Kevin Kilbane
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| Kevin Kilbane | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Daniel Kilbane | |
| Date of birth | February 1, 1977 | |
| Place of birth | Preston, England | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Wigan Athletic | |
| Number | 8 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1995–1997 1997–1999 1999–2003 2003–2006 2006– |
Preston North End West Bromwich Albion Sunderland Everton Wigan Athletic |
48 (3) 106 (15) 113 (8) 104 (4) 66 (2) |
| National team2 | ||
1997– |
Republic of Ireland U21 Republic of Ireland |
9 (1) 86 (7) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Kevin Daniel Kilbane (born February 1, 1977 in Preston, England) is an Irish footballer who plays a left-sided midfielder for Wigan Athletic in the FA Premier League. He plays international football for the Republic of Ireland through Irish parentage.
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[edit] Club career
[edit] Early career
Kilbane made his professional debut at his hometown club, Preston North End, after making his way through the youth system at Deepdale. It wasn't long before his performances began to attract attention from other clubs, and he was sold to West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £1m in 1997. Kilbane was Albion's first £1m player, breaking a club transfer record which had stood since 1979.
This heralded in a bright new era for Kilbane, as he quickly became a fan favourite at The Hawthorns and at the same time broke into the Irish international setup.
[edit] Sunderland
In December 1999, Peter Reid's Sunderland paid £2.5 million for the left winger, making him the third most expensive club signing at the time. His impact was quite literally immediate; coming off the bench on his debut against Southampton, Kilbane crossed for Kevin Phillips to score the match winner. However, this was to be Sunderland's last win until March 2000, a loss in form which came to be known as "The Curse of Kilbane".[1]
In spite of his best efforts on the pitch, he soon became a target for the Black Cats fans to vent their frustrations, as the team's drop in form under Peter Reid continued and the team were relegated from the Premiership. The constant booing eventually proved too much for Kilbane in the summer of 2003 and after he gave the travelling Sunderland fans a two-fingered salute on a pre-season tour of France, his days at the Stadium of Light seemed numbered.
[edit] Everton
On the last day of the transfer window at the start of the 2003-04 season, Kilbane moved to Everton for just under £1m, where he was reunited with his old boss, David Moyes. The Goodison Park fans would appreciate his commitment and re-invigorate Kilbane as a player. In return, he displayed great versatility which resulted in him being deployed right across the midfield, at left back or even as a support striker, as well has his preferred left-wing position. On August 26, 2006, during his last game for Everton, he was sent off by referee Mark Halsey for two bookable offences.
[edit] Wigan
On August 31, 2006, Kilbane signed a three-year deal with Wigan Athletic for an estimated fee of £2 million.[2]
On April 15, 2007, he scored his first goal for Wigan Athletic with a powerful header in the 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. This was his first goal at club level since October 2004. He then scored his second goal for Wigan with a looping header over Robert Green's head from Ryan Taylor's cross as Wigan went on to beat West Ham 1-0. Kilbane played most of his second season in the unfamiliar left back role, but still managed to win Wiganer.net's Player of The Season Award. [3]
[edit] International career
Having made his international debut against Iceland.[4] on September 9, 1997, Kilbane has become a stalwart for the Republic Of Ireland winning more than 80 caps for his country.
He was chosen as part of Mick McCarthy's Ireland squad for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. The team did relatively well at the tournament, progressing to the last 16 where they were unlucky to lose out to Spain in a penalty shootout. One of the Irish penalties was missed by Kilbane.
He is however, jokingly known by the Irish supporters as "Zinedine Kilbane" as a mockery rhyme to the famous Zinedine Zidane. There were at one point t-shirts with this printed on it for sale outside Lansdowne Road after international matches.[citation needed]
Kilbane scored his first international goal in nearly four years with a magnificent strike against the Czech Republic on October 11, 2006.
[edit] Personal life
Kilbane's brother, Farrell is also a footballer. He currently plays for Conference North club Fleetwood Town.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Kevin Kilbane. ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved on August 31, 2006..
- ^ Wigan sign Kilbane from Everton. BBC Sport. Retrieved on August 31, 2006..
- ^ WIGANER.net Player of the Season 2008. Wiganer.net. Retrieved on May 17, 2008..
- ^ Republic of Ireland:Squad Profile. FAI.ie. Retrieved on August 31, 2006..
- ^ "Kilbane boosts the Fleetwood Town defence", Blackpool Gazette, 2008-05-28. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Incumbent |
FAI Player of the Year 2004–2005 |
Succeeded by Shay Given |
| Preceded by Emmerson Boyce |
Player of the Season 2007–2008 |
Succeeded by '' |
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