Nicky Butt

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Nicky Butt
Nicky Butt westham.jpg
Nicky Butt in the Newcastle United shirt
Personnel
Surname Nicholas Butt
birthday January 21, 1975
place of birth Manchester ,  England
size 178 cm
position midfield
Juniors
Years station
1991-1992 Manchester United
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1992-2004 Manchester United 270 (21)
2004-2010 Newcastle United 134 0(5)
2005-2006 →  Birmingham City  (loan) 24 0(3)
2010-2011 South China 3 0(1)
National team
Years selection Games (goals)
1989-1990 England pupil 5 0(0)
1994-1996 England U-21 7 0(0)
1997-2004 England 39 0(0)
1 Only league games are given.

Nicholas "Nicky" Butt (born January 21, 1975 in Manchester ) is a former English football player . The 39-time England international was mostly used in central defensive midfield and between 1992 and 2004 spent twelve professional years at Manchester United . Parts of his trophy collection are six English championships ( 1996 , 1997 , 1999 , 2000 , 2001 , 2003 ), three FA Cup editions (1996, 1999, 2004) and the 1999 Champions League title . He took part in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea with great success and less fortune due to injury at the Euro 2004 in Portugal . Between 2004 and 2010 he spent the last few years in English professional football for Newcastle United , with the exception of a year on loan in Birmingham .

Career

Manchester United (1991-2004)

Butt was part of the youth department of Manchester United and won under youth coach Eric Harrison in 1992 on the side of later national team colleagues such as Gary Neville and David Beckham and the Welsh Robbie Savage and Ryan Giggs against Crystal Palace, the youth edition of the FA Cup . He gained his first professional experience on November 21, 1992, when head coach Alex Ferguson substituted for Paul Ince during the 3-0 win against Oldham Athletic . However, it remained his only use during the 1992/93 season and during the following season 1993/94 he got another chance in just one league game. The first sporting highlight was his participation in the FA Cup semi-finals in April 1994, which again ended with a 1-1 draw against Oldham Athletic.

During the 1994/95 season Butt came regularly to the central midfield position and although "United" did not win a title, the newcomer had attracted attention, especially in the Champions League, with six appearances. When Ince finally left the club in 1995, it was not least thanks to Butt that the sporting gap at Roy Keane's side was promptly closed. Although he did not have a comparable goal risk, with his mature playing system he was soon one of the most influential players in the Premier League, at the end of the season he won the double of the English championship and the FA Cup . He scored two particularly important goals in the league game against Liverpool and in the Cup against AFC Sunderland (2-2 each).

After a spectacular 4-0 win on August 11, 1996 in the Charity Shield game - the English equivalent of the Supercup - against Newcastle United , in which Butt had scored the 2-0 goal, he defended in the 1996 / 97 the Premier League title . The midfielder, who has meanwhile been promoted to English U-21 captain, had to contend with injuries in the meantime, but he played in 26 league games and scored five goals - it should remain the best result of his entire career in English football. Although coach Ferguson from then on pulled Paul Scholes, who was initially placed in attack, back into midfield and thus gave Butt additional competition, little changed in his status. However, this was also due to Keanes serious injury in September 1997 and Butt came in a season 1997/98, which ended disappointingly without a title, in the mostly defensive midfield on a total of 33 league appearances. In the 1998/99 season he then lost his more or less fixed place in United midfield. Suspensions that were imposed on him within five days against FC Barcelona and Arsenal due to two red cards were also of little help . Depending on the tactical direction, he had to find his place next to Roy Keane or Paul Scholes and found himself on the bench more often. Nevertheless, the season was a great success for him too. Although he had no part in the FA Cup final success against Newcastle United (2-0), he won another English championship title and since both Keane and Scholes were suspended in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich , Ferguson put in Midfield center on the duo Butt-Beckham and was successful with this measure - his team conquered the " triple " with a 2-1 victory .

Also in the 1999/2000 season, in which he fought with Scholes for the place at Keane's side and represented the Irish in September 1999, he was sent off in a 5-0 win against Chelsea . This led to a suspension of three parts, which Butt used to have an operation on the groin. After his comeback in November 1999, he met at the overall disappointing Club World Cup 2000 against Vasco da Gama (1: 3) and won another English championship at the end of the season . Although he had again failed to ensure the highlights of the game and "earned " another red card against Watford FC , coach Ferguson continued to appreciate Butt's reliability. After the fifth Premier League title in 2001 and a subsequently untitled 2001/02 season, Butt's prospects worsened. This was due to a three-month break that Butt had to insert after an injury from an international match against Macedonia in October 2002, increasing competition in his position - here, Phil Neville was particularly noticeable. Nevertheless, he won his sixth Premier League title in the 2002/03 season and the FA Cup the following year . The cup final against Millwall (3-0) was Butts last competitive game for Manchester United and was limited to a substitution in the 84th minute for the Scot Darren Fletcher . After speculation about a move to Middlesbrough FC or Tottenham Hotspur had increased in December 2003 , Butt moved to Newcastle United , managed by Bobby Robson , in the summer of 2004 for £ 2.5 million and signed a four-year contract there. Butt himself had previously asked for a move in January 2004, but also rejected an immediate offer from Birmingham City .

Newcastle United (2004-2010)

Butt, who should primarily replace Gary Speed in the "Magpies" , was not spared from injuries and in January 2005 Newcastle signed another replacement for Butts position with the Senegalese international Amdy Faye . When the club management then after the end of the 2004/05 season with Scott Parker and Emre Belözoğlu bought other players in midfield, Butt was loaned to Birmingham City for the entire 2005/06 season. When first division competitor, who was trained by former United teammate Steve Bruce , Butt came to 24 league appearances in a season that ended with relegation to the second division. He returned to Newcastle and although AFC Sunderland , another club with a former Manchester colleague as coach ( Roy Keane ) showed interest, he took another attempt at Newcastle United, which was now looked after by Glenn Roeder .

During the 2006/07 season Butt found his place in the central defensive midfield, while players like Parker and Emre were more offensively oriented. The progressive sporting development was also visibly expressed externally when he took the injured Parker as captain in a UEFA Cup match against SV Zulte Waregem in February 2007 . When Parker finally migrated to West Ham United , Butts solidified his status as a key player in midfield and in December 2007 the latter extended his contract until the end of the 2008-09 season. Since Michael Owen often had to struggle with injuries, Butt continued to take on additional responsibilities as team captain. Despite the increased status, he rose from the top English division at the end of the 2008/09 season.

The 2009/10 season in the second-rate Football League Championship was Butts first year below the Premier League and after Michael Owen's departure to Manchester United, he took over the captaincy permanently. The fact that he rarely did this was due to the fact that he only played 17 league games - he was in the starting line-up ten times - and the formally strong Alan Smith challenged him for his status as a leading player. In the end, however, Butt recorded one last sporting success with the return to the English elite class, before he announced his retirement from English professional football in April 2010.

South China (since 2010)

At the end of November 2010, Butt signed a contract with a short term of three months in Hong Kong with the club South China active in the First Division League . Then he ended his career.

English national team

Butt, who at the beginning of his career had accrued seven times for the English U-21 selection and had led them for the first time as captain in November 1996, completed his first A international match against Mexico on March 29, 1997 . The first appearance from the start followed about a year later, when he lost 2-0 to Chile on February 11, 1998 as part of his fifth appearance in England at home at Wembley Stadium . Although he played steadily in the team, a hip injury ensured that coach Glenn Hoddle did not include him in the English squad for the 1998 World Cup in France . After the tournament itself, Butt only played sporadically and Hoddle's successor Kevin Keegan renounced his nomination for the 2000 European Championships in Belgium and the Netherlands - Butt had only made two international matches between the two finals.

Only after the arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson did Butt see a lasting positive development with the "Three Lions". In the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea he was only a substitute player - until February 2002 he was in the starting line-up in only three of his seven appearances under Eriksson's leadership - but after his first nomination for a major final tournament he developed after an injury from Steven Gerrard to the "secret star" in the English team; Pelé ennobled him as the best player in the 2002 World Cup. After this high point, Butt initially remained a regular player, but was seriously injured in October 2002 and moved into the second ranks after his comeback in 2003. Eriksson reassigned him to the squad for the 2004 European Championship in Portugal , but he never got a chance there. His 39th international match against Spain on November 17, 2004 (0: 1) was the last of Butts professional career - he hadn't been able to score his own goal in more than 7½ years.

successes

Web links

Commons : Nicky Butt  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gavin Willacy / English Schools Football Association: England Schoolboys, International Players records 1907-99 . Redwood Books Ltd., Trowbridge 1999, p. 48 .
  2. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1996-97 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1996, ISBN 1-85291-571-4 , pp. 45 .
  3. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1997-98 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1997, ISBN 1-85291-581-1 , pp. 47 .
  4. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1998-99 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1998, ISBN 1-85291-588-9 , pp. 52 .
  5. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1999-2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1999, ISBN 1-85291-607-9 , pp. 52 .
  6. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2000-2001 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2000, ISBN 1-85291-626-5 , pp. 55 .
  7. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2003, ISBN 1-85291-651-6 , pp. 71 .
  8. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2004/2005 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2004, ISBN 1-85291-660-5 , pp. 65 .
  9. ^ "Butt seals Magpies move" (Sky Sports)
  10. ^ "Butt to stay put after Blues snub" (Sky Sports)
  11. ^ "Blues sign Butt" (Sky Sports)
  12. ^ "Butt happy to lead" (Sky Sports)
  13. ^ "Butt commits to Magpies" (Sky Sports)
  14. ^ "Newcastle captain Nicky Butt could finish his career on a high" (Daily Mail)
  15. ^ "Nicky Butt prepares to make his debut in Asia for South China FC" (Daily Mail)
personal data
SURNAME Butt, Nicky
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Butt, Nicholas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Manchester