Jack Butland

At 31 years old, Jack Butland has this physical status:

Jack Butland (born 10 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who competes for Stoke City and the England national team as a goalkeeper. Butland started his football career with Birmingham City and made his Football debut in September 2011 while on loan to League Two club Cheltenham Town.

Butland, the first choice keeper at St Andrew's in 2012–13, was shifted to Stoke City, which is a Premier League club.

He was loaned back to Birmingham and went on to play in every league match from 2012 to 2013.

Butland spent time on loan at Barnsley before making his Premier League debut in January 2014.

Before becoming Stoke's number one in 2015-16, he had stints with Leeds United and Derby County in 2014 and beyond. He represented England at all age groups, as well as the Under-17 team that won the 2010 European championships and the under-20s at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

He was part of the England squad for UEFA Euro 2012 and was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Great Britain team at the Olympic tournament later this year.

When he made his debut in August 2012, he became the youngest goalkeeper to play for the senior England team.

Personal life

Butland's car, an Audi RS5, was robbed from his house in Walsall in January 2014. Butland pledged £5,000 to the Great Britain women's deaf football team in December 2015 to fund their trip to the 2015 Deaf World Cup.

Butland is engaged to Annabel Peyton; the couple's first child, a boy, was born in 2019.

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Club career

Butland was born in Southmead, Bristol, and he was raised in Clevedon, where he attended Yeo Moor Primary School and Clevedon Community School. Since playing for Clevedon United and the Bristol-based Jamie Shore Academy in 2007, he joined Birmingham City as a schoolboy and gained a two-year scholarship in the club's youth academy after leaving school in 2009. Butland, a student, was a keen rugby player. Butland made his reserve-team debut when he was 16 years old, and he signed his first professional deal, of two-and-a-half years, as soon as he turned 17 in March 2010. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Birmingham City's Young Player of the Year award was stifled in October 2010 due to a fractured hand requiring surgery. He had recovered well enough by the following month to be named in the Premier League as cover, in the case Ben Foster's injury or Colin Doyle's illness prevented either of them from participating in the game.

Butland made his England under-21 debut in September 2011 and joined Cheltenham Town on loan for a month to get first-team experience. On September 10, 2011, he made his Football League debut at home to Macclesfield Town, dislacing Scott Brown, who had earlier made 107 consecutive starts for the club. Butland had little to do when Cheltenham beat them 2–0, but there was nothing to do. Butland also went out on loan but it was set to come to an end in June 2015. Since returning from under-21 service in mid-October, the initial month was postponed by two months to begin. Butland was shortlisted for the November title of League Two Player of the Month, and he ended his loan term with seven clean sheets from his twelve appearances. Butland's head is screwed on, according to Cheltenham teammate Steve Elliot, who claims that he has "everything he needs to play at the highest level" and that some players lack the motivation needed to succeed.

Butland also signed Cheltenham on a youth loan until the end of the season in February 2012. He was drafted straight into the starting eleven and kept a clean sheet against AFC Wimbledon in order to help keep Cheltenham in the automatic promotion positions. Butland was called by his parent club after Birmingham's first-choice goalkeeper, Boaz Myhill, suffered a thumb. In the regular season, there were three games remaining. He conceded 26 goals from 24 League Two appearances and was regularly monitored by bigger clubs, and the Daily Telegraph announced that "no fewer than 52 scouts" had watched him at one match.

Butland was on the bench for the last few games of Birmingham's 2011–12 season, when the club advanced to the play-off semi-finals. Birmingham were reported to have turned down a £6 million bid for the player from Southampton, who was recently promoted to the Premier League, during the close season. Lee Clark, the company's CEO, made it clear that it would take a "wild" bid for him to be sold. Butland himself said he wanted regular first-team football for the coming season, and after Ben Foster's departure for West Bromwich Albion during the close season, he was named number 1 for 2012–13. In a 1–1 draw at home against Charlton Athletic, he played his first competitive match for Birmingham – three days after his full England debut – on the first day of the 2012–13 Football League season.

Following a possible sale of the club in December, the chairman declared that player sales would be needed in the transfer window to resolve Birmingham's financial difficulties. Butland told the club that he was not able to leave for a club where he would not be playing regular first-team football, and that he had declined the opportunity to speak with Chelsea regarding a potential transfer. Butland's determination to play football ahead of "profile and financial rewards" depicted the player's "unbelievable maturity," according to Lee Clark, who suggested that Birmingham had lost possibly "the best goalkeeper in Europe." Butland was voted Birmingham's Young Player of the Year in league matches from 2012 to 2013.

Butland agreed to a four-and-a-half year with Premier League club Stoke City on January 31, 2013. He returned to Birmingham City on loan for the remainder of the season as part of the contract. According to Stoke, the fee was an initial £3.3 million and it has since increased to £3.5 million. On his return to Stoke in 2013-2014, he found himself third choice behind Asmir Begovi and Thomas Srensen, and on a three-month emergency loan. Butland's sole other fit goalkeeper, an inexperienced 19-year-old, came straight into the starting eleven for their next match, a 2–1 loss at Leicester City in which Jamie Vardy had to forfeit a penalty but not a yellow card. Butland made 13 appearances for Barnsley before being recalled by Stoke on December 26, 2013 after Asmir Begovi suffered an accident. Butland made his Premier League debut for the Potters on January 1, 2014, replacing injured keeper Thomas Srensen at halftime against Everton; the match ended in a 1–1 draw. Butland got off to a 5-3 loss over Liverpool on January 12, 2014, his first league appearance in the league.

Butland joined Leeds United in the United Kingdom for the remainder of the 2013-14 season on February 20, 2014. Stoke manager Mark Hughes said that the move was important for Butland to gain more first-team experience, adding that "this opportunity to go to Leeds, where they have a large fanbase and high hopes, will be another good move for him." Paddy Kenny, Leeds' first-choice keeper, was forced to leave Leeds early in the first team after crashing in a 0–0 draw with Middlesbrough and was named man of the match. Butland had a tough time with Leeds, losing 28 goals in 16 appearances while the team finished in 15th place.

Butland moved to Derby County on a one-month loan on October 20, 2014. Before returning to Stoke, he appeared six times for the Rams. Butland came back to Asmir Begovich in the 2014-15 season, playing in League Cup and FA Cup matches, and his deal was extended until the summer of 2019. Butland played in three games against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley in May 2015, keeping clean sheets against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley.

Butland was given the number one shirt by Mark Hughes ahead of the 2015–16 season, following Begovia's auction. Butland played well in a 1-1 draw with Norwich City on August 22, 2015. Stoke beat Chelsea on a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw on October 27th, he saved him from Eden Hazard in the fourth round of the League Cup. Butland's four-day absence as Stoke drew 0–0 with Newcastle United as another man of the match display was widely praised. Butland's deal with the Potters was extended until the summer of 2021. He was on time when he sustained a fractured ankle while playing for England against Germany on March 26, putting him out for the remainder of the season. Butland made 35 appearances for Stoke in 2015-2016, earning him the club's Player of the Year award.

Butland recovered from injury in time for the 2016–17 pre-season. However, he missed the first two games of the season and underwent further surgery on his ankle in September 2016 and then again in December 2016, when Hughes announced that the player will miss the remainder of the season. A consultant in March 2017 was eventually allowed to return to training. On April 22, he returned from injury against Swansea City. Butland played in the final five matches of the 2016–17 season, retaining two clean sheets as Stoke finished in 13th position. Stoke were relegated to the Championship for 36 times in 2017-18. Butland appeared 36 times in 2017–18. Butland sluggishly criticized the club's transfer policy after relegatement, calling it "farcical."

Butland stayed with Stoke in the Championship from 2018 to 19. He played 45 times in the Championship, missing a league match just once, after his son's birth, and he kept 18 clean sheets, the third best in the Championship behind Dean Henderson and Darren Randolph. Supporters also voted him Player of the Season. Butland started the 2019-20 season in a bad shape, most notably against Preston North End on August 21. Adam Federici was recalled for the next two league matches, re-taking his position at the start of September. On September 27, 2019, he made another mistake against Nottingham Forest and did not play again under Nathan Jones. Michael O'Neill, the new manager, was reinstated, and he spent time with David Rouse, a new goalkeeper coach, who helped him regain some of his form. The season was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Butland was involved in a campaign to reach homeless supporters. The season began in the summer and Butland sustained a neck injury against Leeds on July 9th, forcing Adam Davies to take his place for the remainder of the season after Stoke finished 15th.

Butland completed his three-year deal with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on October 16, 2020, a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, according to BBC Sport.

International career

Butland made his international debut on October 3rd in 2008, despite a clean sheet as the England under-16 team defeated their Northern Ireland counterparts 6–0 in a Victory Shield match.

He climbed to the Under-17s in 2009 and the following year took over as first-choice goalkeeper during the final stages of the European under-17 championships, defeating Spain under-17s for the first time. His performances earned him his selection as one of two goalkeepers in the tournament's 22-man team. Butland was a member of the 2011 UEFA under-19 championships in the elite qualifying round, but the team was disqualified at 1–1 after having to face Spain under-19s in their last group match.

Butland kept clean sheets in all three group matches as England under-20s qualified for the last 16 when they were selected for the finals of the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the last 16, he conceded only once against the Nigerians, but it was enough to defeat an England team that had struggled to score in any of their four matches.

He made his England Under-21 debut on September 1st in the 2013 European qualifier against Azerbaijan under 21. Despite England's win by an apparent six-goal margin, Butland had to be cautious to keep his clean sheet intact. He retained his position in the next two qualifying matches, including victories over Iceland and Norway under the age 21. England lost all three of their group matches against Italy under-21, Norway, and Israel, with Butland as the first-choice goalkeeper for the European finals in Israel. The players were embarrassed at failing to do themselves justice, according to he.

Butland was selected in Stuart Pearce's 18-man Great Britain squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was only included after receiving special dispensation from the FA, who had decided that no players in England's Euro 2012 squad would be eligible for selection. "Only three outstanding late saves from Jack Butland prevented the scoreline from being more emphatic" as Great Britain lost 2–0 in a pre-Games friendly against Brazil on July 20th, according to the Telegraph.

Butland began all of Britain's group matches in the tournament and lost two goals, one in a 1–1 draw with Senegal and the other in a 3–1 victory over the UAE. He cleared the ball straight to the unidentified Sadio Mané against Senegal, but redeemed himself by rushing out to disarm the attacker, who fired wide. However, Britain lost 1–0 and placed third in the third group match against Uruguay, butland made two good saves from Luis Suárez to keep a clean sheet. South Korea's lead was stolen in the quarter-final after an attempted blow of Ji Dong-won's shot went through his hands. The game ended 1–1, with South Korea winning the penalty shootout 5–4.

Following Butland and others' use of Twitter to praise headphones provided to British customers as part of an ambush marketing effort, the British Olympic Association was compelled to remind its athletes of the rules surrounding corporate sponsorship other than Games sponsors.

Butland was called into the squad on May 25 after John Ruddy broke a finger in preparation after being named one of five standby players for England's UEFA Euro 2012 squad. He made no appearances but kept his position when Roy Hodgson named an experimental squad for the first friendly of the 2012–13 season against Italy in Bern on August. Butland was named in the starting eleven after Joe Hart suffered with a back injury; the previous England international goalkeeper was Billy Moon, who was 64 days older when he first played for England in 1888. Butland had to admitting to a Daniele De Rossi header from a corner, but Ruddy had to replace him at halftime. England beat the opposition 2–1.

On October 12, 2015, he was handed his second cap and his first international appearance, but he was still waiting for his second cap and his first international appearance in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, with England already confirmed of their participation in the tournament. In the 3–0 victory in Vilnius, he kept a clean sheet, ensuring that England's qualification campaign was largely made up of victories. He sustained a fractured ankle during a friendly away from Germany, effectively ending him out of the Euros.

He was selected in England's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup.

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