22 Facts About Stephen Darby

Stephen Mark Darby was born on 6 October 1988 and is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-back.

Stephen Darby began his career playing on the winning team of the Liverpool FA Youth Cup in 2006 and played competitively for Liverpool from 2008 to 2012.

Stephen Darby was brought up in Maghull, Merseyside, where he attended St John Bosco's primary school and Maricourt Roman Catholic High School.

On 18 July 2006 Liverpool's official site announced that five academy players have been promoted to Melwood, Stephen Darby was one of them.

Stephen Darby played in Liverpool's FA Youth Cup winning teams in 2006 and 2007 that defeated Manchester City and Manchester United's academies in the finals respectively, captaining the team in the 2006 final.

Stephen Darby was first selected for the Liverpool squad which played Turkish side Galatasaray in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in December 2006, but he was an unused substitute in that match.

Stephen Darby's performances earned him praises from manager Gary Ablett calling him 'Mr Consistency'.

Stephen Darby made his Champions League debut against PSV Eindhoven on 9 December 2008, coming on as a substitute alongside fellow homegrown players Jay Spearing and Martin Kelly.

On 5 July 2009, Stephen Darby secured a three-year extension to his contract along with fellow Melwood graduate Jay Spearing.

Stephen Darby was praised by Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher for his performance in the game.

Stephen Darby made his Premier League debut against Tottenham Hotspur on 20 January 2010, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute for Philipp Degen.

Stephen Darby then took part in the play-off semi final against Charlton Athletic, where he scored the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.

Stephen Darby made 40 appearances for the club during his season-long loan.

On 4 July 2012, Stephen Darby signed for Bradford City on a two-year contract.

Stephen Darby made his league debut a week later against Gillingham.

Stephen Darby won 7 awards at the Bradford City end-of-season dinner in May 2014.

Stephen Darby was made club captain after Gary Jones joined Notts County, and signed a new three-year contract in June 2014.

On 7 July 2017, Stephen Darby signed a two-year contract at Bolton Wanderers, reuniting with former manager Phil Parkinson.

On 18 September 2018, Stephen Darby announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 29 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Stephen Darby is married to Steph Houghton, captain of Manchester City Women and former captain of England women's national team.

Stephen Darby set up the Stephen Darby Rimmer MND Foundation to fund support for families affected by motor neurone disease, and research a cure.

Stephen Darby was part of England's squad for UEFA European U19 Championship qualifications in May 2007 and made two appearances alongside Liverpool teammates Jack Hobbs, Craig Lindfield and Adam Hammill.