Shay Given

Séamus John James "Shay" Given (born 20 April, 1976 in Lifford, County Donegal) is an Republic of Ireland football (soccer) Goalkeeper (football) who currently plays for Newcastle United F.C. and the Republic of Ireland national football team, and is regarded as one of the finest and most reliable keepers in the English game. He is also vice-captain of both his country and club.

For Ireland, Given has been cap (football) 82 times; a record for a goalkeeper. He was also first choice at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early Career

Given was playing for the local men's team Lifford Celtic at the age of 15. He was propelled into the limelight when he played in the FAI's Junior Cup for Lifford in the semi-final in Dundalk. In spite of being on the wrong end of the 1-0 score line, Shay had done enough by holding his own between the sticks.

Given was invited to join Celtic F.C. on a pre-season tour of Ireland when he was just 14 and then signed terms at 16 under the stewardship of another Irish football legend, Liam Brady.

He spent two years playing for Celtic Youth under-18 team in the Scottish League, with one of his highlights being when he made the subs bench for the senior team against Rangers F.C. on January 1 1994 when they were beaten 4-2.

Blackburn Rovers

He subsequently was transferred to Blackburn Rovers F.C. in 1994 by manager Kenny Dalglish. Despite notable performances when given first team opportunities he was unable to permanently dislodge England national football team Tim Flowers from goal at Ewood Park. Consequently Given then went on loan to Swindon Town F.C. and then Sunderland A.F.C. after playing only two games for Blackburn. At Sunderland he put in a notable performance, keeping 16 clean sheets out of 17 appearances.

Even though he had been brought back to Blackburn, Given received a Football League First Division winners medal from Sunderland, having made over 10 appearances for the club during his loan spell.

Newcastle United

Given was signed by Dalglish, the manager of Newcastle United, in 1997 and was Dalglish's first signings. He was signed for a fee of £1.5 million

Given immediately established himself in the first team, beating fellow goalkeepers Pavel Srníček, Shaka Hislop and Steve Harper (footballer) to the position.
He played in the 1998 FA Cup Final and then missed out on the 1999 FA Cup Final when Steve Harper was preferred. He would later regain his place in the team from Harper by the end of the 1999-2000 season,

Given later lost his place in the Newcastle team to Harper again, this time due to injury, he subsequently handed in a transfer request. The request was more a protest rather than a genuine wish to ever leave the club. The club rejected the request and, as it happened, Steve Harper injured himself in training and Given could regain his place.

In the 2001-2002 season, Given played in every Premiership match and was named in the PFA Premiership Team of the Season. He competed in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan, but could not prevent the Republic of Ireland being eliminated by Spain national football team after a penalty shoot-out.

On 30 April, 2003, Given became Newcastle's most capped player when he won his 41st cap of the season, overtaking Alf McMichael's previous record. He ended 2003 as the holder of the Premiership's record for the most consecutive appearances record, now surrendered to Frank Lampard of Chelsea F.C..

Given became Newcastle's most experienced European performer in the game against Bnei Sakhnin F.C. on 16 September, 2004.

Given was named in the Premiership's team of the year for his consistent performances throughout the 2005-2006 season.

Before the start of the 2006-2007 campaign, Given signed a new contract with Newcastle United signaling his intention to see his career out with the Magpies. On September 17, 2006 Given suffered a one-centimeter tear in his bowel after a heavy challenge from West Ham United F.C. striker Marlon Harewood. Doctors likened the injury to one more likely to happen in a car crash. Glenn Roeder bought a temporary cover keeper in the form of Pavel Srníček to cover Steve Harper, and rookie Tim Krul played a full match in Newcastle's 0-1 UEFA Cup win at U.S. Città di Palermo on November 2. Given returned on November 18 with an impressive performance in Newcastle's 1-1 FA Premier League draw at Arsenal F.C..

Personal Life

- Given married Jane Cunningham in Hexham, England in a Roman Catholic ceremony attended by his teammates. The couple received a papal blessing from the late John Paul II, himself an amateur goalkeeper in his youth. They have two children a boy, Shayne (b. 2004) and a girl, Sienna (b. 2007).

- Given's younger brother, Paul Given is also a footballer. However, he plays in the Ulster Senior League (soccer), for Letterkenny Rovers F.C..