Dominic Matteo was born on 28 April 1974 and is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder in a 17-year professional career from 1992 to 2009.
28 Facts About Dominic Matteo
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2.
Dominic Matteo made a total of 366 league and cup appearances, of which 276 were in the Premier League.
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Dominic Matteo struggled with gambling addictions and was declared bankrupt in 2015.
4.
Dominic Matteo was capped six times by Scotland after originally representing England at under-21 and 'B' team level.
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Dominic Matteo was born in Dumfries on 28 April 1974.
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Dominic Matteo's birth mother, Margaret, was a 17-year-old pupil when she fell pregnant, naming him Stephen.
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Dominic Matteo's adoptive father had Italian heritage and was a keen follower of European football.
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Dominic Matteo was spotted playing for Birkdale United by Liverpool player Kenny Dalglish, who had originally gone to Birkdale United just to watch his son, Paul Dalglish.
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Dominic Matteo progressed to a YTS contract at the age of 16.
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Dominic Matteo's versatility counted against him, as he was asked to play several positions in the reserve team and subsequently failed to establish himself in one position.
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Dominic Matteo then signed a new two-year contract in 1993.
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Dominic Matteo scored two goals for Liverpool, one against Southampton in the Premier League and another against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup.
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Dominic Matteo made 155 appearances and scored two goals for Liverpool.
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Dominic Matteo is fondly remembered by Leeds fans especially for the goal he scored at the San Siro against Milan, in the first group stage which ensured they would progress through to the next round.
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Dominic Matteo ended that Champions League campaign with two goals, having scored earlier against Besiktas.
16.
When Rio Ferdinand moved to Manchester United in the summer of 2002, Dominic Matteo was handed team captaincy.
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Dominic Matteo had been a great central defender at Arsenal.
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Dominic Matteo was nowhere near a failure and, if you finished fifth now, you would not expect the sack.
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In July 2004, Dominic Matteo signed a three-year contract with Blackburn Rovers.
20.
In January 2007, Dominic Matteo moved to Championship side Stoke City on a free transfer.
21.
Dominic Matteo was made captain by Tony Pulis in the season Stoke won promotion back to the top flight of the English football league system.
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Dominic Matteo played 13 league games up to the end of October after which he played only once more before the end of the season, a game in November 2007.
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Dominic Matteo won Under-21 and 'B' caps for England, and was called up for the main squad on two occasions but was never capped.
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Dominic Matteo later was called up for the Scotland side, having been born and lived as a young boy in Dumfries.
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Dominic Matteo went on to collect six caps for Scotland, making his debut against Australia in November 2000.
26.
In May 2013, Dominic Matteo returned to Leeds United in a new role as a Football Ambassador.
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Dominic Matteo left this position in the summer of 2014 following a change of ownership to Massimo Cellino.
28.
In November 2019, Dominic Matteo underwent surgery on a brain tumour, and was declared fully recovered in April the following year.