Sean Maguire (footballer)

2.1. Youth and Early Career

Maguire began his career in the youth system of Waterford United. He made his senior team debut in July 2011 against Mervue United. During his time at Waterford, he scored 14 goals in 32 league games. The club's chairman, John O'Sullivan, notably compared Maguire to Lionel Messi, stating, "I'm a great fan of Lionel Messi at Barcelona. When I look at Seanie, he really reminds me of him." Maguire concluded his tenure at Waterford by becoming the top scorer in the 2012 League of Ireland First Division.

2.2. West Ham United and Loan Spells

In January 2013, Maguire signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with West Ham United in England. Despite being an unused substitute in a 5-0 FA Cup defeat by Nottingham Forest in January 2014, he ultimately did not make any competitive appearances for the club. He was released by West Ham at the end of the 2014-15 season.

Prior to his release, Maguire had several loan spells to gain playing experience. In February 2014, he joined Sligo Rovers on loan. He made his debut on 24 February in a Setanta Cup match against Crusaders, which Sligo won 4-1. His sole goal for the club came on 27 July in a 2-0 home victory against Limerick. His loan period lasted until August 2014 and included appearances in two UEFA Europa League qualifying games against Rosenborg.

In September 2014, Maguire moved to Accrington Stanley on loan. He made his Football League debut on 20 September against Northampton Town, scoring his first goal and Accrington's fifth in a thrilling 5-4 victory. Although he initially returned to West Ham in December 2014 after scoring four goals in 13 games, Accrington extended his loan until 18 January 2015.

2.3. Dundalk

After his departure from West Ham United, Maguire joined Dundalk for half a season in 2015. During this period, he earned a Leinster Senior Cup medal. However, he did not make the matchday squad for the FAI Cup Final, although the club ultimately won the League of Ireland Premier Division and the FAI Cup that year.

2.4. Cork City (first spell)

On 9 December 2015, Maguire signed for Cork City, beginning a highly impactful period of his career. On 27 February 2016, he scored in his first competitive game for Cork City in the 2016 President's Cup final against his former club, Dundalk. A week later, he scored twice on his league debut for Cork City in a 2-0 win over Bohemians.

He finished the 2016 season as the league's top scorer with 18 goals. Maguire further cemented his status as a key player by scoring the late winner as Cork City defeated Dundalk 1-0 in the FAI Cup final. On 3 June 2017, it was reported that Maguire had agreed to transfer to Preston North End by the end of July 2017. Before his departure, on 6 July 2017, Maguire scored a hat-trick against Levadia Tallinn in the second leg of their 2017-18 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round match at Turners Cross. This achievement made him Cork City's leading goalscorer in European competition.

2.5. Preston North End

Following the agreement in June, Sean Maguire officially joined Preston North End at the end of July 2017, signing a three-year deal. Cork City described the transfer fee as an "appropriate but undisclosed compensation package." He made his competitive debut for Preston on the opening day of the Championship season, playing 74 minutes against Sheffield Wednesday. His first competitive goal for the club came on 9 September against Barnsley.

Maguire returned from a hamstring injury in March 2018, marking his comeback with two goals off the bench as Preston defeated Bolton Wanderers 3-1 on 3 March. He continued his scoring form with another goal from the bench against Bristol City, netting the winner in a 2-1 victory at Deepdale Stadium.

2.6. Later career in England

On 26 January 2023, as his contract with Preston North End was nearing expiration, Maguire transferred to fellow EFL Championship club Coventry City on a permanent deal until the end of the season.

Subsequently, on 29 July 2023, Maguire signed a one-year contract with EFL League One club Carlisle United. He played for Carlisle until his contract expired, and he was released on 29 April 2024.

2.7. Return to Cork City

On 6 August 2024, Sean Maguire made his return to Cork City, signing a multi-year contract with the club while they were competing in the 2024 League of Ireland First Division. His return had an immediate impact, as he was part of the squad that defeated UCD 1-0 at the UCD Bowl on 6 September 2024, securing promotion by winning the 2024 League of Ireland First Division title.

3.1. Youth

Maguire received his first call-up for the Republic of Ireland U-21 team on 25 March 2015, for a match against the Andorra U-21 team in Wexford. He made his debut as a substitute in that game on 26 March 2015, which Ireland won 1-0. He also played for the Republic of Ireland U-19 team in 2012.

3.2. Senior

In August 2017, Maguire was included in Ireland's preliminary 39-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Serbia, though he was ultimately excluded from the final squad. However, he was again named in the preliminary squad for the final two qualifiers against Moldova and Wales in October 2017, this time making the final cut for the national team.

Maguire made his senior international debut for Ireland against Moldova on 6 October 2017, coming on as a substitute for Shane Long towards the end of the match. He scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland on 14 November 2019, contributing to a 3-1 victory against New Zealand in a friendly match.

4.1. Club Statistics

4.2. International Statistics

Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first