Darren O'Dea
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Darren O'Dea (born 4 February 1987) is an Irish retired professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player, who is the assistant head coach of Swansea City. O'Dea has played as a
centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
for clubs in Scotland, England, Canada, Ukraine and India, and represented the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
internationally. O'Dea began his career on the youth team of
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
, with whom he played from 2006 to 2012. During his time on Celtic, he was loaned to
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
, Ipswich Town and
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
. While playing for Leeds, O'Dea won the Ireland Young International Player of the Year Award. For more first-team opportunities he switched clubs and countries, joining
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
for a year until 2013. The following season, he represented
FC Metalurh Donetsk Football Club Metalurh Donetsk (, ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Donetsk that went bankrupt in July 2015. History Club predecessor Football came to the Donetsk region in the time of the Russian Empire when the industr ...
in
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. O'Dea's stint was cut short due to the Ukrainian political situation, and he returned to England with
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. In July 2015, he signed with
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
club
Mumbai City FC Mumbai City Football Club is an Indian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is part of the City Football Group. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of the Ind ...
. After three years with
Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
, O'Dea retired from playing professionally in 2019. He then became a coach at Motherwell, while playing semi-professionally for East Kilbride. After being capped by the youth national teams of the Republic of Ireland, O'Dea made his senior-team debut in 2009 and has been capped 20 times. He represented Ireland at the 2012 UEFA European Championship.


Club career


Celtic

Born in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, O'Dea played for Home Farm before he was signed by Celtic as a teenager. After making his way through the reserves and academy side, he made his first-team debut for Celtic in the
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
against St Mirren in September 2006. A month later, O'Dea made his league debut against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, where he played the last thirty minutes after substituting for Gary Caldwell. His
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
debut was on 6 December against Danish club F.C. Copenhagen as a substitute for the injured Stephen McManus. O'Dea made his first league starting appearance against
Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...
four days after his Champions League debut. Later that month he scored his first goal in a match against
Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
, with his rebound of a 78th-minute free kick by Shunsuke Nakamura tying the match 2–2. O'Dea's first season saw him also score against Livingston in the run to the 2006–07 Scottish Cup. After playing 16 times for Celtic, O'Dea signed a three-year contract in March 2007 and considered it a "reward for the hard work" he had done. In his second season he contributed to Celtic winning the league championship, although he did not feature in the title winning match against Dundee United. After O'Dea did not play for two months (since his last Champions League match against
FC Spartak Moscow FC Spartak Moscow (, ) is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet Top League, Soviet championships (second only to FC Dynamo Kyiv, Dynamo Kyiv) and 10 Russian Premier League, Russian champ ...
), the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
reported in October that he would be recalled to the injury-plagued team as a replacement for Gary Caldwell, and he played the entire league match against Rangers on 20 October 2007. That season, he primarily played centre-back. During the 2008–09 season O'Dea made a total of sixteen appearances, scoring twice. His extra-time goal in the 2009 Scottish League Cup Final gave Celtic the trophy. After playing fifty times for the club, O'Dea was loaned to
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in September 2009 for more first-team experience and he called it a "massive chance" to represent Celtic. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
, with his second-half shot saved by Doncaster goalkeeper Neil Sullivan. In a September interview, O'Dea was reluctant to return to Celtic for rare match opportunities. Returning from Reading in January 2010, he started all five games that month. O'Dea was appointed stand-in captain after Stephen McManus went on loan to
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
and Gary Caldwell left for
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
. At the start of the following season, again finding himself superfluous at Celtic, he was loaned to Ipswich Town on 18 August 2010 until January 2011 and made his Ipswich debut against Crystal Palace on 21 August. In January O'Dea said he was uncertain if his loan would be extended because of the sacking of Ipswich manager
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...
, expressing his desire to stay. New manager Paul Jewell unexpectedly extended his loan to the end of the season. ''Vital Football'' praised O'Dea's performance in a league cup match against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, with Jewell calling it "tremendous and crucial in the result". Two months later, he expressed a desire to return to Celtic instead of signing permanently with Ipswich. O'Dea said he would play for another club if he did not have first-team opportunities at Celtic, since he felt that playing was "not about sitting on a bench". In May 2011, he said he "may quit Celtic" to play regularly and represent the national team at the 2012 UEFA Euro qualifiers. The following month
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
signed him on loan until the end of the season, and he said his objective on his new club was to win promotion to
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. O'Dea made his Leeds debut in a 3–1 loss to
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
. He scored his first goal for the club against Coventry City, an "angled shot" for a 1–1 draw. O'Dea again found the net in the next game, against Peterborough United, in the 95th minute for a 3–2 win. Against
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
, according to the BBC Leeds conceded a goal due to O'Dea's "indecision" which "opened the door for Joe Mason". In a January 2012 interview he expressed his desire to sign permanently with Leeds, although he received a red card in a loss to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. O'Dea played 38 times for Leeds, scoring twice. Due to his form with Leeds and Ireland, O'Dea and teammate Aidy White were nominated for the Young International Player of the Year at the
Football Association of Ireland The Football Association of Ireland (FAI; ) is the governing body for association football in the Republic of Ireland. Organisation The FAI has an executive committee of five members under the president, who receive expenses, as well as a p ...
International Football Awards. He won the award in a ceremony held in February 2012. After spending the previous two seasons out on loan, O'Dea was released by Celtic at the end of his contract on 1 June 2012 despite a one-year contract-extension option. He said he "had a great time at Celtic and have a lot of friends there so it was important for me that I left properly".


Toronto FC

O'Dea signed with
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
club
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
on 3 August 2012, and made his club debut on 18 August in a 1–0 home loss to
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...
. According to
CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...
, he looked "lively" in his first match with the team. In a match against
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
he passed to Terry Dunfield, who scored, and at the end of the game said he was "delighted" with the result. Manager
Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English Association football, football player and Coach (sport), coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley F.C., Chorley. He became a professional p ...
named O'Dea team captain in September, succeeding the injured Torsten Frings. The following month, he was unable to play a match against Montreal Impact due to a thigh injury sustained during World Cup qualifying play for Ireland. In O'Dea's first season for Toronto, he played nine times as Toronto finished tenth in the Eastern Conference. O'Dea was employed at left back for the 2013 season after the regular player at that position was injured. According to him, it had been two years since he had previously played left back. O'Dea scored his first goal for Toronto on 3 July 2013 in a 3–3 home draw with Canadian rivals Montreal Impact. Because of his "keen sense of positioning and timing" against Sporting Kansas City, he was named to the Team of the Week for 12 March. Originally part of a transfer (a "win-win for both parties", according to head coach
Ryan Nelsen Ryan William Nelsen (born 18 October 1977) is a former New Zealand professional football player and former head coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto FC. Nelsen commonly played as a defender, and his professional career began in 1995. He ...
, since O'Dea was the highest-paid player in the league), he was released by Toronto on 18 July 2013 to sign with
FC Metalurh Donetsk Football Club Metalurh Donetsk (, ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Donetsk that went bankrupt in July 2015. History Club predecessor Football came to the Donetsk region in the time of the Russian Empire when the industr ...
. Club president Kevin Payne wished him luck and hoped he would return in the future. O'Dea played a total of 26 times for Toronto, scoring one goal and setting up three, and was succeeded as team captain by Steven Caldwell.


Metalurh Donetsk

After his release from Toronto O'Dea signed a three-year contract with
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
's
FC Metalurh Donetsk Football Club Metalurh Donetsk (, ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Donetsk that went bankrupt in July 2015. History Club predecessor Football came to the Donetsk region in the time of the Russian Empire when the industr ...
. He debuted for the team in a 20 July 2013 1–1 draw with FC Karpaty Lviv, playing 46 minutes before being substituted. O'Dea scored his first goal for Metalurh in his second game, a 2–1 away win over
Vorskla Poltava FC Vorskla Poltava ( ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Poltava. The team set to compete in Ukrainian First League, the second tier of Football in Ukraine, Ukrainian football after relegation from Ukrainian Premier League in ...
. He left the club in August 2014, terminating his contract two years early due to the unrest in Ukraine. O'Dea described the situation in the country as "hostile and intense, but also surreal".


Blackpool

O'Dea then signed with
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in December 2014, making his debut in a 6–1 loss to
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
. Bournemouth's fourth goal was scored by Brett Pitman, converting a penalty shot incurred by O'Dea (who fouled
Callum Wilson Callum Eddie Graham Wilson (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Premier League club Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United and the Englan ...
in the
penalty area The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. If any part of the ball is ove ...
). Against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, the BBC reported that he "got into a terrible muddle trying to cut out a pass from Kevin McDonald" and allowed Benik Afobe (in his first game for Wolverhampton) to score the second goal. O'Dea was injured in a match against
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
in February 2015, forcing him to miss the game with
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. Released when his contract expired in May, he said the club had a "disastrous season". O'Dea played 20 times for Blackpool.


Mumbai City

Although the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'' reported in May 2015 that O'Dea might re-sign with the city's MLS club, he signed a contract until 22 December with
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
club
Mumbai City FC Mumbai City Football Club is an Indian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is part of the City Football Group. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of the Ind ...
, managed by
Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly featur ...
. Calling his signing "a new experience, a new chapter", he said he knew little about the quality of football in the league. O'Dea made his ISL debut on 10 October, starting in a goalless draw at
Kerala Blasters Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top tier of football in India. The club was esta ...
. He left the club after making nine appearances.


Dundee

O'Dea signed a short-term contract with
Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
in January 2016. On 22 March 2016, he signed a new three-year contract. In June 2017, O'Dea was named as permanent club captain by Dundee, having performed the role during the previous season in place of the injured
James McPake James McPake (born 24 June 1984) is a professional association football, football coach and former player, who was most recently the manager of Dunfermline Athletic F.C., Dunfermline Athletic. McPake played for Livingston F.C., Livingston, Gree ...
. On 7 May 2019, O'Dea announced in a long-form announcement on his Twitter account that he would be leaving Dundee at the end of the season, and that this would mark the conclusion of his last season as a full-time professional footballer.


East Kilbride

O'Dea signed for his local side
East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...
in May 2019 but left in August without making a single Lowland league appearance for the club. O'Dea left to focus on his coaching commitments with
Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
full time.


International career

After playing for the Irish under-19 and under-21 teams, O'Dea was called up to the international squad within a year. Promoted to the Irish under-21 international squad by manager Don Givens on 3 March 2007, he was the team captain. Less than a week later, O'Dea was named to the international squad for Ireland's
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group D Standings and results for Group D of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying tournament. Germany secured qualification to the tournament proper on 13 October 2007 following a 0–0 draw against the Republic of Ireland, becoming the first team in the whole o ...
matches on 24 and 28 March. On 13 May 2008, he was listed on
Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), popularly nicknamed "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian former Association football, football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Football in Italy, Italian football ...
's first squad as Ireland's manager for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8 matches against
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. O'Dea made his senior-team debut on 8 September 2009 in a 1–0 friendly win over
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
at
Thomond Park Thomond Park is a stadium in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Munster Rugby and has Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. Limerick FC played home games in Thomond Park from 2013 to 2015 in the Le ...
in
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
as a 60th-minute substitute for Paul McShane. After a match against the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, O'Dea said he dreamed of being named to the Irish squad for
UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...
. Although he was on the roster for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, he did not appear; the Irish were eliminated from the group stage. O'Dea scored his first senior goal for Ireland, an 88th-minute header, in a World Cup qualifying match against the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
on 16 October 2012 which Ireland won 4–1.


Playing style

O'Dea's manager at
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
,
Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English Association football, football player and Coach (sport), coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley F.C., Chorley. He became a professional p ...
, described him as a "different specimen" with "fantastic habits" and a good leader. According to Miloš Kocić, he is a good defender of set pieces.


Coaching career

O'Dea was appointed to a coaching position with
Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
in May 2019. In September 2019 he left Motherwell and returned to Celtic to become manager of their under-18s. In October 2021 he was promoted to coach Celtic's B team and later became head coach in June 2022. In April 2024,
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
announced a new role for O'Dea as the professional player pathway manager for the club with the aim of developing and progressing academy players into the first team.


Career statistics


Honours


Club

Celtic *
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
: 2006–07, 2007–08 *
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
: 2008–09 *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2006–07 International * Nations Cup:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...


Individual

* Ireland Young International Player of the Year Award 2012


References


External links

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