Stephen McManus
 |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen McManus | ||
| Date of birth | 10 September 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Lanark, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre Back | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Motherwell | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2003 | Celtic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2010 | Celtic | 150 | (17) |
| 2010 | → Middlesbrough (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2010–2013 | Middlesbrough | 54 | (1) |
| 2012 | → Bristol City (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → Bristol City (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2013– | Motherwell | 135 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006–2010 | Scotland | 26 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:30, 18 February 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 October 2010 |
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Stephen McManus (born 10 September 1982) is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a centre back for Scottish Premiership club Motherwell.
McManus was club captain of Celtic from 2007 until his move to Middlesbrough in 2010. McManus was a product of Celtic's youth academy and had risen through the ranks to become first team captain ahead of the 2007–08 season. Hall of Famer and former Scotland captain Colin Hendry described him as "the last of an ancient breed", in the sense that his no-nonsense defending style is rare in modern football.
Born in Lanark, McManus came through the ranks at Celtic and signed a professional contract on the same day as fellow defender John Kennedy. He made his debut for the first team, under Martin O'Neill, in the 2003/04 season against Hibernian, and finished that season with 5 league appearances as Celtic won the league. He later established himself as first choice central defender at Celtic during Gordon Strachan's managerial reign.
Early in McManus' Celtic career to help with pre-match nerves he would scream his high school motto before going on the pitch. This ritual would stick with McManus throughout his career, he can be heard screaming “Spes Unica” before all matches to help him and his teammates get motivated.
In the 2005/06 season, McManus scored eight goals (7 of which came in the League). He was made captain for the first league game of the 2006/07 season, in the match against Kilmarnock due to regular club captain Neil Lennon being suspended. Since that game he repeatedly deputised as Celtic captain throughout the 2006/07 season. After Lennon left Celtic to join Nottingham Forest, McManus was announced as Celtic's new captain on 31 July 2007 and signed a four-year contract. He said:
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