32 Facts About Stuart Dallas

Stuart Dallas was born on 19 April 1991 and is a Northern Irish former professional footballer.

Whilst many of his early career appearances were as a winger, in later seasons Dallas gained prominence as a utility player, appearing more often in midfield and at full-back.

From 2015 to 2022 Stuart Dallas was a regular for the Northern Ireland national team, having earned over fifty caps and played at UEFA Euro 2016.

Stuart Dallas retired from football on 10 April 2024 after a two-year battle with injury.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill considered that Stuart Dallas had "maximised everything from his career".

Stuart Dallas started his career at Coagh United, where he made his debut in 2007 whilst working as a joiner.

Stuart Dallas made his debut against Donegal Celtic on 7 August 2010.

Stuart Dallas departed the club in the summer of 2012, after making 85 appearances and scoring 26 goals during his two seasons with Crusaders.

On 12 April 2012, it was announced that Stuart Dallas had signed a pre-contract with League One side Brentford who were managed by Uwe Rosler and he joined the club that summer.

On 5 November, Stuart Dallas' loan was extended until 1 January 2014.

Stuart Dallas made 12 appearances for Northampton and scored three goals.

Stuart Dallas remarked that the training was less intense than he was used to at Brentford.

Stuart Dallas found his minutes on the pitch limited during the early months of 2014, but he broke into the starting lineup in April, starting in six of the Bees' final seven games of the season.

Stuart Dallas made 21 appearances and scored two goals in a season in which Brentford secured automatic promotion to the Championship.

On 26 June 2014, Stuart Dallas signed a new three-year contract, potentially keeping him at Griffin Park until the summer of 2017.

Stuart Dallas later deputised on the opposite flank for the suspended Jake Bidwell in February 2015.

Stuart Dallas netted his sixth goal of the season with the only goal of the game versus Rotherham United on 10 January 2015, a performance which established him in the starting lineup.

Stuart Dallas failed to score again during the season, which ended in defeat to Middlesbrough in the playoff semi-finals.

On 1 August 2015, new Brentford Head Coach Marinus Dijkhuizen revealed that Stuart Dallas did not want to sign a new contract at Brentford with a year remaining of his current contract and that he was likely to leave the club.

In total, Stuart Dallas scored three goals in 35 appearances in all competitions that season.

However, after his return to training, Stuart Dallas was ruled out for another 6 weeks after picking up another injury in January 2019.

Stuart Dallas started both legs of the Championship play-off semi-final against Derby County at left-back, following his return from injury, due to injuries to Barry Douglas, Gjanni Alioski and Leif Davis.

In June 2019, teammate Bailey Peacock-Farrell revealed he and Stuart Dallas had turned down the option of starting pre-season training a week later after featuring on international duty for Northern Ireland over the summer, in order to fight for a starting spot.

Stuart Dallas found himself one of the first names on the first team sheet, being ever present for the first half of the season, playing in a range of positions, including left-back, right-back and central midfield after injuries to Adam Forshaw, Jamie Shackleton, Tyler Roberts and Pablo Hernandez.

On 10 April 2024, Stuart Dallas officially announced his retirement from football, stating that he "must now accept the fact [his] knee suffered irreparable damage".

Stuart Dallas made his debut against Wales in Dublin, coming on in the 63rd minute for Craig Cathcart.

On 18 May 2016, Stuart Dallas was selected as part of the provisional 27-man squad for the Euro 2016 competition, and ten days later was named in the final 23-man squad.

Stuart Dallas played 8 times in World Cup qualification Group C as Northern Ireland finished 2nd in the group and progressed to the second qualification round.

Stuart Dallas played 9 times in Euro 2020 qualifying Group C as they failed to qualify for the tournament, losing to Slovakia after extra time in the Path B play-off final.

Stuart Dallas was noted for his versatility, being able to play as a full-back or winger on either side of the pitch or as a central midfielder and having once played in five positions in the same match for Northern Ireland.

Stuart Dallas was often described as a utility player, with Darren Bent describing him as "probably the best utility man in history".

Stuart Dallas is the younger brother of fellow footballer Marcus Stuart Dallas, who played for Loughgall.