Darragh Burns

Darragh Francis O'Brien Burns (born 6 August 2002 ) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Shamrock Rovers, on loan from club Milton Keynes Dons.

Raised in Stamullen, County Meath, Burns began playing at top Dublin academy St Kevin's Boys, a club renowned for producing several Republic of Ireland senior internationals.

In April 2017, while at Under-15 level, he scored the winning goal in the Final of the Ravenna European Cup played in Ravenna, Italy.

During the tournament his side won all eight games against clubs from all over Europe to win the tournament, with Burns also having scored several goals en route to the final.

In 2018, Burns signed for St Patrick's Athletic, where he initially represented the club's Under-17 side.

On 30 October 2019, Burns was part of the side that won the League of Ireland U17 Division, setting up the opening goal for Ben McCormack as his side defeated Bohemians 4–0 in the final at Richmond Park.

Burns made his debut in senior football on 13 July 2019 aged 16, coming off the bench in a friendly against reigning UEFA Europa League champions Chelsea in the 59th minute.

His first involvement in the game was to nutmeg France international Tiémoué Bakayoko before drawing a foul and a booking from Denmark international Andreas Christensen.

Burns' first involvement with the first team in a competitive game came on 16 August 2019 when he was an unused substitute in a 2–1 win over Sligo Rovers in the league.

His competitive debut in senior football on 15 September 2021, replacing Chris Forrester in the 62nd minute of a 1–0 win away to Cabinteely in the Leinster Senior Cup Quarter Final at Stradbrook Road.

His first start came on 2 November in the Semi Final of the same competition, a 3–1 win away to Sheriff YC after extra time.

Two weeks later Burns missed the 4–0 win over Athlone Town in the Final as he was on international duty but the win went down as his first medal at senior level.

On 22 December 2020, in his final game at underage level, Burns scored the winning goal in the League of Ireland U19 Division Final, scoring a 120th-minute penalty to beat Bohemians 2–1 after extra time at the UCD Bowl to secure a UEFA Youth League spot for the club.

On 23 January 2020, Burns signed a two-year deal with St Patrick's Athletic, his first professional contract.

Ahead of the season Burns' received the number 35 as his first squad number.

On 3 August 2020, he made his League of Ireland Premier Division debut, replacing Jordan Gibson from the bench in the 75th minute of a 2–0 loss at home to Derry City.

He made a total of six appearances over the season, all from the bench as his side missed out on a European place on the final day of the season.

Burns changed to the number 17 shirt ahead of the 2021 season.

His first goal in senior football came on 9 April 2021, when he scored the second goal to help secure a 2–0 home win over Derry City for his side.

On 20 April, he scored the only goal of the game in the second minute to beat Waterford at Richmond Park.

It was announced on 6 July 2021 that Burns had signed a contract extension with the club.

He scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Longford Town on 3 September 2021, curly his shot into the top corner in the 87th minute before Longford got a late consolation goal.

Burns scored two goals in a 3–0 win over Wexford in the FAI Cup Quarter Final on 17 September 2021.

Burns produced a Man of the Match display in a 3–1 win over Dundalk FAI Cup Semi Final, setting up Matty Smith's goal to put Pat's in front before dinking Peter Cherrie in goals in the 86th minute to secure a place in the 2021 FAI Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium.

On 12 November 2021, his headed equaliser in his side's 2–2 draw at home to Finn Harps secured a 2nd place finish for the club, their best since their 2013 league win, to secure UEFA Europa Conference League football for the following season.

After the game, he was awarded both the club's Young Player of the Year Award and the Goal of the Season Award for 2021, as voted by their supporters.

On 28 November 2021 Burns played the full 120 minutes in the 2021 FAI Cup Final, beating rivals Bohemians 4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time in front of a record FAI Cup Final crowd of 37,126 at the Aviva Stadium.

Burns was subject to interest from Scottish Premiership sides Hibernian and Celtic during the January transfer window, with Pat's rejecting a bid from Hibs due to it not reaching their valuation for Burns.

On 11 February 2022, Burns was in the starting XI for the 2022 President of Ireland's Cup against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium, as his side lost 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.

On 18 February 2022, Burns scored his side's first goal in a 3–0 win over rivals Shelbourne at Tolka Park, curling a 25 yard effort into the top corner to help his side to an opening game of the season victory.

On 1 April 2022, he scored a 77th-minute equaliser to earn a point for his side in a 1–1 draw with Drogheda United at Richmond Park.

On 6 May, Burns opened the scoring in a 4–0 win away to Drogheda United with a looping header from a Billy King cross flying into the top corner after four minutes, while he also assisted Kyle Robinson's first league goal for the club in the same game.

On 14 May, he earned his side a point when he scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw away to Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds.

On 4 July 2022, Burns signed for EFL League One club Milton Keynes Dons on a permanent deal for a fee in the region of €180,000.

His first goals for the club came on 15 July 2022 when he scored a brace and assisted another goal in a 6–0 friendly win over Norwich City.

Burns made his league debut on 30 July 2022 as an 82nd-minute substitute in a 1–0 defeat away to Cambridge United.

On 23 August 2022, Burns scored his first competitive goal for the club in a 2–0 EFL Cup second round away win over Watford, after also assisting the opening goal of the game for Matthew Dennis.

On 5 November 2022, Burns scored his first FA Cup goal, when he put his side 3–0 up in an eventual 6–0 win at home to Taunton Town.

On 22 November 2022, he opened the scoring with an overhead kick in a 3–1 win over Newport County.

He followed that up four days later by again opening the scoring, this time in a 3–2 loss to Portsmouth in an FA Cup Second Round tie at Fratton Park.