A lively left-winger with good crossing ability, Stewart Downing has been an England player since February 2005, but after seven years and over 30 appearances he is still waiting to score his first international goal. He made his name at Middlesbrough FC before moving on to Aston Villa FC and, two years later, to Liverpool FC.

• Joined home-town club Middlesbrough as a schoolboy and worked his way up through the academy, making his first-team debut in April 2002 against Ipswich Town FC, aged 17.

• Made several Premier League appearances, most of them from the bench, in 2003/04 after a loan spell at Sunderland AFC, but was an unused substitute when Boro beat Bolton Wanderers FC 2-1 in the League Cup final.

• Came to the fore the following season, scoring five goals in 35 Premier League games and another in the club's run to the fourth round of the UEFA Cup, producing a particularly eye-catching display against S.S. Lazio that heralded a first cap for England – against the Netherlands at Villa Park on 9 February 2005.

• Missed much of the following campaign through injury but returned to help Boro reach the UEFA Cup final and earn selection for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he made three substitute appearances; also featured prominently for England in UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying under his ex-Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren.

• Joined Villa in 2009 and started all 38 Premier League games for the club in 2010/11, scoring seven goals; returned to national team duty for the last three UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers in autumn 2011 after joining Liverpool, with whom he won the League Cup the following February.

UEFA honours
UEFA Cup: runner-up 2006