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Jonathan Woodgate
Personal information
Date of birth	January 22, 1980 (age 27)
Place of birth	Middlesbrough, England
Height	6'2" (188 cm)
Nickname	Woody, Floodgate
Playing position	Centre Back
Club information
Current club	Middlesbrough (on loan from Real Madrid)
Number	8
Youth clubs
1993-1998	Leeds United
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998–2003 2003–2004 2004- 2006-	Leeds United Newcastle United Real Madrid → Middlesbrough (loan)	104 (5) 028 (0) 009 (0) 024 (0)
National team2
1999–	England	006 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:15, 7 April 2007 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of February 7, 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Jonathan Simon Woodgate (born January 22, 1980 in Middlesbrough) is an English footballer, who plays as a defender for Premier League side Middlesbrough on loan from Real Madrid.

Contents 1 Club career 1.1 Leeds United 1.2 Newcastle United 1.3 Real Madrid 1.4 Middlesbrough 2 International career 3 Notes 4 External links

Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United at the age of sixteen after disagreements over his future between Middlesbrough and his family. He helped Leeds to win the FA Youth Cup in 1997, and in November the following year made his debut for the senior side.

Woodgate signed for Newcastle United in January 2003 for £9 million. He impressed and quickly became a fan's favourite, but a serious injury saw him end his final season somewhat early. Woodgate never really had an injury-free run in the team, although his finest moment in a Newcastle shirt arguably came in the Uefa Cup Semi-Final in the 2003-04 season at St James Park where he marked Didier Drogba out of the game.

Woodgate signed for Real Madrid in August 2004 for a transfer fee of £18 million. This was to the surprise of many in the football world, due to his frequent absences through injury at his previous clubs, and indeed he was injured at the time of the transfer. It is however widely accepted that had Woodgate had a better fitness record, Newcastle would not have sold him, or if they did, the transfer fee would have surely been over double the £18 million Real Madrid paid.

Woodgate did not make any appearances for Real Madrid in his first season in Spain, eventually making his debut on 22 September 2005, in a league match against Athletic Bilbao. However, the game went extremely badly for him, as he scored an own goal and was later sent off for a second bookable offence.^[1] He scored his first goal for Real Madrid in the 4-1 UEFA Champions League defeat of Rosenborg B.K. on 19 October 2005, his first appearance for the club in European competition.^[2]

By February 2006, Woodgate had established himself as a first-team player, with the other centre half position alongside him often rotating among the likes of Sergio Ramos, Iván Helguera, Francisco Pavon and Álvaro Mejía, with one Spanish newspaper even having described him as having "become Madrid's true leader"^[3]. However, further injury setbacks again stopped him playing. He was considered to have an outside chance of making the England squad for Germany 2006, but due to surgery on his back was not named in the squad.

Woodgate was frequently linked to a full time return to the Premiership with Newcastle United, who it was rumoured had first refusal on any sale. Real Madrid decided that he should be put out on loan back to the Premiership in the 2006/2007 season. Liverpool F.C. Middlesbrough and Newcastle were all said to be interested,^[4] with Newcastle being the most likely destination after freeing up the number 6 shirt which was said to always be available to him.

On 26 August 2006, Woodgate confirmed that he was returning to the English Premiership on a loan move. Newcastle and his home town Middlesbrough were the favourites to capture him, as Liverpool stated they had no interest in acquiring him.

On 30 August 2006, Woodgate signed a 1-year loan move to hometown club Middlesbrough.

He made his debut against Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium on the 9th of September, giving a world class performance. He was later voted man of the match by Middlesbrough legend Bernie Slaven on a local radio station. He was made captain for his second game for Middlesbrough, with usual captain George Boateng out with suspension.

He was capped several times by England while at Leeds, making his debut for the national side under manager Kevin Keegan in 1999, when he became the first player born in the 1980s to win a full England cap. However, both his club and international career have frequently been interrupted, not only by injury, but by controversy.

In 2000 he was a defendant in a Crown Court trial due to his involvement with an incident outside Majestyks nightclub nightclub in Leeds. He was convicted of affray and sentenced to one hundred hours of community service, as well as having been banned from international selection by the Football Association, which prevented him from being selected for the England squad for the 2002 World Cup.^[5]

Woodgate won his sixth cap - almost three years after his fifth - and his first start in the international friendly against Spain on 7 February 2007.

1. ^  Real nightmare for Woodgate debut. BBC News Online. Friday September 23, 2005..
2. ^ Lowe, Sid. Willing Woodgate emerges as a leader of Real quality. "The Guardian". Saturday February 18, 2006.
3. ^  Woodgate plans England loan move. BBC News Online. Saturday August 26, 2006.
4. ^  Bowyer cleared for England. BBC Sport Online. Friday December 14, 2001.
5. ^  Woody Won't Rush Decision. SkySports.com. Monday February 5, 2007.

• Jonathan Woodgate career stats at Soccerbase
• Jonathan Woodgate Tactical Formations at Football-Lineups.com

Middlesbrough F.C. - Current Squad

1 Schwarzer | 2 Parnaby | 3 Arca | 5 Riggott | 6 Mendieta | 7 Boateng | 8 Woodgate | 9 Viduka | 10 Rochemback | 11 Christie | 12 Pogatetz | 14 Huth | 16 Euell | 17 Xavier | 18 Lee | 19 Downing | 20 Yakubu | 21 Turnbull | 22 Jones | 24 Davies | 25 Morrison | 26 Bates | 27 Cattermole | 28 Johnson | 29 McMahon | 32 Knight | 33 Taylor | 35 Owens | 38 Hines | 41 Walker | 42 Craddock | Manager: Southgate