Mal Donaghy
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Malachy Martin Donaghy | ||
| Date of birth | 13 September 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1977 | Cromac Albion | ? | (?) |
| 1977–1978 | Larne | 20 | (0) |
| 1978–1988 | Luton Town | 408 | (16) |
| 1988–1992 | Manchester United | 89 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | → Luton Town (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1992–1994 | Chelsea | 68 | (3) |
| Total | 590 | (19) | |
| National team | |||
| 1980–1994 | Northern Ireland | 91 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Malachy Martin "Mal" Donaghy (born 13 September 1957 in Belfast) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Luton Town and Manchester United.
The current Northern Ireland Under-19 coach, originally from West Belfast, began his football career as a goalkeeper with little-known Down and Connor League side team St. Agnes', before moving on to play as an outfield player for works team Post Office Social Club.
After barely six months, he was on the move again, this time joining Amateur League side Cromac Albion, where his blossoming talent was spotted by then Larne boss Brian Halliday.
Donaghy's rapid rise in the game continued when, after just 20 matches with the Inver Park club, he was transferred to Luton Town in June 1978 for a fee of £20 000.
He spent 10 years at Luton Town, overseeing the most successful era of their history to date. He collected a Second Division title winner's medal in 1982, enabling him to experience First Division football for the first time yet. He helped Luton retain their First Division status, and was a key part of the team that finished a club record high of seventh in the 1986–87 season. In 1987–88, he helped Luton win their first major trophy as they achieved a shock 3–2 win over Arsenal in the 1988 Football League Cup Final.
In October 1988, Donaghy departed from Kenilworth Road in a £650,000 move to his boyhood heroes Manchester United. It was at the time a big risk for Alex Ferguson to pay out a large sum of money for a 31-year-old, but Donaghy repaid the United manager's faith in him with some consistent performances in not only his favoured central defensive position but also as a full-back.
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