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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael James Stewart | ||
| Date of birth | 26 February 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rangers | |||
| –1999 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2005 | Manchester United | 8 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | → Royal Antwerp (loan) | ||
| 2003–2004 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | → Heart of Midlothian (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Hibernian | 54 | (2) |
| 2007– | Heart of Midlothian | 64 | (7) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002– | Scotland | 4 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:59, 22 August 2009 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Michael James Stewart (born 26 February 1981) is a Scottish association football player who currently plays for and captains Heart of Midlothian. He is notable for having played for Hearts' Edinburgh rivals Hibs between his two spells with Hearts. Stewart has also been capped for the Scotland national football team.
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Career
As a highly-rated young player, Stewart trained twice a week with Rangers while still at Craigmount High School.[citation needed] Manchester United signed Stewart as a professional in 1998. He made his senior debut for the club on 31 October 2000 against Watford. His initial promise saw him rewarded with further opportunities, notably in a UEFA Champions League "dead-rubber" against Deportivo La Coruna. He struggled to maintain that standard, however, and spent a disappointing loan spell at Nottingham Forest. He is known for playing with a high-tempo style and can often find himself in trouble, regularly being booked and sent off.
In the summer of 2004, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson intimated that Stewart had no future at the club and he was free to leave. Rangers initially showed interest, but after a two week trial, he was sent back to Manchester.[1] Stewart's lucrative contract with United was seen as a stumbling block to a transfer.[1] A loan deal was reached with Stewart's boyhood favourites Hearts, with Stewart himself taking a substantial wage drop to facilitate the deal.[2] Stewart failed to match expectations and at the end of a season disrupted by injury, Hearts allowed him to leave.[2]
Desperate for continuity and regular football, Stewart expressed his wish to stay in Edinburgh. He therefore signed for Hearts' rivals Hibernian after negotiating the end of his Manchester United contract. After two seasons with Hibs, the club announced in April 2007 that his contract would not be extended and he was free to leave the club.[3] He left Easter Road after the media reported that there was unrest amongst the Hibs squad.[4]
Stewart spent a week training with Roy Keane's Sunderland, but he did not earn a contract. On 30 June 2007, Hearts introduced Stewart as a new signing,[4] making him the only player since the Second World War to sign for Hearts, then Hibs and then return to Hearts. Stewart scored his first SPL goal for Hearts against Aberdeen on 12 August 2007. He also scored a penalty for Hearts in a 4–2 win over Rangers in September 2007.
Stewart was appointed Hearts club captain by manager Csaba Laszlo before the start of the 2009–10 season, following the departure of the previous captain, Robbie Neilson, to English side Leicester City. He was sent off, for two bookable offences, 52 minutes into his first competitive game as captain in a 2-0 loss to Dundee United at Tannadice.[5]
International career
Stewart won three caps for Scotland while he was a youth player at Manchester United. He won a recall after an absence of six years for the friendly match against Northern Ireland in August 2008.[6]
References
- ^ a b Rangers send Stewart back to Manchester, Daily Telegraph, 19 July 2004.
- ^ a b Hearts allowing Stewart to leave, BBC Sport, 11 June 2005.
- ^ "Stewart told Hibs days are over". BBC Sport. 19 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hibernian/6571523.stm.
- ^ a b "Hearts call tempts Stewart back". BBC Sport. 30 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/6256560.stm.
- ^ Dundee United 2-0 Hearts BBC Sport 17 August 2009.
- ^ Five withdraw from Scotland squad, BBC Sport, 18 August 2008.
External links
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