Tom Cairney

At 33 years old, Tom Cairney has this physical status:

Thomas Cairney (born 20 January 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Championship club Fulham and the Scotland national team.

Cairney has previously played for Hull City and Blackburn Rovers.

Born in England, he made his full international debut for Scotland in March 2017.

Cairney had previously represented Scotland at under-19 and under-21 levels.

Early life

Cairney was born and raised in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, to a Scottish father, who worked as a miner and then as a taxi driver. He also revealed that his father would take him to Scotland and watch Celtic as a youngster. When he was about 15 or 16, he worked for Barclays Bank for work experience. He described this as the "worst two weeks of [his] life!" and had to work 9–5 in a bank and wear suit and tie for two weeks.

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Club career

After being told he was too small, Cairney was released from the Leeds United youth system at the age of 16. He had been with the club since the age of seven. "I'm sorry, it crushed me a lot," the Leeds United manager said, "I'm counting them on them." I was with Leeds from 7 to 16, so it was a huge part of my life." I was going to school three days a week, missing days of school, and obviously, my mom and dad also contributed a lot to it. So, when you were released at 16, it felt like, 'oh no, after all the effort.' But I was determined that I would not stop there. I went to Hull and they gave me a YTS because they obviously saw something. I shot up in height from 16 to 18, but then it returned to my footballing skills. If you wrote it down, you wouldn't believe it. From being released at 16 to making my Premier League debut, you won't believe it. As he believed in me, I owe a lot to (then Hull boss) Phil Brown. When they saw me playing in the Premier League, I think the academy staff at Leeds must have been a bit shocked. I'm not sure what happened to them, but I suspect they may have been told off!"

When Hull City signed Cairney to a youth deal in 2007, they gave him a shot. For the 2008–09 season, Cairney was named Hull's Young Player of the Year. He joined the club in June 2009 and was granted a two-year deal for doing so.

In the final of the pre-season Premier League Asia Trophy in Beijing on July 31, 2009, he competed for Hull against Tottenham Hotspur. As Hull defeated 3-1, his first-team debut came against Southend United in the League Cup on August 25, 2009. He opened the scoring with a curling long-range kick. In a 2–2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 30, he made his Premier League debut on January 30, 2010. In a 5–1 loss to Everton on March 7, 2010, Cairney scored his first league goal for the Hull, an impressive volley from outside the region. On March 31, 2010, Cairney agreed to a new three-year deal with the club. He made the most appearances and scoring for the team once more after being given his first team opportunity later this season.

Cairney made his debut in the 2010–11 season after Hull's relegation. Hull defeated Norwich City 1-0 for their first away victory in 30 games thanks to a curling free kick. He signed a deal extension with the club in January 2011, and will keep him until 2013. Despite being injured, Cairney made a total of 23 appearances during the 2010-2011 season.

In a 3–2 victory over Watford on October 22, 2011, Cairney continued to play in the first squad and then set up a double assist. In a 3–1 victory over Ipswich Town in the third round of the FA Cup, he then scored his first goal of the season on January 7, 2012. Despite undergoing a foot injury, Cairney made 29 appearances for Hull in the 2011-12 season.

Cairney was instrumental in a 3–2 loss to Doncaster Rovers in the second round of the League Cup on August 28, 2012, when he set up two Hull City goals in the match. Nonetheless, he sustained a serious knee injury during the match after a reckless tackle by Doncaster's James Husband in a League Cup tie. The challenge was later described as a "horror tackle," Steve Bruce later described it as a "horror tackle." Cairney recovered from injury on December 8, 2012, playing on the bench for Hull's away win over Watford. Cairney made his return to Huddersfield this week as a 63rd-minute replacement for teammate Corry Evans. He set up a goal against Leyton Orient in the third round of the FA Cup on January 5th, leading to a 1–1 draw. In a 2–1 win over a 3–1 victory, he scored a winning goal, moving them to the next round. Although Cairney made fewer appearances and scored once for the team during the remainder of the season, he stayed on the bench for the remainder of the season.

Cairney joined Blackburn Rovers on loan until January 1st.

As a 77th-minute replacement for Alex Marrow, he made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Derby County. Cairney made his complete debut for the club against Carlisle United on Tuesday, scoring one goal and providing one assist before being suspended for the first time in his career after two bookable offences. In a 5–2 win over Barnsley on August 24, Cairney equalized for Blackburn in his first Championship appearance for the club. Cairney made his mark early on his first team after joining Blackburn Rovers, and by that time, he's been an integral contributor. In a 2–1 victory over Leeds United on January 1, he scored two goals in a 2–1 victory. After a fruitful first half of the season on loan, his transfer to Blackburn was made permanent on January 2nd, 2014. "I'm really excited to sign permanently," Cairney said when I first came on loan in August. Cairney's second season with Blackburn Rovers came after completing the permanent contract, with two of them appearing against Barnsley on January 28, 2014. He was named as the best performer for January by Lancashire Telegraph, the local newspaper. In a 3-3 draw, however, he returned from ankle surgery against Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as assisting a goal. Despite recovering from another injury, Cairney returned to the first team, scoring two more goals against Charlton Athletic and Wigan Athletic. When fans voted him Player of the Year 2013-2014, Cairney catered to his good season. Cairney scored 6 times in total of 40 appearances during the 2013-2014 season.

Cairney started the season off right by scoring two goals against Cardiff City and Norwich City in the first month of the season (he also won the club's Goal of the Season). He stayed on his position as a central midfielder for the team, and was selected for Player of the Month in August, but lost out to Charlton's Igor Vetokele. However, Cairney was sent–off for a second bookable in a 2–1 victory over Leeds United on November 22, 2014. He suffered an ankle injury shortly after serving his suspension. In a 2–1 loss against Bolton Wanderers on December 26, 2014, he returned from his first team, where he played 69 minutes in a 2–1 loss. Following his return to the first team, Cairney regained his position for the remainder of the season, but he failed to score goals as he acknowledged that his second season with the club had been difficult. He scored his third goal of the season on April 4th, defeating Leeds United in a 3–3 draw, bringing an 8 months goal without scoring. Despite being sidelined on three occasions during the 2014–15 season, Cairney made 3 times in total 42 appearances this season. He was one of the club's most popular fans during his time with Blackburn Rovers.

Cairney agreed to Fulham's undisclosed fee on June 26, 2015, concluding a four-year deal. According to reports, the move for Cairney cost £3 million. Cairney was given the number 10 shirt for the new season, succeeding Bryan Ruiz, who left the team in the summer transfer window.

In a 1–1 draw against Cardiff City, Cairney made his Fulham debut, where he started and watched the entire game. In a follow-up match against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 15, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 loss to Hull City four days later on August 19. Despite the loss, he was named Man of the Match by the club. He earned his Goal of the Month for August after his win over Brighton and Hove Albion. In a 3–2 loss to Sheffield Wednesday on September 19, he scored again on September 19, 2015. However, Cairney was sent-off for "a two-foot tackle" on Adam Le Fondre in the 35th minute in a 3–0 loss. After serving a three-match suspension, he regained his first team position since returning and spent the majority of the season in the right-hand side of midfield. In a 3–1 victory over rivals, Queens Park Rangers, Cairney ended his four-month goal drought when he scored and set up a goal. He was dubbed Man of the Match after the match. After scoring three more goals, including a brace over a 3–0 win over Charlton Athletic on February 20, 2016, he was named Monthly Player of the Month in February. With a 1–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the last game of the season, Cairney scored the only goal in the game. Despite being sidelined on two occasions later in the season, Cairney scored 8 times in a total of 42 appearances in all competitions. In his first season with the club, he came in second place for the club's Player of the Season, behind Ross McCormack. He became a Fulham fan chanting "Ain't nobody like Tom Cairney."

Cairney was given an armband to replace Scott Parker against Newcastle United in the first game of the season, but the team didn't get off, and Matt Smith scored a goal in a 1–0 victory. In the first month of the league season against Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers, he scored two goals. Both of these matches resulted in him being named Man of the Match. In addition,, he was nominated for both August's Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month and August's Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month. Despite recovering from an injury that made him miss just one match in mid-October, Cairney captained the team for the majority of the season. His Fulham debut attracted attention from Premier League sides Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United, who all scored three more goals by the end of the year. However, the club made it clear that Cairney was not for sale. He continued to play for Nottingham Forest and Bristol City throughout February, earning him the month's Player of the Month award for February. Cairney scored the first goal from distance in a 3–1 victory over Newcastle United after scoring against Leeds United for the second time this season, scoring against them for the second time this season. Cairney had three goals in two games against Huddersfield Town and Brentford by May, with two of them scoring two goals. In the first leg of the promotion play-offs, Cairney scored 13 times in 51 appearances in all competitions, but Fulham lost 1–0 in the next leg, securing the Premier League's next season. Cairney was named the Club's Player of the Year at the 2017 London Football Awards, as the year's Outstanding Player of the Year, and was included in the EFL Championship PFA Team of the Year alongside Ryan Sessegnon.

Cairney signed a one-year contract extension with the club ahead of the 2017-18 season, effectively ending him until 2021. He was voted the new captain of the new season, succeeding Scott Parker. Cairney sustained an injury in the season opener, a 1–1 draw against Norwich City, so the friendly match against Reading was against Reading will be held against them. It was not the first time he had an accident, but it wasn't the first time he had an accident during a pre-season friendly. In a 1–0 loss against Sheffield on Wednesday in August 19, Cairney returned to the first team after missing two games. Fulham turned down bids from West Ham United for Cairney in January 2018.

He was nominated for the EFL Championship Player of the Season award in April 2018. He scored his only goal against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium in the 2018 Championship play-off Final to advance Fulham to the Premier League on May 26th.

Cairney's new long-term deal with Fulham was signed in May 2019. He has scored 28 goals in 160 appearances during his four-year tenure with the club.

Cairney sustained his knee injury in the 2020 season's pre-season. He recovered from an injury to allow him to play ten games up to 19 December. He was out for a number of months with his season, which culminated in his premature death in March.

Since recovering from an injury, Cairney was primarily used as a substitute, but he retained his position as Club Captain. Carney played off the bench against Arsenal on August 27th for his 250th appearance for Fulham, marking Tim Ream from the old team's debut on August 27th.

International career

Through his Scottish father, Cairney can play for Scotland. He continued to be able to play for England, and Hull City captain George Boateng described Cairney as a "significant complement to England's national team." Nonetheless, he said that his loyalty to Scotland persists, even though England approached him.

In September 2009, Cairney was called up by Scotland's national under-19 squad for the first time. In a 3–1 loss to Iceland U19 on September 9, he made his Scotland U19 debut, where he started and played for 50 minutes before being forced to leave. Cairney played two times for Scotland's U19 team.

For the first time since being on the 11th of August 2010, Cairney was called up by Scotland's under-21 team for the first time. In a 3–1 win over Norway on August 10, Cairney scored his first Scotland U21 goal. Between August 2010 and February 2012, he made six appearances for the Scotland under 21s.

In March 2017, Cairney received his first call up from Scotland's national team. Cairney said he wanted to establish himself in the Scotland national team following his first call up from the senior team. In a friendly draw with Canada, he made his complete international debut in a 1–1 draw. In another friendly, this time against Costa Rica, his second cap came in 2018.

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