Lee Cattermole

Lee Barry Cattermole (born 21 March 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.

An England youth product, Cattermole has earned a reputation as a tough-tackling midfielder due to his lengthy disciplinary record.

He began his professional career at Middlesbrough in 2005, having progressed through the club's academy.

After making his debut for the club in January 2006, he became a regular player, and at the age of 18 years and 47 days was the youngest man to captain Middlesbrough where he made 91 appearances and scored four goals.

A product of the Middlesbrough youth academy, Cattermole made his debut in the Tyne-Tees derby against Newcastle United on 2 January 2006, playing the full 90 minutes in a match that finished 2–2 in which the England youth international received the Man of the Match award.

Manager Steve McClaren later hailed his performance stating, "When we needed people to stand up and be counted, it took a 17-year-old to bring everyone together."

After a 4–0 home defeat to Aston Villa, he was captured on camera in tears and had to be consoled by captain Gareth Southgate.

However, after this game the team went on to win seven out of their next eight games, advancing to the quarter-finals of both the FA and UEFA cups and defeating Premier League champions Chelsea 3–0, only their second league defeat of the season.

Cattermole scored his first league goal for Middlesbrough on 2 April, in a 1–0 victory away at Manchester City, and played for Middlesbrough in the 2006 UEFA Cup Final.

Cattermole became Middlesbrough's youngest-ever captain aged 18 years and 47 days when he skippered the side in their 1–0 defeat away against Fulham on 7 May 2006.

During the game, Middlesbrough's oldest-ever player, Colin Cooper, came on as a substitute and Cattermole sportingly gave the captain's armband, without instruction, to Cooper who was playing his last game before retirement.

On 20 October 2006, Cattermole signed a new four-year deal to keep him at Middlesbrough until 2010.

He switched to Wigan Athletic in July 2008.

Cattermole quickly became a regular for Wigan, amassing 35 appearances in the 2008–09 season.

On 29 July 2008, Cattermole signed for Wigan Athletic on a three-year deal in a transfer worth £3.5 million.

He made his debut against West Ham United in a 2–1 defeat.

Cattermole scored his first goal for Wigan in a 4–1 League Cup win over Ipswich Town on 24 September 2008.

He then scored his first league goal in a 3–0 home win over Blackburn Rovers on 13 December 2008.

On 4 March, he was given a straight red card, his second of the season, for a reckless challenge on Scott Parker in the home defeat by West Ham.

Despite being tied to a three-year deal, Cattermole's impressive season with Wigan resulted in him being a target for other clubs.

After attracting interest from other Premier League clubs, he joined Sunderland in August 2009.

On 12 August 2009, it was announced that Cattermole had completed a medical at Sunderland and signed for a fee of £6 million.

The midfielder joined the club on a four-year contract, reuniting with former Wigan coach Steve Bruce.

He made his debut in a 1–0 win over Bolton Wanderers, in which he won Sunderland's Man of the Match award.

He then in the next few games of the season became popular amongst the fans despite missing several games with a heel injury.

On 17 October 2009, he injured his knee in the win over Liverpool and was ruled out for twelve weeks.

He returned as a second-half substitute for Jordan Henderson on 15 December in a 2–0 loss against Aston Villa.

He then played the full match and captained the side in the 4–3 defeat by Manchester City.

Despite a few injury problems early in his spell at the club, manager Steve Bruce selected him as captain for the start of the 2010–11 season, a role he would hold for three seasons, until Paolo Di Canio gave John O'Shea the role prior to the start of the 2013–14 season.

Internationally, Cattermole represented England at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels.

On the eve of the 2010–11 season, Cattermole was selected by manager Bruce as the replacement captain after Lorik Cana's departure.

He was also handed the vacant number 6 shirt.

He received a red card in the first game of the season against Birmingham City for a second bookable offence.

Bruce later referred to referee Anthony Taylor as 'out of his depth'.

Cattermole played most of the 90 minutes in Sunderland's 3–0 away win against Chelsea, coming off in added time in the second half and was pivotal in the victory.

He then earned the Man of the Match award for his performance at home to West Ham, a game which Sunderland won 1–0.

Cattermole's tough tackling style has put him into troublesome situations with referees.

Bruce, despite backing Cattermole as club captain, said that his disciplinary record must improve.

Again, Cattermole suffered an injury-hit season, making 24 appearances in total (two more than the previous season).

Cattermole remained captain at the start of the 2011–12 season and received yellow cards in the first two games, against Liverpool and Newcastle.