Shane Duffy

Shane Patrick Michael Duffy (born 1 January 1992) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club Norwich City and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Duffy came through the youth academy at Everton, where he completed his development after being promoted into the senior squad, spending most of his time at the club out on loan.

He represented Northern Ireland at under 16 level in the 2007 Victory Shield tournament and impressed Everton manager David Moyes in a performance at Bloomfield Road against England.

Duffy said that he once played for Derry City as a youngster and described it as a good experience for him.

Duffy joined Everton in November 2008 as a first-year scholar and worked his way through the U-18 and reserve teams.

Manager David Moyes named him and several young players in the first team for the pre-season friendlies and Duffy scored his first Everton goal against Rochdale in a 4–0 victory.

He was promoted to the first team for the 2009–10 season and appeared on the substitute bench in league matches.

At the age of 17, he made his professional debut versus AEK Athens in the UEFA Europa League in December 2009, coming on for the injured Sylvain Distin.

In Everton's next European fixture, Duffy made his home debut at Goodison Park, completing the full 90 minutes against BATE Borisov, making his second and last appearances for the side in the 2009–10 season.

At the end of the 2009–10 season, he was awarded the club's Reserve Player of the Year.

In May 2010 Duffy was seriously injured after colliding with a goalkeeper during a training match.

He had undergone emergency surgery after lacerating his liver, and losing over three litres of blood in what medical staff described as 'freak accident'.

Two months later, he spoke out about his injury, saying: "I can't thank them enough. I've thanked them so many times and I'll thank them again for being so good at their jobs and saving me. I'm so happy. I appreciate everything they've done for me. It's hard to tell people what it feels like because no one else knows I nearly died. So I just have to live life now, and don't take anything for granted."

Duffy made his return from injury, starting the whole game for Everton's Reserves Team in a 2–0 defeat against Sligo Rovers on 8 August 2010.

Following the return of Jagieka and Distin, Duffy returned to the substitute bench and playing for the reserve side for the rest of the 2011–12 season.

He went on to make five appearances in all competitions for the side.

Duffy joined Burnley on loan on 24 March 2011 on an initial 28-day loan with the possibility of an extension until the end of the 2010–11 season.

Duffy made his debut for Burnley on 2 April 2011 in the 2–1 defeat to Ipswich Town, playing the full 90 minutes.

This turns out to be his only appearances for the club, as he returned to his parent club on 20 April 2011.

Duffy stated on his Twitter account that he wanted to be loaned out to get first team football.

As a result, Duffy joined Scunthorpe United on loan on 31 August 2011.

He made his debut on 10 September 2011, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Sheffield United, winning the Man of the Match award.

After being recalled from his loan spell at Scunthorpe United, Duffy made his Premier League debut at White Hart Lane on 11 January 2012, coming on as a substitute for the final 30 minutes in a 2–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

With Everton's regular centre-backs, Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka, injured for the next game three days later, Duffy made the first Premier League start of his career in a 1–1 draw with Aston Villa.

He then made two more starts by the end of the month, coming against Blackburn Rovers and Fulham.

His performance was praised by Manager David Moyes, saying: "Duffy has played really well in the games. He has been steady and looked mature in the games he has played. It is not easy for a young centre-half to play in the Premier League and we have tried to keep his game steady and simple and he has done well."

Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Duffy was officially promoted to the senior first team following his involvement in the club's pre–season matches.

He made his first appearance of the 2012–13 season, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 5–0 win against Leyton Orient in the second round of the League Cup on 29 August 2012.

It was announced on 12 September 2012 that Duffy signed a contract extension with Everton, keeping him until 2015.

However, he found himself behind the pecking order in the first team, being placed on the substitute bench throughout the 2012–13 season.

As a result, Duffy played in the reserve team throughout the 2012–13 season, making a contribution for the reserve side, scoring three times.

He also captained the side as well.

Despite this, Duffy later made two more appearances for the club, both coming on as a late substitute.

He joined Blackburn Rovers in 2014 for an undisclosed fee, spending two years with the Lancashire club before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2016, where he earned promotion to the Premier League.

Duffy made his debut for the senior side in 2014, representing the country at UEFA Euro 2016 and gone on to make 51 caps to date.

Duffy was born in Derry, Northern Ireland.

As a youth, he played Gaelic football for Doire Colmcille CLG and association football for Foyle Harps, both based in Derry.

However, Duffy had to make a choice between Gaelic football and association football, so he choose association football.

He spent the 2020–21 season on loan at Celtic where he won the delayed 2020 Scottish Cup final.

Duffy played for Northern Ireland at youth international level before switching allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.