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'{{Infobox football biography | name = Grant Leadbitter | image = [[File:Grant Leadbitter.jpg|200px]] | caption = | fullname = Grant Leadbitter | height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}} | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1986|1|7}} | birth_place = [[Chester-le-Street]], [[England]] | currentclub = [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] | clubnumber = | position = [[Midfielder]] | youthyears1 = 2002–2003 | youthclubs1 = [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] | years1 = 2003–2009 | years2 = 2005 | years3 = 2009–2012 | years4 = 2012– | 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 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | 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 U21 national football team|England U21]] | nationalcaps1 = 10 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalcaps2 = 9 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | nationalcaps3 = 11 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | nationalcaps4 = 1 | nationalgoals4 = 0 | nationalcaps5 = 3 | nationalgoals5 = 0 | pcupdate = 18:19, 29 May 2012 (UTC) | ntupdate = 11:17, 25 October 2011 (UTC) }} '''Grant Leadbitter''' (born 7 January 1986 in [[Chester-le-Street]]) is an English professional footballer who plays as a [[midfielder]] for the [[Football League Championship]] club [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]. He 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]]. In 2007 Leadbitter received a call-up for [[England U21 national football team|England U21]], and featured for them three times. ==Club career== ===Youth career=== Leadbitter grew up in [[Fence Houses]] 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 ===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 clubs 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= 2008-06-27 |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 [[Football League Championship]] side [[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<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.safc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10281~1784455,00.html|title=Black Cats Pair Seal Switch|accessdate= 2009-09-01|publisher=Sunderland A.F.C.}}</ref> ===Middlesbrough=== After Leadbitter's contract expired in 2012 after three seasons with Ipswich, he signed another three year contract, this time with [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfc.co.uk/page/news/latest/0,,1~2791662,00.html|title=Grant Is First Summer Signing|accessdate= 2012-05-29|publisher=Middlesbrough F.C.}}</ref> best signing in the championship in the summer of 2012 ==International career== Leadbitter came on as a late substitute replacing [[Gabriel Agbonlahor]], in a 2–0 win in England Under 21's [[2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification]] group, against [[Bulgaria national under-21 football team]].<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. ==Honours== ;Sunderland *[[Football League Championship]] (II): 2007 ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{soccerbase|id=35635|name=Grant Leadbitter}} *[http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/34640/grant-leadbitter?cc=5739 ESPN Profile] {{England Squad 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship}} {{England U19 Squad Euro 2005}} {{Middlesbrough F.C. Squad}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Leadbitter, Grant | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = English footballer | DATE OF BIRTH = 7 January 1986 | PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Chester-le-Street]], [[England]] | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Leadbitter, Grant}} [[Category:1986 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Chester-le-Street]] [[Category:Association football midfielders]] [[Category:English footballers]] [[Category:England under-21 international footballers]] [[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:The Football League players]] [[Category:England youth international footballers]] [[de:Grant Leadbitter]] [[it:Grant Leadbitter]] [[ja:グラント・レッドビター]] [[zh:格兰特·利德比特]]'