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'{{Use British English|date=November 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Grant Leadbitter | image = Grant Leadbitter.jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = Leadbitter playing for [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] in 2010 | fullname = Grant Leadbitter<ref name="Hugman2010-11">{{cite book | editor-first = Barry J. | editor-last = Hugman | title = The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11 | year = 2010 | publisher = Mainstream Publishing | isbn = 978-1-84596-601-0 | page = 247 }}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|1|7|df=y}}<ref name="Hugman2010-11"/> | birth_place = [[Chester-le-Street]], England | height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}<ref name="Hugman2010-11"/> | position = [[Midfielder]] | currentclub = [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] | clubnumber = 7 | youthyears1 = 2002–2003 | youthclubs1 = [[Sunderland A.F.C. Reserves and Academy|Sunderland]] | years1 = 2003–2009 | years2 = 2005 | years3 = 2009–2012 | years4 = 2012–2018 | clubs1 = [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] | clubs2 = → [[Rotherham United F.C.|Rotherham United]] (loan) | clubs3 = [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] | clubs4 = [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] | caps1 = 111 | goals1 = 11 | caps2 = 5 | goals2 = 1 | caps3 = 116 | goals3 = 13 | caps4 = 210 | goals4 = 28 | nationalyears1 = 2001–2002 | nationalyears2 = 2002–2003 | nationalyears3 = 2004–2005 | nationalyears4 = 2005 | nationalyears5 = 2007–2008 | nationalteam1 = [[England national under-16 football team|England U16]] | nationalteam2 = [[England national under-17 football team|England U17]] | nationalteam3 = [[England national under-19 football team|England U19]] | nationalteam4 = [[England national under-20 football team|England U20]] | nationalteam5 = [[England national under-21 football team|England U21]] | nationalcaps1 = 10 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalcaps2 = 9 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | nationalcaps3 = 11 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | nationalcaps4 = 1 | nationalgoals4 = 0 | nationalcaps5 = 3 | nationalgoals5 = 0 | club-update = 17:00, 21 April 2018 (UTC) | nationalteam-update = }} '''Grant Leadbitter''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|d|ˌ|b|ɪ|t|ər}}; born 7 January 1986) is an English professional [[Association football|footballer]] who plays as a [[midfielder]] for [[EFL Championship|Championship]] club [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]. Leadbitter played for [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] from 2003 until 2009 after rising as a product from the team's [[Academy of Light|Youth Academy]] before signing for [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]]. In 2007 Leadbitter received a call-up for [[England national under-21 football team|England U21]], and featured for them three times. ==Early life== Leadbitter was born in [[Chester-le-Street]], [[County Durham]].<ref>{{Hugman|23785|accessdate=7 May 2018}}</ref> He grew up in [[Fencehouses]] as a [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] fan, and joined the Sunderland youth academy at the age of 16. He progressed through the ranks and represented England at the U19 level in 2002, scoring against Brazil to help England finish in the top four in the league tournament ==Club career== ===Sunderland=== Leadbitter's first professional appearance for Sunderland came as a substitute in a League Cup defeat against [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] in September 2003. Before obtaining a regular first-team place at the club, he was loaned to [[Rotherham United]] in September 2005, where he scored once against Swansea<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/4344676.stm |title=Rotherham 2–2 Swansea |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=22 October 2005 |accessdate=2 November 2009}}</ref> in five league games. After his loan stay in Hibernian, he began to be selected regularly by then manager [[Mick McCarthy]], and started in several Premier League games for the Black Cats in February 2006. After Sunderland's relegation in 2006, Leadbitter stalled on contract talks, with many predicting he was aiming to attract the attention of a Premier League club after his impressive displays during the previous season. However, a contract was subsequently agreed with the player claiming he only ever wanted to stay with Sunderland and, henceforth, Leadbitter played an important role in the Black Cats' revival under the management of [[Roy Keane]]. Leadbitter took part in every one of Sunderland's games in the 2006–07 season and contributed seven goals,<ref>[http://www.safc.com/team/?page_id=2623&player_id=71 SAFC.COM: / Team / Squad List & Profiles<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ranking as the club's third top scorer of that season. On Sunderland's return to the Premier League, Leadbitter continued to feature regularly with Keane, even making comparisons with [[Paul Scholes]] (he allegedly wears the number 18 shirt in honour of his hero Scholes). In June 2008 Leadbitter signed a new contract with Sunderland, keeping him at the club until 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/7478073.stm |title=Leadbitter signs new contract with Sunderland |accessdate= 27 June 2008 |publisher=www.bbc.co.uk | date=27 June 2008}}</ref> On 4 October 2008, Leadbitter scored a memorable goal against Arsenal after just coming off the bench. The 25-yard goal was celebrated in emotional style, as he ran over to his manager and had his head on the floor, nearly in tears. This emotional celebration was because his father, Brian Leadbitter, had died just weeks beforehand and his ashes had been buried right on that spot under the grass on Stadium of Light. "People close to me know why I went down on the floor like I did, I just want to leave it at that. The people who know me know why I kissed that area of the ground. My dad's ashes were buried there. I don't want to go on about it. It just means a lot to me and my family. It's exactly that spot and it was always my intention to do something like that when I scored my first goal here." Leadbitter said to the press after the match. ===Ipswich Town=== On 1 September 2009, Leadbitter transferred to [[EFL Championship|Championship]] club [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] for a fee of £2.6 million, along with team-mate [[Carlos Edwards]]. He scored his first goal against [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.safc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10281~1784455,00.html|title=Black Cats Pair Seal Switch|accessdate= 1 September 2009|publisher=Sunderland A.F.C.}}</ref> ===Middlesbrough=== On 29 May 2012, it was announced that Leadbitter had signed a three-year contract with [[EFL Championship|Championship]] club [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]], on a free transfer, following the expiry of his contract at [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfc.co.uk/page/news/latest/0,,1~2791662,00.html|title=Grant Is First Summer Signing|accessdate=29 May 2012|publisher=Middlesbrough F.C.|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531230750/http://www.mfc.co.uk/page/news/latest/0,,1~2791662,00.html|archivedate=31 May 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Leadbitter scored on his debut in a 7–3 pre-season friendly win against [[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]. He scored his first league goal on 30 November 2012 in a 2–3 away defeat against [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Ged |last=Scott |title=Birmingham 3–2 Middlesbrough |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20457906 |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=30 November 2012 |accessdate=1 December 2012}}</ref> Leadbitter scored twice as Boro lost 3–2 away to Wolverhampton Wanderers in March 2013. After a string of consistent performances throughout the 2012–13 season, Leadbitter was awarded Middlesbrough's player of the season in his first season at the club. Leadbitter scored his fourth goal for Middlesbrough on 25 August 2013 at Wigan. On 21 September 2013, he scored Boro's final goal in a 3–3 draw at home to Bournemouth. On 19 December 2014 Leadbitter agreed a 3-year contract extension with the club. Leadbitter's commanding performances and selection of spectacular goals lead to him being named in the Championship [[PFA Team of the Year]].<ref name=PFATOTY1415>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32473770 |title=PFA Championship Team of the Year: Deeney only Watford player |publisher=BBC Sport |date=26 April 2015 |accessdate=7 May 2018}}</ref> On 7 May 2016, Leadbitter won promotion to the Premier League with [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] after a 1–1 draw at home against [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]].<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2016/may/07/middlesbrough-v-brighton-championship-promotion-decider-live-boro-albion</ref> ==International career== Leadbitter came on as a late substitute replacing [[Gabby Agbonlahor]], in a 2–0 win in England Under 21's [[2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification]] group, against [[Bulgaria national under-21 football team|Bulgaria]].<ref>[http://www.thefa.com/England/U21s/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2007/11/EngU21svbulg_Pearce.htm Match report]</ref> He featured again for England U21 on 25 March 2008 and made his final appearance in a 0–0 draw against Poland U21, not being picked after that and turning 23 soon after. ==Career statistics== {{updated|7 July 2017}} {| class=wikitable style="text-align: center" |+ Club statistics |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|[[FA Cup]] !colspan="2"|[[EFL Cup|League Cup]] !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="8"|[[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] |[[2003–04 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2003–04]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2003/2004">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2003|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |[[Football League First Division|First Division]] |0||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||1||0 |- |[[2004–05 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2004–05]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2004/2005">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2004|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |[[EFL Championship|Championship]] |0||0||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||1||0 |- |[[2005–06 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2005–06]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2005/2006">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2005|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |[[Premier League]] |12||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||12||0 |- |[[2006–07 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2006–07]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2006/2007">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2006|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Championship |44||7||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||46||7 |- |[[2007–08 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2007–08]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2007/2008">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2007|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Premier League |31||2||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||33||2 |- |[[2008–09 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2008–09]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2008/2009">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2008|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Premier League |23||2||2||0||3||0||colspan="2"|—||28||2 |- |[[2009–10 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2009–10]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2009/2010">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2009|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Premier League |1||0||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||2||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !111!!11!!4!!0!!8!!0!!0!!0!!123!!11 |- |rowspan="1"|[[Rotherham United F.C.|Rotherham United]] (loan) |[[2005–06 Football League#Football League One|2005–06]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2005/2006"/> |[[EFL League One|League One]] |5||1||1||0||0||0||1<ref group=lower-alpha name=FLT>Appearance(s) in [[EFL Trophy|Football League Trophy]]</ref>||0||7||1 |- |rowspan="4"|[[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] |[[2009–10 Ipswich Town F.C. season|2009–10]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2009/2010"/> |Championship |38||3||2||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||40||3 |- |[[2010–11 Ipswich Town F.C. season|2010–11]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2010/2011">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2010|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Championship |44||5||0||0||6||1||colspan="2"|—||50||6 |- |[[2011–12 Ipswich Town F.C. season|2011–12]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2011/2012">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2011|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Championship |34||5||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||36||5 |- !colspan="2"|Total !116!!13!!3!!0!!7!!1!!colspan="2"|—!!126!!14 |- |rowspan="6"|[[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] |[[2012–13 Middlesbrough F.C. season|2012–13]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2012/2013">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2012|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Championship |42||3||2||0||3||1||colspan="2"|—||47||4 |- |[[2013–14 Middlesbrough F.C. season|2013–14]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2013/2014">{{Soccerbase season|35635|2013|name=Grant Leadbitter|access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref> |Championship |39||6||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||41||6 |- |[[2014–15 Middlesbrough F.C. season|2014–15]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2014/2015">{{Cite web | title = Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2014/2015 | url =http://www.mfc.co.uk/team/player-profile/grant-leadbitter/7 | publisher = Suganonymous | accessdate = 24 September 2013}}</ref> |Championship |46||12||3||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||51||12 |- |[[2015–16 Middlesbrough F.C. season|2015–16]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2015/2016">{{Cite web | title = Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2015/2016 | url =http://www.mfc.co.uk/team/player-profile/grant-leadbitter/7 | publisher = Suganonymous | accessdate = 24 September 2013}}</ref> |Championship |41||4||0||0||5||0||colspan="2"|—||46||4 |- |[[2016–17 Middlesbrough F.C. season|2016–17]]<ref name="Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2016/2017">{{Cite web | title = Games played by Grant Leadbitter in 2016/2017 | url =http://www.mfc.co.uk/team/player-profile/grant-leadbitter/7 | publisher = Suganonymous | accessdate = 7 July 2017}}</ref> |Premier League |13||1||4||2||0||0||colspan="2"|—||17||3 |- !colspan="2"|Total !181!!26!!10!!2!!11!!1!!colspan="2"|—!!202!!29 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !413||51||18||2||26||2||1||0||458||55 |} {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}} ==Honours== '''Sunderland''' *[[EFL Championship|Football League Championship]]: [[2006–07 Football League Championship|2006–07]] '''Middlesbrough''' *Football League Championship runner-up: [[2015–16 Football League Championship|2015–16]] '''Individual''' *[[PFA Team of the Year]]: [[PFA Team of the Year (2010s)#Championship 6|2014–15 Championship]]<ref name=PFATOTY1415/> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commons category|Grant Leadbitter}} *{{Soccerbase}} *{{ESPN FC|34640/grant-leadbitter}} {{Navboxes |title=Awards |bg=gold |fg=navy |list1= {{2014–15 Football League Championship PFA Team of the Year}} {{Middlesbrough F.C. Player of the Year}} }} {{Middlesbrough F.C. squad}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Leadbitter, Grant}} [[Category:1986 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Chester-le-Street]] [[Category:Footballers from Tyne and Wear]] [[Category:English footballers]] [[Category:England youth international footballers]] [[Category:England under-21 international footballers]] [[Category:Association football midfielders]] [[Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players]] [[Category:Rotherham United F.C. players]] [[Category:Ipswich Town F.C. players]] [[Category:Middlesbrough F.C. players]] [[Category:Premier League players]] [[Category:English Football League players]]'