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Lee Cattermole
Personal information
Date of birth	March 21, 1988 (age 19)
Place of birth	Stockton-On-Tees, England
Height	5 ft 10 in
Nickname	Catts
Playing position	Defensive Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Middlesbrough
Number	27
Youth clubs
1998-2005	Middlesbrough
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2005-	Middlesbrough	40 (2)
National team
2006-	England U21	00 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:45, 25 March 2007 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Lee Cattermole (born 21 March 1988 in Stockton-on-Tees) is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Middlesbrough F.C. as a midfielder. He is a product of the club's celebrated Youth Academy - widely considered one of the best in the world.

He made his debut in the Tyne-Tees derby against Newcastle United on January 2, 2006, playing the full 90 minutes in a match that finished 2-2 in which the England youth international received man of the match. Former Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren later hailed the local lad's performance stating, "When we needed people to stand up and be counted, it took a seventeen-year-old to bring everyone together."

After a 0-4 home defeat to Aston Villa he was captured on camera in tears. However, after this game the team went on to win 7 out of their next 8 games, advancing to the quarter-finals of both the FA and UEFA cups and defeating Premiership champions Chelsea 3-0, only their second league defeat of the season.

Cattermole scored his first league goal for Middlesbrough on 2 April 2006 in a 1-0 victory away at Manchester City.^[1]

Lee Cattermole became Middlesbrough's youngest ever captain when he skippered the side in their 1-0 defeat away against Fulham on 7 May 2006. During the game, Middlesbrough's oldest ever player, Colin Cooper, came on as a substitute and Cattermole sportingly gave up the captains role, without instruction, and gave the band to Cooper which was his last ever Premiership game before retirement.

Sven-Göran Eriksson stated that he believes Cattermole has a "bright future ahead of him" and many believe he will go on to become one of the best midfielders in the Premiership. Due to the great form he was on in the 2005-2006 season, Boro fans sing his name as "Super" Lee Cattermole. On Friday 20 October 2006 Cattermole signed a new four-year deal to keep him at Middlesbrough until 2010.^[2]

He received his first call-up to the England U21 squad for the October 2006 playoffs against Germany. Although he has yet to appear in the team he was recalled for the November fixture against the Netherlands and the February 2007 fixture against Spain, Stuart Pearce's first game as coach. However, he was forced to drop out of the latter match through injury.

Lee has recently bought Ray Parlour's house which he had when he played for Middlesbrough. Lee has aspirations to play for England and it appears he is on the radar of Steve Mclaren, being touted as a possible back up to Owen Hargreaves.^{[citation needed]}

If Lee hadn't made it as a professional footballer, he would have been a Lawyer.^{[citation needed]}

Lee Cattermole is the cousin of English musician Paul Cattermole who was previously a member of the successful pop group S Club 7.

• Lee Cattermole career stats at Soccerbase

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