1. Early life and background
Andrew Surman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 20 August 1986. His parents, who were from Britain, had moved to South Africa because his father worked for an insurance company there.
1.1. Childhood and education
In 1995, Surman's parents returned to Southampton, England. He began his youth football career with a Tyro League club called Hedge End Rangers, where he was soon noticed by scouts from Southampton F.C.. He was subsequently invited to join the Saints academy. During his formative years, Surman attended St. Mary's College in Bitterne, where he also captained the school's football team. While at the Southampton Academy, he became the youngest player to ever play for the Saints Reserves team, a record that was later surpassed by Theo Walcott.
2. Club career
Andrew Surman's club career spanned over 17 years, beginning in the Southampton Academy and culminating in his retirement after a season with Milton Keynes Dons. He is particularly noted for his significant contributions to Southampton and AFC Bournemouth.
2.1. Early career
Surman signed his first professional contract with Southampton F.C.. During the 2004-05 season, he gained valuable experience through a loan spell at Walsall F.C., where he made an immediate impact by scoring on his league debut. Upon rejoining Southampton at the start of the 2005-06 season, he demonstrated strong form during the pre-season tour of Scotland. Following this, he had a successful loan period with AFC Bournemouth between August 2005 and January 2006. During this time, he played in every league match for the team, scoring six goals. Although he might have played in Southampton's FA Cup tie against Milton Keynes Dons F.C., he was ineligible, having already played for Bournemouth in the competition against Tamworth F.C..
2.2. Southampton
Surman made his official first-team debut for Southampton F.C. on 25 January 2006, under new manager George Burley, in a home match against Crystal Palace F.C.. In the very next league game, he scored his first goal for Southampton in a 2-1 defeat against Plymouth Argyle F.C.. A notable highlight came on 17 February 2007, when he scored a hat-trick against Barnsley F.C. in a 5-2 victory, which included two goals from outside the penalty box and one penalty.
He became a vital part of the Southampton first team during the 2006-07 season, contributing significantly to their campaign. Southampton ultimately fell short in their play-off bid, losing on penalties to Derby County F.C. after a 4-4 aggregate draw in which Surman's strong strike was not enough to send the Saints to Wembley Stadium. Over his time with Southampton, Surman made a total of 133 league appearances, scoring 15 goals.
2.3. Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 1 July 2009, Surman joined newly promoted Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. for a fee of approximately 1.20 M GBP. He signed a three-year deal, with an option for an additional year. Following his transfer, Surman expressed his sadness about leaving Southampton, describing the club's situation as "unbelievable."
He made his debut for Wolves on 18 August 2009, coming on as a substitute for Greg Halford against Wigan Athletic F.C.. His first Premier League start occurred on 21 November 2009 against Chelsea F.C.. However, Surman faced challenges in securing a regular first-team spot, ultimately making only nine appearances in total for the club, with 7 of these being in the league where he did not score any goals.
2.4. Norwich City
Surman signed a three-year deal with newly promoted Championship side Norwich City F.C. on 22 June 2010, for an undisclosed fee. His debut for Norwich came on 6 August 2010 in a 3-2 defeat to Watford F.C. at Carrow Road. After a promising start to his Norwich career, he suffered a knee injury during training on 11 September 2010. He returned to action on 20 November in a 1-1 draw against Leeds United F.C., but suffered a re-occurrence of the injury in a 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town F.C., which sidelined him until February 2011. To regain fitness, Surman played 65 minutes in a Norfolk Senior Cup match against Dereham. He made three substitute appearances for the first team before making his first start in a 2-0 victory over Barnsley, playing the full 90 minutes.
He scored his first goal for Norwich in a 3-1 win against Bristol City F.C.. On 15 April 2011, Surman netted the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest F.C.. The following week, he scored the opener in a dominant 5-1 win over Ipswich at Portman Road on 21 April 2011. At the conclusion of that season, Norwich City secured promotion to the Premier League after a six-year absence.
In the subsequent Premier League season, Surman featured in three of the opening four fixtures but initially lost his place as manager Paul Lambert opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation. He returned to the starting lineup in late November. On 20 December 2011, he scored the opening goal against his former club, Wolves, with a header in a 2-2 draw. He followed this with the opening goal against West Bromwich Albion F.C. via a left-footed shot in a 2-1 win on 14 January 2012, and then against Bolton Wanderers F.C. with a right-footed shot in a 2-0 win on 4 February. Surman expressed his belief that playing more in the Premier League was leading to the best performances of his career. On 14 April 2012, he scored Norwich's only goal in a heavy 6-1 defeat by Manchester City F.C.. After the match, he stated that the significant defeat would motivate Norwich to return to winning ways by the end of the season.
After Norwich successfully avoided relegation from the Premier League, Surman signed a new three-year deal in June 2012, keeping him at the club until 2015. He expressed his enjoyment at the club and anticipation for the next three years, reflecting on the "amazing" journey of two promotions and maintaining Premier League status. However, a knee injury sustained in training in October 2012 ruled him out of first-team action until the new year. Overall, Surman made 52 league appearances for Norwich City, scoring 7 goals.
2.5. AFC Bournemouth
On 31 July 2013, AFC Bournemouth completed the signing of Andrew Surman on a one-year loan deal. He played a vital role in Bournemouth's first team during the 2013-14 season, making 35 appearances for the club. On 1 September 2014, his move to Bournemouth became permanent.
On 2 May 2015, Surman was an integral part of the Bournemouth team that secured the Championship title and achieved promotion to the Premier League. In Bournemouth's debut season in the Premier League (2015-16), Surman was one of only three players in the entire league to play every minute of every match, the others being Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City F.C.. Despite not scoring any goals that season, he earned significant praise from manager Eddie Howe for his consistent performances.
On 4 March 2017, Surman was sent off for two bookable offenses in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United F.C.. The second yellow card was issued after he pushed Zlatan Ibrahimović, following an incident where Ibrahimović had elbowed Bournemouth's Tyrone Mings. On 15 September 2017, he scored his first Premier League goal for Bournemouth in his 64th Premier League appearance, contributing to a 2-1 victory against Brighton. In July 2020, he was released by Bournemouth after making 184 league appearances and scoring 5 goals across his loan and permanent spells.
2.6. Milton Keynes Dons
On 17 November 2020, Surman signed a short-term deal with League One club Milton Keynes Dons F.C.. He made his debut for the club on 21 November 2020 in a 3-1 home defeat to Hull City A.F.C.. His contract was subsequently extended until the end of the season on 14 January 2021. On 20 February 2021, Surman scored his first goal for Milton Keynes Dons in a 4-3 home win over Northampton Town F.C.. He made a total of 31 league appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals.
3. International career
Surman was qualified to play for the South Africa national football team due to his birth in Johannesburg. However, he was selected to represent the England under-21 national team for the European Championship qualifiers in September 2007. In the match against Montenegro on 7 September, he came on as a second-half substitute and scored England's final goal in a 3-0 victory, tapping in from a Dexter Blackstock knock-down in stoppage time. He also played against Bulgaria on 11 September. Overall, he made 4 appearances for the England U-21 team, scoring 1 goal.
In September 2012, Surman revealed that he had been "approached" regarding his interest in playing for South Africa. While he declined the offer, he stated it was a "great honour" to be considered. He clarified that he had put any international ambitions "on the back burner" to fully concentrate on his club career and family responsibilities, explaining that it "would be a lot, especially with the Africa Cup of Nations, to be travelling around the world." In July 2017, he reiterated to the Daily Echo that he had "never ruled out playing for South Africa" and had "really, seriously, considered it." However, he emphasized that his club football had always been his priority, especially during critical years of his career, and that international football represented a "big commitment" given his young family.
4. Retirement
In July 2021, Milton Keynes Dons manager Russell Martin indicated that Andrew Surman had not signed a new contract with the club and was likely to retire as a player. His retirement was seemingly confirmed on 31 July 2021 by AFC Bournemouth manager Scott Parker in comments published in Bournemouth's match-day programme ahead of their EFL Cup fixture against MK Dons. Parker commented on Surman's career, stating: "He was a really talented midfielder and I wish him and his family all the best as they move into the next stage of their lives."
5. Coaching career
After retiring as a professional player, Surman transitioned into coaching. In January 2023, he returned to AFC Bournemouth to take on the role of assistant coach for the club's under-18 team. Demonstrating his commitment to youth development, on 5 February 2024, Surman joined Southampton F.C. as the under-18s assistant coach as part of several changes within the club's academy setup.
6. Personal life
Andrew Surman is married and has a family. In April 2015, his wife gave birth to their third child.
7. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Southampton | 2004-05 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-06 | Championship | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2006-07 | Championship | 37 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 5 | |
| 2007-08 | Championship | 40 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 3 | |
| 2008-09 | Championship | 44 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 7 | |
| Total | 133 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 146 | 17 | ||
| Walsall (loan) | 2004-05 | League One | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 2005-06 | League One | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 6 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2009-10 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Norwich City | 2010-11 | Championship | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| 2011-12 | Premier League | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 5 | |
| 2012-13 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2013-14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014-15 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 8 | ||
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 2013-14 | Championship | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 2014-15 | Championship | 41 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| 2015-16 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2016-17 | Premier League | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2017-18 | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
| 2018-19 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 2019-20 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 184 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 198 | 5 | ||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2020-21 | League One | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| Career total | 445 | 37 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 483 | 40 | ||
8. Honours
Norwich City
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2010-11
AFC Bournemouth
- Football League Championship: 2014-15
9. External links
- [https://www.afcb.co.uk/team/player-profile/andrew-surman/6 Andrew Surman profile at the AFC Bournemouth website]