League One during the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons. New Wolves manager
Kenny Jackett Kenneth Francis Jackett (born 5 January 1962) is a former professional football player and manager, who is currently Director of Football at club Gillingham. A skilful left-footed player, able to play in defence or midfield, Jackett was cappe ...
stated that Doyle's wages were "too high for where we are" and that he expected him to leave. No bids materialised for the striker though during the Summer 2013 transfer window and he featured instead for Wolves' first team during the first part of the season as one of the few remaining players from their time in the Premier League. On 31 January 2014 Doyle was loaned to Championship side
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 ...
in a deal due to run until the end of the season. He scored on his debut against
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 ...
on 1 February 2014, and netted a second goal for the club against
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 ...
, as the team chased an immediate return to the Premier League. However, a knee injury sustained against
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 ...
saw him spend a period back at Wolves during March and April as he underwent treatment. After returning to Loftus Road, Doyle featured in all three games of QPR's successful play-off campaign as they won promotion back to the Premier League. On 1 September 2014, Doyle was loaned to Premier League side
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 * ...
until January 2015. He made only three substitute appearances for the Eagles in the Premier League, failing to score in any of these appearances. His final appearance during his loan spell saw him score his only goal for the club when he netted in an FA Cup tie against non-league
Dover Athletic Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
. At the end of his loan, he returned to Wolves, making a handful of appearances as substitute before his contract expired at the conclusion of the season. In total he scored 33 times for Wolves during 179 appearances, spread across playing from the Premier League to League One level.


Colorado Rapids

On 20 March 2015 it was announced that Doyle had signed a pre-contract agreement with the MLS club
Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
. The two-and-a-half-year deal was originally due to take effect from 1 July 2015 upon the expiry of his contract with Wolves, but the club reached a settlement on 6 May 2015, following the conclusion of Wolves' season, to allow Doyle to join Colorado earlier than planned. He made his MLS debut on 23 May 2015 as a substitute in a 1–0 win over the
Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...
. On 28 September 2017, Doyle announced his immediate retirement from the game due to ongoing effects of concussion.


International career

Doyle played for the Republic of Ireland U21 team, making his debut on 2 February 2004 against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. With 11
cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
s, and scoring seven goals making him joint top scorer at that grade, he was also a member of the Irish
FIFA World Youth Championship The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when ...
squad in 2003. Scored against Colombia. He was called up to the senior
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 ...
squad in October 2005, making his full international debut against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
at
Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...
on 1 March 2006. His first start in a competitive international was against Germany on 2 September 2006 in a
Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
qualifier. With this appearance, his family also won a €100 bet at 100/1 they had placed two years earlier on Doyle playing competitively for Ireland. Doyle scored his first goal for Ireland against
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
in November 2006. He was then named the official Football Association of Ireland ''Young Player of 2006'' on 4 February 2007, also receiving a nomination for the senior award. His second goal came in a 1–0 victory over Slovakia at
Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
in March 2007. He also scored against
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
on 23 May 2007 securing a valiant 1–1 draw against the South Americans, and he scored his best goal for Ireland, with a long-range left-foot shot into the top corner to the keeper's right, in a 2–2 draw against
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
on 9 September 2007 in the 2008 European Championships
qualifying Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
game in
Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
. His fifth international goal and fourth in the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign came away to
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
as Ireland drew 2–2. During 2010 World Cup qualifying, Doyle established himself as
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 ...
's ideal strike partner in the national team's attacking quartet that included
Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish professional football manager and former player who played predominantly as a winger. He has been the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C. since November 2021. He began his prof ...
and
Aiden McGeady Aiden John McGeady (born 4 April 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. Born in Scotland, he represented the Republic of Ireland national team from 2004 until 2017. He started his c ...
. He played in 8 of the 10 games, scoring two goals, including the first in a 2–1 win in the opening game against
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. He also scored against
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, his seventh international goal, in a 2–1 win in Nicosia. In the absence of Robbie Keane,
Shay Given Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. With 134 caps, he is the second-highest capped Republic of Ireland player. Given started his career at Celtic, however he neve ...
and other players who had been allowed to return to their clubs, Doyle captained Ireland for the first time in a friendly against South Africa on 8 September 2009. Doyle was nominated as the Football Association of Ireland ''Player of the Year'' for 2007 and won the award in 2009, as well as for ''Goal of the Year'' for his goal against Slovakia in September 2007. Doyle scored his ninth international goal, and first in 2012 European Championships qualification, against Andorra at the
Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and r ...
on 7 September 2010. On 6 February 2011, Doyle was named Republic of Ireland Player of the Year for 2010, while he also earned the Goal of the Year award for Ireland, for his superb strike in last September's Euro 2012 qualifier against Andorra. Doyle was sent off against Armenia on 11 October 2011. He reached 50 international caps 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 ...
at
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 ...
. In the first game of
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group C was a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Germany national football team, Germany, Sweden national football team, Sweden, ...
, Ireland were in a bad way against
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, the team ranked 142nd in the world. Ireland were 1–0 down with 89 minutes gone. Doyle came off the bench to assist with the equalising goal (a Robbie Keane penalty) and then scored the winner. His reward was being named captain in an international friendly against
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
four days later, the second time he would captain his country. He scored again in that game. Towards the end of the Trapattoni era, Doyle fell out of favour and was dropped from the squads but he was recalled by Interim manager
Noel King Noel King (born 13 September 1956) is a former professional footballer and the current head coach of Women's National League club Shelbourne. For 10 years from 2000 until 2010 he was manager of the Republic of Ireland women's national team. ...
for the qualifiers against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. Doyle played the full 90 minutes in both qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan in an unfamiliar role playing out on the wings. In his 62nd match for the Republic, at home against Switzerland, he suffered a serious leg injury. After finding out that there were no broken bones, Doyle tweeted a picture of the injury. O'Neill was quoted as saying Doyle would still be in the running for the upcoming Euros.


Media career

Doyle was part of
RTÉ Sport RTÉ Sport is a department of Irish public broadcaster RTÉ. The department provides sporting coverage through a number of platforms including RTÉ Radio, RTÉ Television, RTÉ.ie, RTÉ Player Sport and RTÉ Mobile. RTÉ holds the television ...
's
punditry A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
team for the
UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, alongside
Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish professional football manager and former player who played predominantly as a winger. He has been the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C. since November 2021. He began his prof ...
,
Liam Brady William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for the Irelan ...
and
Richie Sadlier Richard Sadlier (born 14 January 1979, in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer and former CEO of St Patrick's Athletic. Since retirement from the professional game he has worked as a pundit with RTÉ Sport. Club career He began h ...
.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Doyle goal.''


Honours

Cork City *
League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...
:
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Reading *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
: 2005–06 Wolverhampton Wanderers *
Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
: 2013–14 Queens Park Rangers *
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. , ...
:
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Republic of Ireland * 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 * PFA Championship Team of the Year: 2005–06 * Reading Player of the Season: 2005–06 * FAI Under 21 International Player of the Year: 2005 * FAI Young International Player of the Year: 2006 * FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 2008, 2010 * FAI International Goal of the Year: 2010 ''vs.
Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
'' * Football League Championship Player of the Month: September 2008


References


External links


Official club profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Kevin 1983 births Living people Association footballers from County Wexford Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Association football forwards Gaelic footballers who switched code St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Cork City F.C. players Reading F.C. players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Colorado Rapids players League of Ireland players Premier League players English Football League players Major League Soccer players UEFA Euro 2012 players Designated Players (MLS) Wexford GAA Wexford F.C. players Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers