Séamus Coleman (; born 11 October 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a

right-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 ...

and captains both

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 Fo ...

club Everton and the Republic of Ireland national team. Originally a Gaelic footballer, Coleman started his association football career with St Catherine's in Killybegs. He joined

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 use ...

side Sligo Rovers in 2006 after impressing in a friendly against them. He then made the move to England to sign for Everton in January 2009 for a £60,000 fee. In 2010, he spent half a season on loan with Blackpool, helping them win promotion via the Championship play-offs, before returning to Everton where he has made over 350 appearances. Coleman has been a senior international for the Republic of Ireland since 2011, acquiring over 50 caps. He won the

2011 Nations Cup The 2011 Nations Cup (also known as the Carling Nations Cup after its headline sponsor) was a round-robin football tournament between the Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales national teams. The first set of two games ...

and was awarded the FAI Under-21 International Player of the Year in both 2009 and 2010. He was selected for the Ireland squad at

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

, captaining Ireland against both

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 ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He was named the new Ireland captain in September 2016 following Robbie Keane's international retirement.

Early life

Coleman was raised in

Killybegs Killybegs () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay, near Donegal Town. Its Irish name ''Na Cealla ...

, a fishing port in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

in the west of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, the northern

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 ...

. Two of his uncles played Gaelic football. His maternal aunt Anne ('' née'' Carr) came from Crove, a

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

between Glengesh and Meenaneary, and is the mother of

Dessie Farrell Dessie Farrell is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former player. He has been manager of the Dublin county team since 2019. A former All Star Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for Dublin county team for nearly 15 years, he reti ...

. Coleman has two brothers: Francis and Stephen (known as Stevie). His parents are Henry and Máire Coleman. Henry is from Tinahely in County Wicklow, while Máire ('' née'' Carr) is from the

of Crove (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Cróibh'') near Carrick, a village to the west of Killybegs. Stevie has

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...

and participated in the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games football event where the Irish team won bronze medals. Séamus grew up in the

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

of Cummins Hill and attended Niall Mór National School for his primary education. He attended St Catherine's Vocational School in Killybegs for his

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

. He did his Leaving Certificate in 2006. Coleman himself initially played Gaelic football, and, aged 16, played as a

back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column runs ...

on his local GAA team, Na Cealla Beaga. He also played for the Donegal county team at under-16 level, winning a Buncrana Cup in 2004. Coleman was a boyhood Manchester United fan.

Club career

Sligo Rovers

Coleman was spotted by Sligo Rovers when he lined up against them in a friendly for his hometown club, St Catherine's. He made his

debut against Derry City at the

Brandywell The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium ( ga, Tobar an Fhíoruisce ) is a municipal football stadium with an adjoining greyhound racing track in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C. and (temporari ...

in October 2006 as a substitute for Adam Hughes. Sligo Rovers coach

Rob McDonald Robert Roderick McDonald (born 22 January 1959) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker or midfielder for Hull City, SC Cambuur, FC Wageningen, Willem II Tilburg, FC Groningen, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Clube de Por ...

did not rate Coleman very highly as a player, telling him that he should join

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division ( ga, Céad Roinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division, is the second level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. Th ...

club

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 ...

. McDonald departed Sligo Rovers in March 2007, and was replaced by

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...

, of whom Coleman later said: "He made me feel like I was the best player in the League. It just makes such a difference when you have a manager who believes in you". Coleman scored his only goal for Rovers against Bray Wanderers on 17 May 2008, concluding a 3–0 win.

Everton

Following a recommendation by Willie McStay to former teammate and Everton manager David Moyes, Coleman was signed by the

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

club for £60,000 in January 2009, ahead of other interest from Ipswich Town,

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, 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. Sin ...

and Celtic. Before playing a game for Everton, Coleman had to undergo surgery on a career-threatening infected blister. He made his debut on 22 October 2009 in the Europa League group stage in a 5–0 loss to Benfica at the

Estádio da Luz The Estádio da Luz (), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, it ...

, being beaten to the ball by

Javier Saviola Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (; born 11 December 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward. He represented both Barcelona and Real Madrid, also having notable spells with Benfica and Olympiacos, and was n ...

for the first goal. Three days later in his

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a association football, football stadium in the Walton, Liverpool, Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area ...

debut, a

match against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

, Coleman was named

Man of the Match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

after coming on as a first-half substitute for the injured

Joseph Yobo Joseph Michael Yobo (born 6 September 1980) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He was the captain of the Nigerian national team until his international football retirement in June 2014, and was Nigeria's ...

, and played an instrumental part for both of Everton's goals in a 2–2 draw. He made his

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 ...

debut against Carlisle United in the third round on 2 January 2010, replacing Tony Hibbert in the 80th minute and creating a goal for

Tim Cahill Timothy Filiga Cahill (; born 6 December 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder but also played as a striker on many occasions. A box-to-box midfielder, Cahill became recognised for "his a ...

two minutes later, in a 3–1 home win. Seamus Coleman 2010

Loan to Blackpool

On 19 March 2010, Coleman joined

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 on loan, initially for one month as a replacement for the injured Neal Eardley. He made his debut the next day, in a 2–2 draw at home to

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 ...

. He scored his first goal for the ''Tangerines'' in a 4–2 win away to Scunthorpe United on 2 April. Later that month, Coleman's loan was extended until the end of the season, while on 19 May he agreed a new four-year contract with Everton. He played in Blackpool's play–off 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 original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

, which they won 3–2 against Cardiff City.

Return from loan

Coleman returned to Everton for the following season, breaking into the first team on the right of midfield. He scored his first goal for Everton against Brentford in 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 ...

third round on 21 September 2010. He opened the scoring at Griffin Park in the sixth minute, but also gave away a

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) A p ...

with a foul on Myles Weston, which Ján Mucha saved from

Charlie MacDonald Charles Lea MacDonald (born 13 February 1981) is an English footballer who plays for Barking. Football career Early career MacDonald played for the Millwall youth team before joining Charlton Athletic as a trainee, turning professional in ...

, although Brentford eventually won in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

after a 1–1 draw. He scored his first Premier League goal against his former team Blackpool on 6 November to secure a 2–2 draw at

Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a single-tier football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the At ...

, signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal two months later, and was nominated for the 2011

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 ...

Award. He finished the season having scored four league goals, though was sent off in the final game of the season, a 1–0 win against

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 ...

2012–2016

On 31 December 2012, Coleman signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract with Everton. The 2013–14 season proved to be Coleman's best to date as he scored six league goals, more than his previous seasons at the club combined. In April, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year. He was also named Everton's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year. Manager

Roberto Martínez Roberto Martínez Montoliu (born 13 July 1973) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player, currently as head coach of the Portugal national team. Martínez played as a defensive midfielder and began his career at Real Zaragoza ...

hailed Coleman as one of the best full-backs in world football as he was part of a defence which conceded just 39 goals to help Everton finish fifth with a club record of 72 Premier League points. He created 45 chances during the season, the third highest amongst Everton players and had the second highest pass completion at 88%. On 26 June 2014, Coleman signed a new five-year contract with Everton. He scored his first ever goal in

European football UEFA competitions (french: competitions de l'UEFA), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur asso ...

for Everton on 18 September 2014, netting their second in a 4–1 win over

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's he ...

in the first match of their Europa League campaign. On 19 February 2015, he was again on target in Europe, in a 4–1 win over BSC Young Boys in the last 32. On 22 March, Coleman scored the first goal in an eventual 2–1 away success against

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 ...

with ''Toffees'' boss Roberto Martínez praising the full-back for his performance, describing him as "magnificent in his defensive duties" and labelling his opener as "a striker's goal". Coleman scored his only goal of the 2015–16 season in a 3–0 away victory against Stoke City on 6 February 2016. On 17 September, he opened his 2016–17 goalscoring account in a 3–1 home win against

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 ...

with a great solo run and finish on his weaker foot. He scored his second goal of the season on 19 November with an 89th-minute header to equalise in a 1–1 home draw against Swansea City.

2017–present

Coleman's first goal of 2017 came on 21 January as he secured all three points with an 87th-minute winner in a 1–0 triumph over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Coleman suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in his right leg following a dangerous challenge from Neil Taylor whilst on international duty with Ireland in March 2017 and was unlikely to return to action until 2018. It was announced a few days after his injury that FIFA would pay his basic salary for the duration of his rehabilitation. During his recovery, Coleman signed a new five-year contract which would keep him at the club until the summer of 2022. He made his Everton return on 31 January 2018, in a 2–1 win over

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 ...

. Coleman became Everton club captain in August 2019, following

Phil Jagielka Philip Nikodem Jagielka ( or ; born 17 August 1982) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Stoke City. Jagielka started his career with Sheffield United in 2000, where he played mainly as a central midfiel ...

's departure after a 12-year tenure. On 15 December that year, he made his 300th Everton appearance in a 1–1 draw at Manchester United. On 28 July 2021, Coleman signed a contract extension to keep him at Everton until the end of June 2023.

International career

Youth

Coleman has represented Ireland U18 schools, helping them retain the Centenary Shield in 2006. He is an Ireland under-21 and under-23 international, having made his debut for the former against Sweden in 2007. On 10 August 2010, Coleman scored his first international goal in a 5–0 win against

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. In the same month he won the 2009 FAI Under 21 Player of the Year Award. He retained the award in 2010. He captained Ireland in a 1–0 defeat against

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

in November 2010.

Senior

FIFA WC-qualification 2014 - Austria vs Ireland 2013-09-10 - Seamus Coleman 05

Coleman received his first call-up to the senior squad in October 2010, and made his full international debut in the Republic of Ireland's inaugural Nations Cup match against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

on 8 February 2011, which Ireland won 3–0. On 29 May 2013, Coleman was named Man of the Match for his performance against

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 ...

. He crossed the ball for

Shane Long Shane Patrick Long (born 22 January 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Reading and the Republic of Ireland national team. He also played hurling for the Tipperary county team in his early ...

's opening goal of the game, a header past

Joe Hart Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) known professionally simply as Joe Hart is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury T ...

. Coleman captained Ireland for the first time in a 2014 World Cup qualifier 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 ...

on 11 October 2013, his 25th birthday, which Ireland lost 3–0 in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

. On 31 May 2016, Coleman was selected in Martin O'Neill's 23-man squad for Euro 2016. At the tournament, he captained Ireland in their final group game victory over Italy. The 1–0 win ensured that the team advanced past the group stages at a

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

for the first time. He was also captain for Ireland's Round of 16 match against France in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

where the hosts prevailed 2–1 winners. Coleman was named the permanent Ireland captain in September 2016 following the international retirement of Robbie Keane. The following month, he scored his first senior international goal for Ireland in a 1–0 win over

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 ...

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 ...

in a 2018 World Cup qualifier. On 24 March 2017, Coleman suffered a broken leg in the 69th minute of a goalless draw in a World Cup qualifier against

following a dangerous tackle by Neil Taylor for which the Welshman was given a straight red card. Coleman received treatment on the pitch and was given oxygen as he was comforted by teammate Shane Long before being carried off on a stretcher. He was brought directly to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

's St. Vincent's Hospital where he underwent surgery on a fractured

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

and

fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity i ...

of his right leg. Ireland manager Martin O'Neill stated that Coleman's injury was a "huge blow" to both Ireland and Everton but backed the player to return to his "brilliant" best. Taylor's challenge was widely condemned across the football world with the Aston Villa defender himself said to be "devastated" about causing a serious injury. Wales manager Chris Coleman later revealed that Taylor went into the Ireland team's changing room to apologise for the incident. Many fellow footballers, sports personalities and celebrities took to

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

to send messages of support to Coleman including

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while ...

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 ...

, Héctor Bellerín, Paul McGrath,

Tony Bellew Anthony Lewis Bellew (born 30 November 1982) is an English former professional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2018, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2017, and challeng ...

and Niall Horan. On 26 March, O'Neill confirmed the surgery on the right-back's fractured leg had been a success. Coleman's first call-up since the injury came for the squad to face

on 23 March 2018.

Style of play

FIFA WC-qualification 2014 - Austria vs Ireland 2013-09-10 - Seamus Coleman 12

Coleman has been regarded as one of the Premier League's best full-backs. A quick, skilful and hard-working player with immense stamina, he is renowned for his eagerness to get forward on attacking runs which has established his goalscoring prowess. Coleman has shown a proficiency for having great composure when in possession of the ball and his former Everton teammate Ashley Williams has hailed him as one of the best players he has ever played with. Despite being very quiet by nature, Coleman has shown great leadership qualities which has propelled him to the role of captain of the Irish national team. He led the Ireland team out for their final two matches at Euro 2016, earning much praise from teammates, fans and media alike. He has since taken on the role of Ireland captain on a permanent basis. In March 2018, it was suggested by ''

ESPN FC ESPN FC (formerly ESPN SoccerNet) is a website and a U.S. television studio program covering soccer that is broadcast daily over the streaming service ESPN+. ESPN FC's origin was a website owned by ESPN Inc. Originally established in 1995 as ...

'' journalist Luke O'Farrell that Coleman should also be the next club captain at Everton, highlighting that the full-back "leads by example and, more importantly, demands more from his teammates. Coleman has never been afraid to let another player know when something is not working or needs improvement. ..Coleman sets the mark for the rest of the team to follow". O'Farrell's wish came to fruition in August 2019 when Coleman became the new Everton captain following the departure of Phil Jagielka.

Personal life

Coleman supports the

Donegal county football team The Donegal county football team ( ) represents Donegal in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Donegal GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All ...

. He also still follows his local GAA team, Na Cealla Beaga, and attended the final of the

2013 Donegal Senior Football Championship The 2013 Donegal Senior Football Championship was contested by senior Gaelic football clubs under the auspices of Donegal GAA. Brian McEniff managed Réalt na Mara in the competition, taking over from Joe Keeney after his resignation and fillin ...

when they lost to Gleann tSuilí. In an Everton

matchday programme A matchday programme or match programme is a booklet associated with a live sporting event which details the proposed starting lineup and other details of the match. To some spectators, the purchase of a matchday programme is part of the "ritua ...

ahead of a Premier League win over

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 ...

, Coleman mentioned

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer ...

as his favourite sportsperson outside association football, both for his manner on the field of play and his personality off it. In June 2015, he married his childhood sweetheart Rachel Cunningham in St. Mary of the Visitation Church in Killybegs. Their daughters were born in 2016 and 2018.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

:''As of match played 24 September 2022''. ''Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Coleman goal.''

Honours

Blackpool * Football League Championship play-offs: 2009–10 Republic of Ireland * Nations Cup: 2011 Individual *Donegal Sports Star Professional Sport Achievement Award: 2009 * FAI Under-21 International Player of the Year: 2009, 2010 * PFA Team of the Year:

2013–14 Premier League The 2013–14 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd season of the Premier League, the top-flight English professional league for men's football clubs, and the 115th season of top-flight Engli ...

* Everton Player's Player of the Year: 2013–14 *Everton Supporter's Player of the Year: 2013–14

References

External links

Profile
at the Everton F.C. website
Profile
at the Football Association of Ireland website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Seamus 1988 births Living people Association football defenders Association footballers from County Donegal Expatriate footballers in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in England St Catherine's F.C. players Sligo Rovers F.C. players Everton F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players League of Ireland players Premier League players English Football League players Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland under-23 international footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers UEFA Euro 2016 players Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers Republic of Ireland men's futsal players Donegal Gaelic footballers Gaelic football backs Gaelic footballers who switched code Killybegs Gaelic footballers