Richard Dunne Bio Send To Friend  

Dunne was one of the casualties of Manchester City's summer of big in 2009, and after ironing out a financial disagreement he finally left the club bound for Aston Villa as the transfer window slammed shut.

Dunne is a big, powerful and deceptively pacy centre-half who was a worthy captain for Manchester City.

Once a controversial figure who was on the verge of being dumped by the club, Dunne overcame hi stroubles to become a vital member of the team.

Dunne began his career at Everton, making his debut in a 3-0 FA Cup success over Swindon Town in January 1997.

He helped the Republic of Ireland to a shock European Youth Championship success during the summer of 1998.

The defender claimed his first-team place in an unfamiliar right-wing back role at Everton in 1998-99 before Walter Smith gave him his head in the centre and Dunne became a regular in Smith's back three the following term.

But he hit big disciplinary problems following an incident after a Millennium party and never got back on the same terms with the boss at Goodison Park. He left the Toffees in October 2000, joining Manchester City in a £3 million deal.

He soon became an important player for Joe Royle after making his debut in a 2-0 win at Southampton. Incidentally, Dunne was given his first professional contract at Everton by Royle.

Dunne went to the 2002 World Cup with the Republic of Ireland, but could only earn a place on the bench.

But he was suspended by Manchester City in September 2002 for a 'serious breach of club discipline'. It had been reported in the past that he had failed to turn up for training on numerous occasions.

He returned to the side in October and worked hard to repair his tarnished reputation which had almost led to him being released by City.

This led to him being named the club's Player of the Year four seasons in succession from 2003-04 to 2007-08 and taking the club captaincy from 2006.

He moved to Aston Villa in the summer of 2009 after making 352 appearances and scoring seven goals.

His debut for Villa came in a 1-0 win at Birmingham City.