David Healy (footballer)

David Healy
MBE

Healy as a Fulham player in 2007
Personal information
Full name	David Jonathan Healy[1]
Date of birth	(1979-08-05) 5 August 1979 (age 44)[2]
Place of birth	Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland[3]
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[4]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Linfield (manager)
Youth career
1995–1999	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2001	Manchester United	1	(0)
2000	→ Port Vale (loan)	16	(3)
2000–2001	→ Preston North End (loan)	2	(1)
2001–2004	Preston North End	137	(44)
2003	→ Norwich City (loan)	5	(1)
2003	→ Norwich City (loan)	8	(1)
2004–2007	Leeds United	111	(29)
2007–2008	Fulham	30	(4)
2008–2011	Sunderland	13	(1)
2010	→ Ipswich Town (loan)	12	(1)
2010–2011	→ Doncaster Rovers (loan)	8	(2)
2011–2012	Rangers	19	(4)
2012–2013	Bury	16	(1)
Total		378	(92)
International career
1993–1994	Northern Ireland U15	10	(6)
1994–1995	Northern Ireland U16	2	(1)
1995–1997	Northern Ireland U18	5	(2)
1998–1999	Northern Ireland U21	8	(4)
1999	Northern Ireland B	1	(0)
2000–2013	Northern Ireland	95	(36)
Managerial career
2015–	Linfield
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

David Jonathan Healy MBE (born 5 August 1979) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer and now football manager who is in charge at NIFL Premiership club Linfield.

A striker, he is the all-time leading scorer for Northern Ireland with 36 goals, and also shared the record for the highest scoring tally during a UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign of 13 goals, shared with Robert Lewandowski, until this was surpassed by Romelu Lukaku. He began his career as a youth team player at Manchester United in 1995, turning professional in 1999, but signed for Preston North End two years later after a short loan spell. He spent three years with Preston, maintaining a healthy goal-to-games ratio, before transferring to Leeds United in 2004. After three years at Leeds, he moved on to Fulham for a season before settling at Sunderland in 2008. He moved north to Scotland to play for Rangers in January 2011. He helped the club to the SPL title in 2010–11 and also played in the 2011 League Cup final victory, before departing at the end of the 2011–12 season, when his contract expired. He joined Bury for a one-season spell in August 2012. In addition to these clubs, he has also played for Port Vale, Norwich City, Ipswich Town, and Doncaster Rovers on loan. Bury released him in May 2013, and he retired in November 2013 after failing to find a club. Before representing his country at a senior level, he also played for both the under-21 team and the B team.

He began his management career with Linfield in October 2015 and led the club to a NIFL Premiership, Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield treble in 2016–17. The following season proved a disappointment before they secured the league title and the Northern Ireland Football League Cup in 2018–19. They retained the Premiership trophy in 2019–20 and would win another Premiership and Irish Cup double in 2020–21. He then guided Linfield to a fourth consecutive league title in the 2021–22 season.