Jonathan Walters
Jonathan Ronald Walters (born 20 September 1983) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently sporting director of Stoke City.
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Walters playing for the Republic of Ireland in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathan Ronald Walters | ||
| Date of birth | 20 September 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Moreton, Merseyside, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Stoke City (sporting director) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Shaftesbury | |||
| 1998–2000 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | Blackburn Rovers | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Bolton Wanderers | 4 | (0) |
| 2003 | → Hull City (loan) | 11 | (5) |
| 2003 | → Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | → Barnsley (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Hull City | 37 | (2) |
| 2005 | → Scunthorpe United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Wrexham | 38 | (5) |
| 2006–2007 | Chester City | 26 | (9) |
| 2007–2010 | Ipswich Town | 136 | (30) |
| 2010–2017 | Stoke City | 226 | (43) |
| 2017–2019 | Burnley | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Ipswich Town (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 495 | (94) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 1 | (2) |
| 2007 | Republic of Ireland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2018 | Republic of Ireland | 54 | (14) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Walters started his senior career at Blackburn Rovers but failed to break into the first team and joined Bolton Wanderers. He then went out on loan to Hull City, Crewe Alexandra and Barnsley before joining Hull permanently. He then went on to play for Wrexham and Chester City before finally finding regular football at Championship side Ipswich Town. Walters spent three years at Portman Road before joining Stoke City for £2.75 million in August 2010. He scored twice in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final against Bolton Wanderers to bring the final score to 5-0, with Stoke reaching the 2011 FA Cup Final. Walters played 54 matches during the 2011–12 season and then played in UEFA Euro 2012 with the Republic of Ireland. Walters remained a regular at Stoke under managers Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes, scoring 62 goals in 271 appearances, before joining Burnley in July 2017.
Walters scored five times for the Republic of Ireland in 2015 during their successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, and was acknowledged with that year's FAI Senior International Player of the Year award.