Stephen Ireland

Stephen James Ireland (born 22 August 1986) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. Ireland began his career with Cobh Ramblers before joining English club Manchester City in 2001. He made his professional debut in September 2005 and soon established himself as a regular at the City of Manchester Stadium and his performances saw him earn international recognition with Republic of Ireland. However, a row with Steve Staunton saw his international career come to an abrupt end. In September 2010 Ireland was transferred to Aston Villa in a swap deal with James Milner. After a slow start to his Villa career he was loaned out to Newcastle United where he only played twice. In the 2011–12 season he improved and won the Fans Player of the Season award. However he fell out of the first team under Paul Lambert and in September 2013 he joined Stoke City on loan before making the move permanent in January 2014.