Shaun Maloney

Shaun Richard Maloney (born 24 January 1983) is a Scottish football coach, who is the current manager of Wigan Athletic, and former player.

Maloney played for Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic, Chicago Fire, Hull City and the Scotland national team as an attacking midfielder or winger.

Maloney started his career at Celtic, playing 215 matches across all competitions and winning honours including five Scottish Premier League titles.

Maloney was born to an English father and Scottish mother in Miri, a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, on 24 January 1983.

He spent his infancy in Malaysia while his father, a helicopter pilot and armed forces veteran, worked there as a flying instructor.

The family returned to Britain when Maloney was five years old, after his father accepted a job in Aberdeen, Scotland.

After joining Celtic as a trainee in 1999, Maloney made his first team debut on 29 April 2001 against Rangers at Ibrox Stadium, in a 3–0 win for Celtic.

He spent the next few years trying to break into the first team, spending most of his time as a substitute.

Despite not playing regularly, Maloney acquired a reputation for being a free kick specialist.

Maloney did appear several times for Celtic during their run to the UEFA Cup final in 2003, and scored in a 3–1 win over VfB Stuttgart at Parkhead in the Round of 16.

In February 2004, Maloney picked up a cruciate ligament injury.

He returned from the injury late in season 2004–05, starting only one game in that season.

He was the first player to claim both the SPFA Players' Player of the Year and the SPFA Young Player of the Year awards in the same season, doing so in 2005–06.

He had a spell in the Premier League with Aston Villa, before returning for a second spell at Celtic.

Maloney made his senior international debut for Scotland in 2005 and he went on to earn 47 caps, scoring seven goals.

After retiring as a player, Maloney worked for Celtic and the Belgium national team as a coach.

He was then appointed manager of Scottish club Hibernian in December 2021, but was sacked after four months.

Maloney was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in January 2023.

Maloney hit top form for Celtic in the 2005–06 season, after being moved from a striking position to the left of midfield by manager Gordon Strachan.

His displays received praise from players, fans and the media throughout the year, and in recognition of his excellent season he was awarded both the SPFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, the first time a player has won both plaudits in the same season.

He also won Celtic Fans' Player of the Year, and Players Player of the Year in a season which saw him score 16 goals and contribute 28 assists from midfield.

With his contract expiring at the end of the 2006–07 season, Celtic moved to offer Maloney a new deal.

However, contract negotiations continued for months, constantly breaking down due to differences between the two parties.

Chief Executive Peter Lawwell asserted that Celtic "cannot keep players at any cost" while Maloney warned that "In situations like this one, both parties have to be completely happy with the outcome."

He also promised that the prolonged contract talks would not affect his football and that he hoped he would not have to consider leaving the club in the future.

Maloney would have been able to leave Celtic for free in the summer of 2007, by signing a pre-contract agreement with another club.

No new contract was agreed with Celtic, and they subsequently agreed a £1 million transfer to Aston Villa.

In his first tenure, Maloney made a total of 139 appearances for the Hoops in all competitions, scoring 37 times.

Just before the transfer window closed on 31 January 2007, Maloney signed a pre-contract agreement with Aston Villa.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who managed him at Celtic, was keen to bring Maloney to Villa for the second half of the season however and moments before the deadline he signed for the Midlands club for a reported fee of £1 million.

He made his debut in the 2–0 defeat at Reading on 10 February 2007 On 28 April 2007, Maloney scored his first Villa goal in a victory against Man City at the City of Manchester Stadium from a free kick which was curled around the wall into the bottom right of the goal.

Maloney had trouble settling into the club but after a somewhat lacklustre start to his Villa career, he began to show his best form.

Maloney returned to English football in 2011 with Wigan Athletic, helping them win the 2013 FA Cup final.

Maloney then briefly played in Major League Soccer for Chicago Fire.

It was revealed in 2013, that as a youngster Maloney had played tennis regularly against future World Number 1, Andy Murray.

In a 2014 interview, Maloney said: "Although I am Scottish and play for Scotland, Malaysia will always be a special part of me."

Maloney was educated at St Joseph's Primary School and Cults Academy in Aberdeen.

Aged 10, he had joined his first football club, Kincorth Boys' Club.

At 12, he moved to Culter Boys' Club then at 14, to Albion Boys' Club.

He last played for Hull City for two seasons, before retiring due to injury in 2017.