James Ward-Prowse
![]() Ward-Prowse playing for Southampton in 2017 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | James Michael Edward Ward-Prowse[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 1 November 1994||
Place of birth | Portsmouth, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[3] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Southampton | ||
Number | 16 | ||
Youth career | |||
2003–2011 | Southampton | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2011– | Southampton | 167 | (10) |
International career‡ | |||
2010–2011 | England U17 | 7 | (0) |
2012–2013 | England U19 | 4 | (0) |
2013–2014 | England U20 | 7 | (1) |
2013–2017 | England U21 | 31 | (6) |
2017– | England | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:12, 13 May 2018 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:32, 20 April 2018 (UTC) |
James Michael Edward Ward-Prowse (born 1 November 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Southampton and the English national team.
Originally a member of Southampton's youth system, Ward-Prowse made his first-team debut for the club in October 2011, and signed his first professional contract in May 2012. He has gone on to become a regular for Southampton, and made his 200th appearance in all competitions in April 2018. He primarily plays as a central midfielder but can also be deployed as a right-sided winger.
He has represented England at under-17, under-19 and under-20 levels and earned 31 caps and scored 6 goals at under-21 level, also serving as captain. He made his senior international debut in March 2017 in a 1–0 away defeat to reigning World champions Germany.
Early and personal life
Ward-Prowse was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire and is the son of John Ward-Prowse,[4] a barrister.[5] Although his family are Portsmouth supporters,[4] he joined their rivals Southampton at the age of eight.[6]
Club career
Southampton
Early years
Ward-Prowse joined the Southampton Academy at the age of eight, later featuring in every match for the under-18 team in the 2010–11 season before becoming a full-time scholar in 2011.[6] While at the Southampton academy, he secretly trained with non-league Havant & Waterlooville in order to "toughen" himself.[5]
2011–2014
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/James_Ward-Prowse.jpg/170px-James_Ward-Prowse.jpg)
He was first called up to the senior team in October 2011, when he made his full debut for the Southampton first team at the age of 16 in the League Cup against Crystal Palace.[7][8][9] In his second starting appearance for the team, Ward-Prowse scored Southampton's first goal in a 2–1 win over Coventry City to help his side through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.[6][10][11] Following the club's promotion to the top flight in May 2012, Ward-Prowse was one of four youth players offered a professional contract for their return to the Premier League, along with Jack Stephens, Luke Shaw, and Calum Chambers.[12]
Ward-Prowse made his Premier League debut for Southampton on the opening day of the 2012–13 season, playing the first 65 minutes of a 3–2 loss against reigning champions Manchester City.[13] After the match, his performance was described by manager Nigel Adkins as "outstanding".[14] After a substitute appearance against Wigan Athletic,[15] the 17-year-old returned to the starting lineup for the third match of the campaign against Manchester United, continuing to draw praise from commentators.[16] In November, shortly after his 18th birthday, Ward-Prowse signed a five-year contract with Southampton, amidst speculation that he might leave the club in the near future.[17][18]
In a home match against Queens Park Rangers in March 2013, Ward-Prowse was involved in a late attack which could have saved the hosts a point when he provided a cross to be headed at goal by centre-back Maya Yoshida, only for substitute goalkeeper Robert Green to save and secure the win for the visitors.[19] He later provided the assist for a Jason Puncheon equaliser in the penultimate match of the season against fellow strugglers Sunderland on 12 May, picking up play from strikers Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert to cross for the winger to secure an important point for Southampton in the 75th minute of play.[20]
Despite making 15 league appearances for his club throughout the season, many of these came as a substitute, and as a result it was reported at the end of the season that Ward-Prowse was "not content sitting on the bench".[21] The midfielder did, however, win the Scholar of the Season accolade at the Southampton club awards ceremony in May, beating academy teammates Luke Shaw and Dominic Gape to the title.[22]
At the beginning of the 2013–14 season, Ward-Prowse came into favour with manager Mauricio Pochettino to start the first match of the season against West Bromwich Albion, almost scoring in one of the few attacking moves of an otherwise uneventful encounter which ended 1–0 to Southampton thanks to a last-minute penalty from Lambert.[23] The midfielder also played the full 90 minutes of the following match against Sunderland, registering an assist with a free kick in the 88th minute which was headed in for a late equaliser by centre-back José Fonte.[24]
Ward-Prowse was an ever-present at the start of the 2014–15 season, until on 20 September, when he fractured his foot in a win over Swansea City. He was subsequently ruled out for 10 weeks.[25]
2015–present
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Ward-Prowse_v_Chelsea_2015_%28cropped%29.jpg/170px-Ward-Prowse_v_Chelsea_2015_%28cropped%29.jpg)
He signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract in January 2015.[26] On 11 April, he scored his first Premier League goal, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win against Hull City with a penalty kick.[27] He was given a straight red card on 2 May for a foul on Sunderland's Jermain Defoe, conceding a penalty from which Jordi Gómez scored the winning goal.[28]
On 3 October 2015, Ward-Prowse was a half-time substitute for Oriol Romeu in a 3–1 win at reigning champions Chelsea.[29] This was his 100th Southampton appearance, making him the fourth-youngest player to reach that figure.[30]
Ward-Prowse was praised by manager Ronald Koeman after scoring two goals in a 3–0 win home win against West Bromwich Albion on 16 January 2016: a free kick and a penalty.[31][32] He amassed 39 appearances and scored twice during the 2015–16 season.[33] On 13 May 2016, he signed a new six-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2022.[34]
Ward-Prowse scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season on 25 September with an injury-time strike to seal a 3–0 away win over West Ham United.[35] He doubled his tally on 22 January 2017, opening the scoring in a 3–0 home victory over reigning Premier League champions Leicester City as Southampton ended a run of four successive league defeats.[36]
He made his 200th appearance in all competitions for Southampton on 7 April 2018.[37]
International career
Youth
Ward-Prowse began his international career with the England under-17 team, gaining seven caps for the team in two tournaments between 2010 and 2011.[38] In 2012, he made the step up to the under-19 team, for whom he played four times, and in 2013 joined the under-20s for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey; the midfielder played all three matches in the tournament, none of which England won.[38]
At the age of 18, Ward-Prowse received his first call-up to the England under-21 team from Gareth Southgate in August 2013, for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Moldova and Finland.[39] He played for 64 minutes in the first match,[40] and for the full 90 against Finland, in which he had some of England's most clear goal-scoring opportunities.[41] He scored his first under-21 goal on 15 October, scoring a free kick from 20 yards in a 5–0 win against Lithuania.[42] During the 2014 Toulon Tournament, he scored a "stunning" free kick against Brazil during the group stages.[43] This was later voted "Goal of the Tournament"; Ward-Prowse was also voted as one of the best three players in the tournament.[44]
In April 2015, Roy Hodgson called Ward-Prowse a "big prospect" and hinted at a possible senior team call-up by saying "he'll be in our thoughts because we like him very much."[45]
On 29 May 2016, he captained England under-21s to their first Toulon Tournament victory since 1994, by beating hosts France 2–1.[46] Ward-Prowse was nominated for the Vauxhall England Under-21 Player of the Year award, but eventually lost out to Southampton teammate Nathan Redmond.[47]
In June 2017, he captained the under-21s at that year's edition of the European Under-21 Championship where England reached the semi-finals, eventually losing to Germany in a penalty shoot-out.[48]
Senior
On 16 March 2017, he earned his first call-up to the senior England squad for a friendly against Germany and a World Cup qualifying match against Lithuania.[49] Six days later, he made his senior debut along with teammate Nathan Redmond in a 1–0 away loss to Germany, replacing West Bromwich Albion's Jake Livermore after 82 minutes.[50]
Career statistics
Club
- As of end of 2017–18 season
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Southampton | 2011–12[51] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | |
2012–13[52] | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
2013–14[53] | Premier League | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
2014–15[54] | Premier League | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | ||
2015–16[33] | Premier League | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
2016–17[55] | Premier League | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | 43 | 4 | |
2017–18[56] | Premier League | 30 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 4 | ||
Career total | 167 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 205 | 12 |
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 22 March 2017.[57]
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
England | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 0 |
Honours
Southampton
England U21
References
- ^ "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ "James Ward-Prowse". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ "James Ward-Prowse: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ a b Walter, Simon (27 October 2011). "Why teenager James ditched Pompey for Saints". Southern Daily Echo. Southampton. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ a b Doyle, Paul (4 February 2014). "Southampton's James Ward-Prowse: why I decided to toughen myself up". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ a b c "James Ward-Prowse". Southampton F.C. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Nigel Adkins backs 16-year-old Southampton debutant". BBC Sport. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Smith, Chris (24 October 2011). "Crystal Palace 2–0 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Butler, Matt (26 October 2011). "Crystal Palace 2 Southampton 0: Williams is the spark as Eagles leave it late". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 14 September 2013. [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Coventry 1–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Coventry 1 Southampton 2: Sky Blues dumped out by youthful Saints side". Daily Mail. London. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2013. [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Southampton promote academy quartet to first team squad". BBC Sport. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Bevan, Chris (19 August 2012). "Man City 3–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Southampton boss Adkins defends starting Rickie Lambert on bench". BBC Sport. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Monaghan, Matt (25 August 2012). "Southampton 0–2 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Hassan, Nabil (2 September 2012). "Southampton 2–3 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Southampton secure James Ward-Prowse on five-year deal". BBC Sport. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Hirst, Paul (19 November 2012). "Rising Saints star Ward-Prowse pens long-term deal at St Mary's". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 14 September 2013. [unreliable source?]
- ^ Sheringham, Sam (2 March 2013). "Southampton 1–2 QPR". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Ornstein, David (12 May 2013). "Sunderland 1–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Southampton: James Ward-Prowse desperate for game time". BBC Sport. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Morgan Does the Double!". Southampton F.C. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Johnston, Neil (17 August 2013). "West Brom 0–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Hassan, Nabil (24 August 2013). "Southampton 1–1 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Southampton's James Ward-Prowse out for 10 weeks". BBC Sport. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ "James Ward-Prowse signs new long-term Southampton deal". BBC Sport. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ Oliver, Pete (11 April 2015). "Southampton 2–0 Hull City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ "Sunderland 2–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Rose, Gary (3 October 2015). "Chelsea 1–3 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ Osman, Luke (3 October 2015). "Looking to the future: James Ward-Prowse". Read Southampton. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ Lang, Jack (16 January 2016). "Ronald Koeman hails brilliant James Ward-Prowse after two-goal show in Southampton's West Brom win". Daily Mirror. London. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ Jennings, Patrick (16 January 2016). "Southampton 3–0 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Games played by James Ward-Prowse in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ "Fraser Forster & James Ward-Prowse: Southampton pair sign new deals". BBC Sport. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
- ^ Dawkes, Phil (25 September 2016). "West Ham United 0–3 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ Fisher, Ben (22 January 2017). "Claudio Ranieri shoulders blame as Southampton add to Leicester misery". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ^ "Ward-Prowse: 200 Saints appearances". Southampton F.C. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ a b "James Ward-Prowse". The Football Association. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ "James Ward-Prowse gets first England Under-21s call-up". BBC Sport. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "England U21s beat Moldova in Gareth Southgate's first game". BBC Sport. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Saido Berahino nets in England U21 draw with Finland". BBC Sport. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "England U21 5–0 Lithuania U21". BBC Sport. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "James Ward-Prowse wishes free-kick was the winner". The Football Association. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ Urquhart-Cannon, Alex (2 June 2014). "Ward-Prowse wins two Toulon trophies". Southampton F.C. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "Southampton's Ward-Prowse is a "big prospect", says Roy Hodgson". BBC Sport. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ a b "England Under-21s win Toulon Tournament for first time in 22 years". BBC Sport. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ "Redmond named England U21 Player of the Year". Southampton F.C. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond will be "better players" for England experience". Southern Daily Echo. Southampton. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Jermain Defoe: England recall Sunderland striker aged 34". BBC Sport. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ "England debuts for Redmond and Ward-Prowse". Southampton F.C. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "Games played by James Ward-Prowse in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ "Games played by James Ward-Prowse in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ "Games played by James Ward-Prowse in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ "Games played by James Ward-Prowse in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ "Games played by James Ward-Prowse in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ "Games played by James Ward-Prowse in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
- ^ "Ward-Prowse, James". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (26 February 2017). "Manchester United 3–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- James Ward-Prowse profile at the Southampton F.C. website
- James Ward-Prowse profile at the Football Association website
- James Ward-Prowse at Soccerbase
- James Ward-Prowse at Soccerway