Gareth McAuley

1.1. Early Career

McAuley was born in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He began his career at Linfield in 1999, spending a period on loan at Ballyclare Comrades in early 2000. After four years with Linfield, he moved to Crusaders in the summer of 2000, playing for two successful seasons. He then joined Coleraine in 2002, where he played for two years and notably won the Irish Cup during the 2002-03 season.

1.2. Lincoln City

In the summer of 2004, McAuley sought a move to full-time football in England. He attracted interest from Lincoln City and Stockport County, initially trialing with Stockport. After impressing in his trial, he seemed set to sign with Stockport, but talks broke down. He instead joined Lincoln City on a two-year deal, with Coleraine receiving 10.00 K GBP for his transfer.

McAuley did not immediately become a first-team regular, making his initial appearances as a substitute, often in the role of a target man striker. However, due to injuries and squad changes, he transitioned into central defense alongside Ben Futcher. His strong performances in this role, including a man-of-the-match display against Derby County, earned him recognition. In March 2005, he secured a starting position as a right full-back, contributing significantly to Lincoln's push to the League Two play-off final. He scored five goals that season, including both in a 2-1 aggregate victory over Macclesfield in the play-off semi-final.

During the 2005-06 season, McAuley established himself as a permanent fixture in Lincoln's central defense following Futcher's departure. He had an excellent season, which again ended in play-off defeat for Lincoln but saw him named in the League Two Team of the Year. This performance also attracted interest from larger clubs, leading him to reject a new contract offer from Lincoln and move to Leicester City on a free transfer in the summer of 2006.

1.3. Leicester City

McAuley signed a three-year deal with Leicester City on 5 June 2006. He scored his first senior goal for the club on 17 January 2007 in a 4-3 FA Cup defeat to Fulham. He also scored two goals against Ipswich Town on 10 February, helping Leicester to a 2-0 victory.

In the 2007-08 season, McAuley was appointed captain for the first time in a 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007, following an injury to Stephen Clemence. He scored his fourth goal for Leicester on 5 October against Sheffield Wednesday, contributing to the club's second league win of the season. His performance earned him a spot in the Championship Team of the Week three days later. On 31 October, he scored one of three goals against Chelsea in a League Cup match at Stamford Bridge, though Leicester ultimately lost 4-3.

Despite signing a new three-and-a-half-year deal in February 2008, McAuley decided to leave Leicester after their relegation from the Championship three months later.

1.4. Ipswich Town

McAuley joined Ipswich Town on 18 June 2008. He was named captain for the 2008-09 season after the departure of club captain Richard Naylor in February 2009. After a somewhat shaky start, he quickly established himself as a commanding leader and consistent defender. He made his debut on the opening day of the 2008-09 season in a 1-2 loss to Preston North End and made 39 appearances across all competitions in his first season. His time at Ipswich further enhanced his international reputation.

He remained a regular starter in the 2009-10 season, scoring his first goal for Ipswich on 29 September 2009 in a 3-3 away draw with Sheffield United. He scored five goals in 43 games that season. On 6 November 2010, McAuley played his 100th game for Ipswich Town, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Sheffield United. He made a total of 127 appearances for Ipswich, scoring 8 goals, and also captained the club during the 2008-09 season. Notably, during the 2010-11 season, he helped Ipswich reach the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, a significant achievement in the club's history.

1.5. West Bromwich Albion

On 23 May 2011, West Bromwich Albion announced that McAuley would be signing a three-year contract, effective from 1 July. He scored his first goal for West Brom in a 3-2 away win against Newcastle in December 2011. His second goal for the club secured a 1-0 victory against Chelsea in March 2012, marking West Brom's first points against Chelsea in 33 years.

The 2012-13 season saw McAuley solidify his place in the starting lineup alongside Jonas Olsson, forming a strong defensive partnership. He made 36 league appearances, scoring three goals, including a powerful header in West Brom's notable 2-0 win against Liverpool F.C. at Anfield in February, which completed their first league double over Liverpool since 1967. For his impressive performance during the 2012-13 season, McAuley was voted both the Players' Player of the Year and the Supporters' Player of the Year on 28 April 2013.

On 21 March 2015, McAuley was mistakenly sent off by referee Neil Swarbrick in a Premier League match against Manchester City, a case of mistaken identity involving teammate Craig Dawson.

The 2016-17 season was McAuley's most prolific goal-scoring campaign, as he netted six goals in 36 Premier League appearances. These included a 94th-minute equalizer away at West Ham United in February and the winning goal in a 2-1 home victory against Bournemouth in the following game.

McAuley played a crucial role in West Bromwich Albion's Premier League presence for six out of his seven seasons with the club. On 20 June 2018, it was announced that he would leave West Brom upon the expiration of his contract. Having made over 200 top-flight appearances for the club, McAuley is highly regarded by West Brom fans and is widely considered one of their best modern defenders.

1.6. Rangers

On 3 September 2018, McAuley signed with Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on a deal until the end of the 2018-19 season. He made his debut as an injury-time substitute on 8 November in a 4-3 away defeat to Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Europa League. Despite making only 10 appearances for the club, he contributed to Rangers' league runner-up finish and their advancement to the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup.

1.7. Retirement

McAuley officially announced his retirement from professional football on 30 September 2019, at the age of 39.

2.1. Debut and Early Appearances

In May 2003, McAuley received his first senior international call-up for the Northern Ireland B team, featuring in a match against Scotland B on 20 May 2003. He made his full international debut for the Northern Ireland senior team on 4 June 2005, in a friendly match against Germany, which his team lost 4-1.

In October 2007, McAuley considered international retirement after being omitted from the squad to face Sweden. However, he was recalled by manager Nigel Worthington and made his comeback against Sweden on 17 October, in a 1-1 draw. He was also part of the squad that secured a memorable 2-1 victory against Denmark on 17 November, keeping Northern Ireland's hopes for UEFA Euro 2008 qualification alive, though their aspirations were ultimately dashed by a 1-0 loss to Spain on 21 November.

2.2. Major International Matches and Goals

McAuley scored his first international goal on 11 February 2009, against San Marino in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, contributing to a 3-0 victory.

On 25 March 2011, he scored his second international goal against Serbia in a UEFA European Championship qualifier, though Northern Ireland lost 2-1. For the subsequent match against Slovenia, McAuley was named captain for the first time, leading his side to a 0-0 draw and earning a man-of-the-match performance.

He scored two goals for Northern Ireland on 4 September 2015, in a 3-1 victory against the Faroe Islands. This result positioned Northern Ireland at the top of their group, on the verge of qualifying for their first major international tournament since the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and their first ever UEFA European Championship.

2.3. UEFA Euro 2016

McAuley notably scored Northern Ireland's first goal in a major tournament for 30 years, since Colin Clarke at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, when he found the net against Ukraine at UEFA Euro 2016. This goal not only made him the second-oldest scorer at the Euros but also secured the team's first-ever victory at the European finals.

Having successfully advanced from the group stage, McAuley unfortunately scored an own goal during the Euro 2016 Round of 16 match against Wales, which led to Northern Ireland's elimination from the tournament.

2.4. Later Appearances and International Retirement

At 36 years and 341 days old, Gareth McAuley became the oldest scorer in European FIFA World Cup Qualification games when he scored the second goal in Northern Ireland's 4-0 win over Azerbaijan on 11 November 2016. He continued to play in six more qualifying matches, contributing to Northern Ireland's first-ever progression to the World Cup European play-offs. He concluded his international career with 80 caps and 9 goals for Northern Ireland.

4.1. Club Honours

• Coleraine
  • Irish Cup: 2002-03
• Ipswich Town
  • EFL Cup: Semi-finalist (2010-11)
• Rangers
  • Scottish Premiership: Runner-up (2018-19)
  • Scottish League Cup: Semi-finalist (2018-19)

4.2. Individual Honours

• PFA Team of the Year: 2005-06 (League Two)
• Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 2009-10
• West Bromwich Albion Player of the Year: 2012-13
• West Bromwich Albion Players' Player of the Year: 2012-13

4.3. Orders

• Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): 2019

5.1. Club Statistics

Notes
The "Other" column for Lincoln City includes appearances in the League Two play-offs and Football League Trophy. For Rangers, it includes appearances in the UEFA Europa League.

5.2. International Statistics

Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McAuley goal.