Glenn Whelan

At 40 years old, Glenn Whelan has this physical status:

Club career

Whelan began his career with Manchester City, emerging from Cherry Orchard, an Irish feeder club. He appeared in the UEFA Cup as a replacement for Paul Bosvelt against Total Network Solutions in August 2003, before joining Bury on a one-month loan the following month. After appearing in the Republic of Ireland's 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship campaign in November and December, he returned to Bury on another one-month loan on December 24, 2003. In total, Whelan played 15 times on loan at Bury and attracted Sheffield Wednesday manager Chris Turner's attention.

In the summer of 2004, Whelan joined Sheffield on a free transfer. He made his managerial debut against Huddersfield Town on Wednesday on August 21 and returned Lee Peacock with an assist in his next match, a League Cup match against Walsall. In a 1–1 draw against Walsall in the league on Wednesday, he scored his first goal for the team. In a League Cup tie against Coventry City for "violent conduct," his promising start to his Wednesday career was shattered. However, caretaker boss Mark Smith chastised the referee's decision. The team finished in 5th place in 2004-05 under new manager Paul Sturrock, who claimed a play-off location where they defeated Brentford to advance to the final. After scoring the match-winning third goal for Wednesday, Whelan was named "man of the match" in the League One play-off final against Hartlepool United.

After winning promotion to the Championship on Wednesday, Whelan was proclaimed captain by Paul Sturrock after regular captain Lee Bullen was wounded. Despite a 2–1 loss against Watford, Wednesday was able to prevent a quick return to the third tier in 2005-06, with Whelan in 46 matches this season.

Following increased competition for positions in the Wednesday midfield following Wade Small's birth, Kenny Lunt, and Yoann Folly's in July 2006, Whelan was placed on the transfer list by Sturrock. He was then deleted from the transfer list by Brian Laws, the following manager. With seven goals, Whelan repaid the faith in him. He went on to win a number of player of the year awards for the club's 2006–07 season. Whelan's management laws led to a discussion of labor talks for him. In January 2008, Sheffield Wednesday turned down bids for Whelan from both Burnley and Plymouth Argyle. However, Stoke City's £500,000 offer was accepted on transfer deadline day.

On January 30, 2008, Whelan joined Stoke City for £500,000, completing a three-and-a-year deal. He made his first Stoke City appearance in a Championship match against Cardiff City on February 2, 2008, when he came as a substitute in Mamady Sidibé's 82nd minute. In a 4–2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Whelan got his first Stoke City league start. In a 2–1 home loss to Crystal Palace on April 7, 2008, he scored his first goal for Stoke. In the 2007-08 season, Whelan appeared 14 times for Stoke City, but the club finished 2nd and was promoted to the Premier League.

Whelan played against Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League for the first time. Whelan did not have a good match, and as a result, he did not appear in the first team much, but only in League Cup fixtures and even reserve matches. Despite the setback, Whelan was still a regular in the Irish national team. In December 2008, Whelan was being linked to a move away from the Britannia Stadium, but he confessed that he wanted to remain. Whelan was able to force his way back into the first team and he was a key player in Stoke's enduring fight for survival. On March 1, Whelan scored a last-minute equalizer against Aston Villa. On September 15, 2009, Whelan signed a new four-year contract with Stoke. Stoke defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1–0, his first goal of the 2009–10 season. In a 1–1 draw with Whelan defeating fellow Irish national Shay Given, he went on to score against Manchester City. Aaron Ramsey, an Arsenal player, thanked Whelan for his help after Ramsey sustained a leg injury in a match between Stoke and Arsenal.

In a 2–0 win over Everton on January 1, 2011, he made his 100th appearance for Stoke. Since drifting in and out the starting eleven for the majority of the 2010-11 season, Whelan returned in March and played a major role in Stoke's run to the FA Cup Final. On May 8, 2011, Whelan made his first appearance in the league against Arsenal in a century. Whelan, a footballer, played in the 2011 FA Cup Final as Stoke lost 1–0 to his old club Manchester City.

In the UEFA Europa League's August 2011 match against FC Thun, Whelan scored a rare goal for Stoke against FC Thun. Referee Howard Webb was given an indirect free kick inside the penalty area for a back-pass against Whelan after two minutes in a match against Bolton Wanderers. Kevin Davies scored from the quickly-taken revival to put Bolton ahead. Stoke chairman Peter Coates sluggishly defended Webb's decision to discipline Whelan. In November 2011, he scored his first league goal for more than 18 months against Blackburn Rovers. "Every time you ask Glenn to step up to the next level, he does it," manager Tony Pulis said in January 2012. He's a good guy, but he's very single-minded. He's got the Celtic blood in him as well as the determination to prove others wrong, including myself at times." On January 11, 2012, Whelan signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract, saying, "I am loving life at the moment and the club is doing well," she said. I am incredibly excited to commit my long-term future to the club.

Whelan made his 37th international appearance for the Republic of Ireland in March 2012, with all of his caps coming whilst at Stoke, beating Gordon Banks' record of being Stoke's Most Capable Player. Stoke signed midfielders Charlie Adam and Steven Nzonzi and Whelan in the summer of 2012, but the team's position was not secure, but the manager 'lifted his game' and retained his position for the 2012-2013 season. After a 'two footed' tacked on Manchester City's Javi Garca in the FA Cup, he avoided a ban. Whelan appeared 34 times in 2012-2013 as Stoke finished in 13th place, placing him in 13th place. He ended the season on a sour note when he was involved in a dressing room bust-up with Kenwyne Jones.

Tony Pulis was recalled by Mark Hughes and Whelan during the 2012–13 season, and the team's hopes would rise in style of play would help the team reach more goals. Helan began fighting for his position under Hughes at the start of the 2013–14 season, but he soon became a regular in the team. Whelan was a key part of the team under Hughes, and he made 36 appearances as Stoke finished in 9th place. Whelan characterized the 2013-2014 season as his best for the team.

While on international service with Ireland in October 2014, Whelan retained his place in the team at the start of the 2014–15 season before being ruled out of six weeks. After recovering from his injury, he returned to the side in December 2014. In January 2015, Whelan signed a two-year contract extension. Following an injury to captain Ryan Shawcross, Whelan served as stand-in captain and defeated Blackburn Rovers 4–1 in the FA Cup, he had a rabble at his teammates. In 2014–15, Whelan played for Stoke in 9th place for their second season in a row, and the Potters secured their second position in ninth position for a second season running, winning 6–1 over Liverpool. Whelan's contributions during the campaign have earned him the respect of colleagues Adam and Shawcross, who both described him as the team's 'unsung hero'.

As Stoke finished ninth in ninth position, Whelan was a central figure under Hughes from 2015–16, making 42 appearances. Due to Ryan Shawcross' injury, he was able to serve as a stand-in captain through the season. He made his 300th appearance for Stoke against Southampton on March 12, 2016, but he wasn't on the winning team when Stoke lost 2–1 at home. Whelan expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the team did not finish first in the table at the end of the campaign.

Whelan won a one-year deal extension in July 2016, which will keep him in Stoke until the summer of 2018. In 2016, Whelan played 31 times, when Stoke finished in 13th place. Following a 2–2 loss at AFC Bournemouth on May 6, 2017, Whelan gave an honest assessment of Stoke's campaign. "We're disappointed" that we're two up away from home, especially to a team like Bournemouth, and that giving away two sloppy goals pretty much sums up our season," a footballer says.

On a two-year deal with Aston Villa for a sum of £1 million, Whelan joined Aston Villa on July 20, 2017. In a 4–2 victory over Sheffield on February 24, 2018, he scored his first goal for Aston Villa. In 2017, Whelan played 35 times, supporting Villa in the 2018 EFL Championship play-off Final, where they lost 1–0 to Fulham. Villa also reached the play-off final this time defeating Derby County 2–1. He made 38 appearances in 2018-1919. Whelan's deal was not renewed by Dean Smith at the end of the campaign.

Whelan joined Heart of Midlothian on a one-year deal on August 14th. Since new manager Daniel Stendel had dropped him from the team in January 2020, he left the club in January 2020. Whelan then blasted Hearts, saying he had been "thrown under a bus" by the club and described the way they treated his departure as "amateurish." Whelan had made little or no attempt to become involved in the club, and, in the words of journalist Tom English, "the club, players, and followers alike were unconvinced by the Ireland international's dedication to the club -- [and] not one person is sad to see him go. No one has one.

On January 24, 2020, Whelan agreed to a short-term deal with Fleetwood Town in League One, extending his contract until the end of the season.

Whelan joined Bristol Rovers on a one-year contract, bringing together former Fleetwood manager Joey Barton, who had worked with the club for part of the pre-season. Whelan made his debut for the club on September 11, 2021, after losing by a 1–0 away loss to Hartlepool United. Whelan was shot and dismissed after receiving two bookings as Rovers went on to beat Northampton Town in a first sending-off since 2013. With Whelan winning a fourth career move, the Rovers advanced to their final automatic promotion position, defeating Northampton Town on goals scored on the same track with the same goal difference. Since he left the club on a free transfer at the end of the season, it was his last match for the club.

Whelan returned to the club as a first-team coach on July 29, 2022, but he also became a member of the club if he were to be eligible.

International career

In October 2000, Whelan competed for the Republic of Ireland's under-16 national team in Riga for the 2001 European Under-16 Championship, where he met Andrés Iniesta. He captained the Republic of Ireland's national under-21 football team in 2003 and has been capped 19 times by the Republic of Ireland's national under-21 football team, captaining the team on several occasions.

He made his first appearance for the Republic of Ireland's national B team against Scotland on November 20, 2007. In May 2008, Whelan made his senior team debut against Serbia, scoring his first international goal against Georgia in Mainz, Germany. Despite being regarded as a "also-ran" until the appointment of Giovanni Trattoni, Whelan has been a key player of the team and has made 11 appearances in a row. With a spectacular shot from nearly 25 yards on October 10, 2009, he scored his second goal for Ireland against Italy. Whelan began the matches against France in both legs as Ireland were controversially knocked out 2–1 on aggregate after extra time.

Whelan was also present in Ireland's midfield for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, winning by 5–1 aggregate play-off victory over Estonia, which was also a member of the team that won UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying. He was selected in Traton's 23-man team for UEFA Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. After losing all three of their Group C fixtures, Ireland had a poor showing and was eliminated.

On August 14, 2013, Whelan claimed his 50th Irish cap against Wales. After a poor showing in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Sweden, he was branded a "terrible" player by RTÉ pundit and former Republic of Ireland international Eamon Dunphy. Whelan retaliated against Dunphy, saying that he is nothing more than a "media bully."

Represented the national team at the 2016 Euro, where they lost to France in round of 16.

In October 2019, Whelan earned his 90th cap against Switzerland, making him the ninth most capped Irish player of all time.

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