Séamus Coleman ( ; born 11 October 1988) is an Irish 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 lea ...
who plays as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
for and
captains
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
both club
Everton and the
Republic of Ireland national team.
Originally a
Gaelic football
Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
er, Coleman started his association football career with
St Catherine's in Killybegs. He joined
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
side
Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland.
The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...
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
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 ...
, helping them win promotion via the
Championship play-offs
The English Football League (EFL) 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-of ...
, before returning to Everton where he has made over 400 appearances.
Coleman has been a senior international for the Republic of Ireland since 2011, acquiring over 70 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 tournament, round-robin association football, football tournament between the Northern Ireland national football team, Northern Ireland, Re ...
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 association football, football ch ...
,
captaining Ireland against both
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 ...
and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. He was named the new Ireland captain in September 2016 following
Robbie Keane
Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who played as a striker and is currently the head coach of Ferencváros. Keane served as captain of the Republic of Ireland from March 2006 until h ...
'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 means 'littl ...
,
a fishing port in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
in the west of
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
, the northern
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of Ireland.
Two of his uncles played
Gaelic football
Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
.
[ His maternal aunt Anne ('']née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
'' Carr) came from Crove, a townland
A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
between Glengesh and Meenaneary, and is the mother of Dessie Farrell.
Coleman has two brothers: Francis and Stephen (known as Stevie). His parents are Henry and Máire Coleman. Henry is from Tinahely
Tinahely () is a village in County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a market town in the valley of the River Derry, a tributary of the River Slaney.
Location and access
Tinahely is on the R747 road which links the west Wickl ...
in County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, while Máire (''née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
'' Carr) is from the townland
A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
of Crove ( Irish: ''Cróibh'') near Carrick, a village to the west of Killybegs. He attended St Catherine's Vocational School in Killybegs for his secondary education
Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education.
Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...
. He did his Leaving Certificate
A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination.
For each leaving certificate ...
in 2006.
Coleman himself initially played Gaelic football, and, aged 16, played as a back
The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), 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 c ...
for his local GAA
Gaa may refer to:
* Gaa language, a language of Nigeria
* gaa, the ISO 639 code for the Ga language of Ghana
GAA may stand for:
Compounds
* Glacial (water-free), acetic acid
* Acid alpha-glucosidase, also known as glucosidase, alpha; acid, an e ...
club, Na Cealla Beaga. He also played for the Donegal county team at under-16 level, winning a Buncrana Cup in 2004.
Club career
Sligo Rovers
Coleman was spotted by Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland.
The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...
when he lined up against them in a friendly for his hometown club, St Catherine's. He made his League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
debut against Derry City at the Brandywell
The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium () is a municipal football stadium in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C., (temporarily) NIFL Championship team Institute, and also to NIWFA Championship ...
in October 2006 as a substitute for Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. ...
.
Sligo Rovers coach Rob McDonald 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, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...
club Finn Harps
Finn Harps Football Club is 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. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...
. McDonald departed Sligo Rovers in March 2007, and was replaced by Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and a founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is nicknamed "Cookie" by friends in the punk music scene.
Early life and career
Cook was ...
, 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 Sligo against Bray Wanderers
Bray Wanderers Football Club are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''Bray Wanderers A.F.C.'' It was elect ...
on 17 May 2008, concluding a 3–0 win.
Everton
Following a recommendation by Willie McStay to former teammate and Everton manager David Moyes
David William Moyes (born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player, who currently manages Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton. He was the 2003, 200 ...
, Coleman was signed by the Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
club for £60,000 in January 2009, ahead of other interest from Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.
Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
, 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. The team compete in the ...
and 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 ...
. 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
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
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, Ben ...
, being beaten to the ball by Javier Saviola
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (; born 11 December 1981) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward.
He represented both FC Barcelona, Barcelona and Real Madrid ...
for the first goal. Three days later in his Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
debut, a 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 ...
match against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
, Coleman was named Man of the Match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) 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 chose ...
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 Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
debut against Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They have played their ...
in the third round on 2 January 2010, replacing Tony Hibbert
Anthony James Hibbert (born 20 February 1981) is an English former professional footballer.
Originally a midfielder, Hibbert converted to play at right-back. He spent his entire professional career with Everton, having joined the club in 1991. ...
in the 80th minute and creating a goal for Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga Cahill (; born 6 December 1979) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as an attacking midfielder but also played as a striker on many occasions. A box-to-box midfielder, Cahill became recognised for "hi ...
two minutes later, in a 3–1 home win.
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 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 ...
on loan, initially for one month as a replacement for the injured Neal Eardley
Neal James Eardley (born 6 November 1988) is a Welsh former international association football, footballer who last played for Cymru Premier champions Connah's Quay Nomads F.C., Connah's Quay Nomads. He represented Wales at Wales national unde ...
. 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 buildin ...
. He scored his first goal for the ''Tangerines'' in a 4–2 win at Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The club was formed in ...
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, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
, which they won 3–2 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 ...
.
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
Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has dive ...
in the League Cup third round on 21 September 2010. He opened the scoring at Griffin Park
Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...
in the sixth minute, but also gave away a penalty
Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to:
Sports
* Foul (sports)
** Penalty (golf)
** Penalty (gridiron football)
** Penalty (ice hockey)
** Penalty (rugby)
** Penalty (rugby union)
** Penalty kick (assoc ...
with a foul on Myles Weston
Myles Arthur Eugene Wesley Weston (born 12 March 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger for club Bromley. Born in England, he represents Antigua and Barbuda at international level.
Club career Charlton Athletic
Weston wa ...
, which Ján Mucha
Ján Mucha (born 5 December 1982) is a Slovak former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is also involved in football trade unions as a footballing expert in the media.
Club career
Everton
In January 2010, Mucha signed a pr ...
saved from Charlie MacDonald
Charles Lea MacDonald (born 13 February 1981) is an English Association football, footballer who last played for Barking F.C., Barking.
Football career
Early career
MacDonald played for the Millwall F.C., Millwall youth team before joining ...
, 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 association football, football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool Football Club since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two be ...
, 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 ...
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.
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
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
. 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 professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of the Portugal national team.
Martínez played as a defensive midfielder and began his career at Re ...
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 (), 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 association football and futsal. T ...
for Everton on 18 September 2014, netting their second in a 4–1 win over Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin.
Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...
in the first match of their Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
campaign. On 19 February 2015, he was again on target in Europe, in a 5–1 win over BSC Young Boys
Berner Sport Club Young Boys (YB by short abbreviation, ) is a Swiss professional sports club based in Bern, Switzerland. Its first team has won 17 Swiss league championships and eight Swiss Cups. YB is one of the most successful Swiss footbal ...
in the last 32. On 22 March, Coleman scored the first goal in an eventual 3–1 away success against Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
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
Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system.
Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
on 6 February 2016.
On 17 September, he opened his 2016–17 goalscoring account in a 3–1 home win against 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 ...
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 win in a 2–1 home win against Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
.
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
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst, in the London Borough of Croydon, England, which is the home ground of Premier League club Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted interna ...
.
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
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
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 status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
.
Coleman became Everton club captain in August 2019, following Phil Jagielka'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. He played his 400th game for the club on 13 February 2023, a 2–0 defeat at Liverpool; six days later he scored the only goal at home to 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 ...
. Despite suffering a serious injury in a clash with Boubakary Soumare in a 2–2 draw at Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
towards the end of the 2022–23 season, on 29 June 2023 Everton extended Coleman's contract by one year, until the end of June 2024. He made his first appearance of the 2023–24 season on 9 December 2023, starting in Everton's 3–0 home win over Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
.
On 17 May 2024, the club announced he had been offered a one-year contract. Coleman signed the contract, extending his time at Everton to the end of June 2025.
On 9 January 2025, following the sacking of manager Sean Dyche
Sean Mark Dyche (; born 28 June 1971) is an English professional football manager and former footballer who was most recently the manager of Premier League club Everton.
During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre-back, making his pro ...
, Coleman & Leighton Baines were made joint interim managers of the team ahead of that night's FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
tie at home to Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough,
Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Peterborough United formed in ...
.
On 18 May 2025, Coleman captained Everton in their final game at Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
. However, he was forced off with a knock in the 18th minute. He was given a standing ovation by the crowd as he left the pitch.
International career
He is an Ireland under-21 and under-23 international, having made his debut for the former against Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in 2007. On 10 August 2010, Coleman scored his first international goal in a 5–0 win against Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. 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, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
in November 2010.
Senior
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 ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
on 8 February 2011, which Ireland won 3–0. The Republic won the tournament after defeating Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
and Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
in their other games.
On 29 May 2013, Coleman was named Man of the Match for his performance against England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
. He crossed the ball for Shane Long
Shane Patrick Long (born 22 January 1987) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Long began his football career at Cork City. He later moved to Reading where, among other achievements, he scored three goals in ten s ...
's opening goal of the game, a header past Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury Town in the Football Conference and League Two. In ...
.
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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on 11 October 2013, his 25th birthday, which Ireland lost 3–0 in Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
.
On 31 May 2016, Coleman was selected in Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
's 23-man squad for 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 o ...
. 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 or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...
for the first time. He was also captain for Ireland's Round of 16 match against France in Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
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 South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
at the Aviva Stadium
Aviva Stadium, also known as Lansdowne Road (, ) or Dublin Arena (during UEFA competitions), is a List of stadiums in Ireland by capacity, sports stadium located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,711 spectators ...
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 Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
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 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 ...
's St. Vincent's Hospital where he underwent surgery on a fractured tibia
The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...
and fibula
The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) 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. ...
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
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
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, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
to send messages of support to Coleman including Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
, Shay Given
Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Irish goalkeepers of all time ...
, 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. At regional l ...
and Niall Horan
Niall James Horan ( ; born 13 September 1993) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 on the singing competition ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''. The gr ...
. 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 Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
on 23 March 2018.
Managerial career
After Everton manager Sean Dyche
Sean Mark Dyche (; born 28 June 1971) is an English professional football manager and former footballer who was most recently the manager of Premier League club Everton.
During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre-back, making his pro ...
left the club in early January 2025, Coleman became the club's first-team interim manager, alongside Leighton Baines. Baines and Coleman's only game in charge was a 2–0 win to Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough,
Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Peterborough United formed in ...
in the FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
.
Style of play
In his prime years, Coleman was a quick and very hard-working full-back with immense stamina and was renowned for his eagerness to get forward on attacking runs which established his goalscoring prowess. He had been deployed as a winger and wide midfielder before making the right-back spot his own. Coleman showed a proficiency for having great composure when in possession of the ball and his former Everton teammate Ashley Williams hailed him as one of the best players he had ever played with.
Despite being very quiet by nature, Coleman has always shown great leadership qualities which 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 took on the role of Ireland captain on a permanent basis in September 2016. 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 Soc ...
'' 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-Ire ...
. 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 the 91st official edition of the Donegal GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior graded teams in County Donegal.
Brian McEniff managed Réalt na Mara in the competition, taking ...
when they lost to Gleann tSuilí.
In an Everton matchday programme
A matchday programme or match programme is a Programme (booklet), 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 ...
ahead of a Premier League win over 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 ...
, Coleman mentioned Michael Murphy 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. They have two daughters, born in 2016 and 2018, and a son who was born in 2021.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''As of match played 7 September 2024''. ''Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Coleman goal.''
Managerial statistics
Honours
Blackpool
*Football League Championship play-offs
The English Football League (EFL) 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-of ...
: 2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
[
Republic of Ireland
* 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
*Donegal Sports Star Professional Sport Achievement Award: 2009
* FAI Under-21 International Player of the Year: 2009, 2010[
*]PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
: 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
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Seamus
1988 births
Living people
Association footballers from County Donegal
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Gaelic football backs
Gaelic footballers who switched code
Gaelic games players from County Donegal
Irish expatriate sportspeople in England
Killybegs Gaelic footballers
Men's association football fullbacks
People from Killybegs
Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers
Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
Republic of Ireland men's futsal players
Republic of Ireland men's international footballers
Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers
Republic of Ireland men's under-23 international footballers
UEFA Euro 2016 players
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
21st-century Irish sportsmen