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Ryan James Shawcross (born 4 October 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
. He is currently the first-team coach at Stoke City. Shawcross began his career with
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
and made his debut for the club against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup; he then spent time on
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
at Belgian feeder club Royal Antwerp. He joined Championship club Stoke City on loan in August 2007 and made an instant impact scoring on his debut against Cardiff City. His good form prompted Stoke to pay Manchester United £1 million in January 2008 to keep him at the Britannia Stadium. He formed a good defensive partnership with Leon Cort as Stoke gained promotion to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
for the first time, ending 23 years away from the top flight. Despite making a bad start to Premier League football, Shawcross established himself as first-choice centre-back along with Abdoulaye Faye. Stoke comfortably stayed up, and after another mid-table finish in 2009–10, Shawcross was handed the captaincy by manager Tony Pulis ahead of the 2010–11 season. With Faye drifting out of the team, Robert Huth became Shawcross's defensive partner and the team reached the 2011 FA Cup Final, finishing runners-up to Manchester City. The run to the final also meant that Stoke entered the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
in 2011–12, and they reached the round of 32 losing to Spanish team
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
. Shawcross continued to be a regular under Pulis in 2012–13 and then under
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
in 2013–14 which saw him win the player of the year award. Shawcross remained at Stoke until February 2021, after making 453 appearances over a 14-year period with the club. He ended his career with Inter Miami before retiring from playing in January 2022 and began coaching.


Early life

Born in
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
, Cheshire, Shawcross grew up in the Welsh town of Buckley, Flintshire where he attended Mountain Lane Primary School and Elfed High School. While living in Buckley, Shawcross played in the youth team at
Cymru Alliance The Cymru Alliance League (known for sponsorship reasons as Huws Gray Alliance) was a association football, football league in North Wales, north and Mid Wales, central Wales which formed the second level of the Welsh football league system. Fro ...
club Buckley Town. During his primary school days, Shawcross played representative level football for Flintshire Boys; this team counts Gary Speed,
Michael Owen Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, Newcastle United ...
and Ian Rush amongst its former players. When Shawcross was 15 years old, he and a number of Flintshire Boys players had a trial at Football League club Wrexham who offered contracts to some players but not to Shawcross. However, just three weeks later, he had a trial at
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
and was offered a contract at their academy.


Club career


Manchester United

Shawcross progressed through the youth teams at Manchester United and made his first-team debut on 25 October 2006 as a substitute for fellow debutant Michael Barnes in a 2–1 League Cup third round win away at Crewe Alexandra. He also came on in the final minute of a 1–0 defeat to Southend United in the next round. In January 2007, he was sent on
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
to Belgian club Royal Antwerp, where he appeared regularly, and helped Antwerp to make it into the
Belgian Second Division The Belgian Second Division was the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was founded by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 1909 and folded in 2016, when it was replace ...
play-offs, scoring three goals, before returning to Manchester in the summer.


Stoke City

On 9 August 2007, Shawcross was sent on loan again, this time to
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club Stoke City, for six months. He scored his first two goals for Stoke during his first two matches, one on his debut during a 1–0 win on the opening day of the season, against Cardiff City, with the other during a League Cup match against
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
in which Stoke lost on penalties. After Stoke's 2–1 win over Charlton Athletic Shawcross expressed his delight at Stoke's early season form. Shawcross was named as the Championship's player of the month for October 2007. Stoke made advances to make Shawcross' loan permanent during the January 2008 transfer window, and the move was finally completed on 18 January 2008, with Stoke paying Manchester United an initial £1m, which eventually rose to a club record £2m due to Shawcross' appearances for Stoke and the team achieving promotion the following May. Additionally, Alex Ferguson negotiated a clause that gives Manchester United first refusal on any offer for the player. He lost his place in the team for the final few matches of the promotion winning season to loan signing Chris Riggott. Although he did play in the final match against Leicester City. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Shawcross was named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year along with teammates
Ricardo Fuller Ricardo Dwayne Fuller (born 31 October 1979) is a retired Jamaican professional footballer who played as a forward. Fuller started his football career with Jamaican side Tivoli Gardens, before he moved to England with Crystal Palace in Feb ...
and Liam Lawrence. After starting in Stoke's first match in the Premier League in a 3–1 defeat away at
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
Shawcross lost his place in the team to new signing Ibrahima Sonko and he stated that he might have to leave Stoke if the manager signed another defender. Shawcross re-claimed his place in team in late 2008 due to Sonko's poor performances. In a match against Arsenal in November 2008, a Shawcross off-the-pitch tackle led to a three-week injury to Emmanuel Adebayor. Following his return to the team, Shawcross scored in matches against Aston Villa, Everton, and
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
. The goal against Boro proved to be vital win for Stoke in the fight from relegation. After a fine debut
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
season, Shawcross was linked to several clubs Premier League rivals however both Shawcross and Stoke manager Tony Pulis dismissed this speculation. He scored from a header in Stoke's first match of the 2009–10 season, helping them to a 2–0 win over Burnley. On 12 December 2009, he scored his second goal in the 2009–10 season for Stoke against
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
in a 2–2 draw. Shawcross was again involved in an incident with Emmanuel Adebayor in a FA Cup fifth-round replay against Manchester City, Adebayor struck Shawcross in the face and was sent-off. Shawcross went on to score Stoke's second goal in a 3–1 win. On 27 February 2010, in a match against Arsenal, Shawcross was sent off after his tackle left Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey with a broken leg. Shawcross himself wept when he saw the extent of the injury to Ramsey, who had to be stretchered off and taken to hospital. Shawcross, who apologised via text message, was defended by his teammates Danny Pugh and Rory Delap after the match. On the same day, Shawcross received a call-up to the England national team. Shawcross was given the Stoke City captaincy for the 2010–11 season, taking over from Abdoulaye Faye. After a number of impressive performances for Stoke Shawcross has again been linked with a move away from the Britannia Stadium, however City chairman Peter Coates issued a 'Hand off warning'. He scored his first goal for almost a year in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
against Brighton & Hove Albion. Stoke beat West Ham United in the quarter-final and Shawcross has said he will be proud to lead out Stoke City at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in the semi-final against Bolton Wanderers. Stoke beat Bolton 5–0 to earn a place in the 2011 FA Cup Final, the club's first appearance in a
FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...
. Shawcross therefore became the first Stoke captain to play in a FA Cup Final, losing to Manchester City. Despite the defeat, Stoke were able to claim a place in the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
. Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, manager Tony Pulis confirmed that Shawcross would remain as club captain. He had a busy season playing in 49 of the club's 56 fixtures, helping the club reach the last 32 of the Europa League and the quarter-final of the FA Cup. He was named as captain for a third season running, with Pulis warning Shawcross against complacency. In a Premier League match against Everton on 15 December 2012 Shawcross was deliberately headbutted by Marouane Fellaini which was missed by referee Mark Halsey. After the match Fellaini issued a public apology to Shawcross and was given a retrospective three match ban. On 3 January 2013, Shawcross signed a -year contract extension with the "Potters", keeping him at the Britannia Stadium until the summer of 2018. After agreeing to his new contract, Tony Pulis stated that Shawcross could go on to become a legend at the club. He played in 40 matches in 2012–13 season, scoring once against Wigan Athletic as Stoke finished in 13th position. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Tony Pulis was dismissed and replaced by
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
, who decided that Shawcross would retain the captaincy for a fifth season. On 24 August 2013 Shawcross scored the winning goal against Crystal Palace which earned City their first win of the 2013–14 season. On 12 April 2014 Shawcross made his 200th appearance in the Premier League becoming the first Stoke player to reach that milestone. Shawcross missed just one match in 2013–14 as Stoke finished in 9th position in the Premier League and he also won the player of the year award. Shawcross scored Stoke's first goal of the 2014–15 season in a 1–1 draw with Hull City on 24 August 2014. Against Swansea City on 29 October 2014, Shawcross was penalised by referee Michael Oliver for holding Wilfried Bony at a corner. This prompted Mark Hughes to take Shawcross off man-marking duties at set-plays. He made his 300th appearance for Stoke on 29 November against Liverpool. On 1 January 2015 he scored against his former club Manchester United in a 1–1 draw. He missed February and most of March with a back injury. He played 37 times for Stoke in 2014–15 as the Potters finished in 9th position for a second season running and they ended the campaign with a 6–1 victory against
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. Shawcross was ruled out for the first two months of the 2015–16 season after undergoing back surgery. He returned from injury on 27 October 2015 playing in a League Cup victory against Chelsea. However his season was continually disrupted by his back injury restricting him to 23 appearances as Stoke again finished in ninth position. Shawcross scored his first goal for two years on 3 January 2017 in a 2–0 win against
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
. Shawcross missed just three matches in 2016–17 playing 38 times as Stoke finished in 13th position. Shawcross signed a new four-year contract with Stoke on 31 August 2017. Shawcross made 27 appearances in 2017–18 as Stoke suffered relegation to the Championship, ending their ten-year spell in the Premier League. He played 36 times in 2018–19 as Stoke failed to mount a promotion challenge, finishing in 16th position. His only goal of the campaign came in the final match against Sheffield United. Shawcross suffered a serious injury on 27 July 2019 in a pre-season friendly against Leicester City. He then underwent surgery after scans revealed that had broken his fibula, ruling him out for up to four months. He returned to training in November 2019 making several appearances for the under-23 side. Shawcross made his return against Luton Town on 10 December 2019 but lasted only 14 minutes after picking up a groin injury. He returned on boxing day against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
but in the next match at
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
he suffered another calf injury. The 2019–20 season was suspended in March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and Shawcross was able to return to training. He started the first match of the restart on 20 June 2020 at Reading but was again unable to complete the match and was later ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. Shawcross' injury problems continued in 2020–21 which saw him make just two substitute appearances in December 2020. Shawcross' contract was cancelled by mutual consent on 19 February 2021 ahead of a move to
Inter Miami CF Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (M ...
in the United States. In total Shawcross spent 14 years with Stoke, making 453 appearances and is eighth on the club's all time record appearance list.


Inter Miami

On 20 February 2021, Shawcross joined
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
club Inter Miami. In August 2021, Shawcross suffered a season-ending back injury and ultimately retired from playing in January 2022.


International career

In January 2008, Shawcross won his first call up to the England under-21 squad for a 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
. Shawcross previously played for the
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
under-15 team, against Belgium and the Republic of Ireland. Following Shawcross' fine form in his debut Premier League season, Tony Pulis, his manager at Stoke, tipped Shawcross to break into the England senior team. In September 2009, it was announced that changes have been proposed to the eligibility criteria for British players, which would make Shawcross eligible to play for Wales. Wales under-21 coach Brian Flynn commented that "People who grew up in Wales often can't represent the country they've lived in most of their life because their nearest maternity hospital is in England". In October 2009, FIFA ratified the changes to allow players with five years of compulsory education in a country before the age of 16 to represent that country. Despite this, Shawcross was named in an England squad for the first time for their match against
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
in March 2010. He was named in the matchday squad but was an unused substitute. Shawcross has been backed by his defensive partner, Robert Huth to earn an England call-up. In July 2011 Shawcross confirmed that he will not consider playing for Wales. On 11 July 2012, Wales national team manager Chris Coleman said he would consult Arsenal and Wales team ex-captain Aaron Ramsey regarding the possibility of Shawcross playing for Wales. However, Shawcross again stated that his only international ambition was to play for England. Shawcross was called up to the England team by Roy Hodgson on 4 October 2012 for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and
San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...
. He made his England debut in a friendly against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
on 14 November 2012 at the Friends Arena, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for Steven Caulker. During Shawcross' 16 minutes on the pitch Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović scored a hat-trick which included a 30-yard bicycle kick. Shawcross was not called up again by Roy Hodgson and claimed in March 2016 said that Ibrahimović had ended his England career before it had started.


Coaching career

Shawcross began coaching in 2022, joining Inter Miami's MLS Next Pro affiliate Inter Miami II as an assistant coach. Shawcross returned to England in May 2023. In June 2023 he became academy coach with Stoke City U18s, moving up to the under-21s a year later. On 16 September 2024, after Steven Schumacher was sacked, Shawcross and Alex Morris became caretaker managers, overseeing one game against Fleetwood Town in the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
before Narcís Pèlach was announced as Stoke's new manager on 18 September 2024. Pèlach left Stoke in December 2024 and Shawcross took caretaker charge. In January 2025 Shawcross was appointed first-team-coach to new manager Mark Robins.


Personal life

Shawcross lived in Miami with his wife Kath. The couple have three children. He has been involved in charity work.


Career statistics


Club


International


Managerial statistics


Honours

Stoke City *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
second-place promotion: 2007–08 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
runner-up: 2010–11 Individual * Football League Championship Player of the Month: October 2008 * PFA Team of the Year: 2007–08 Championship * Stoke City Player of the Year: 2013–14


References


External links


Profile
at the Stoke City F.C. website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shawcross, Ryan 1987 births Living people People from Buckley, Flintshire Footballers from Flintshire Footballers from Chester English men's footballers English expatriate men's footballers England men's under-21 international footballers England men's international footballers Men's association football defenders Manchester United F.C. players Royal Antwerp F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players Inter Miami CF players Challenger Pro League players English Football League players Premier League players Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium English expatriate sportspeople in Belgium English people of Welsh descent English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Inter Miami CF II Major League Soccer players Stoke City F.C. non-playing staff Inter Miami CF non-playing staff 21st-century English sportsmen