Danny Higginbotham

Danny Higginbotham is a retired footballer who has played for a number of huge domestic clubs within England, starting his career at Manchester United, Higginbotham is no stranger to playing at the highest level. A defender who enjoyed a 17 year career, Higginbotham played 396 games at club level and managed to score a total of 26 times. He has also represented the Gibraltar national side on 3 occasions.

Higginbotham made his Premier League debut in 1998 in a 2-0 win against Barnsley, he was sent out on loan to Royal Antwerp where he appeared 29 times in the season. After a frustrating time with United, Higginbotham moved to Derby County in 2000 for £2 million. He played 86 times for derby in a 3 year stint before moving down south to the coastal club, Southampton.

He played 94 times for Southampton between 2003 and 2006 before moving to Stoke, the club where he played the most appearances in his career for. Higginbotham enjoyed two different stints at Stoke, the first was between 2006 and 2007 where he played 45 times, scoring 7 goals; the second stint was between 2008 to 2013 where Higginbotham would feature less regularly, but still played 64 times, scoring 4 goals. Higginbotham was made the captain of the Stoke squad in February 2007, his ability to show leadership and dedication on the pitch led to his manager asking him to lead the squad. This was a successful year for Higginbotham as he was named Stoke’s Player of the Year.

Higginbotham’s £2.5 million return to Stoke in 2008 was a success, he played 28 times in the Premier League for the club and helped them survive relegation and maintain another season in England’s top flight. Higginbotham has said that his time at Stoke was the best years of his footballing career, he will always be remembered at the club and has gained legendary status.

Since retiring, Higginbotham has taken up a career in commentary and punditry, he has often appeared on BT Sport and Sky Sports television, as well as radio stations Talksport and BBC Radio 5 Live. Higginbotham is able to reflect on his career as a speaker but also discusses peak performance, the importance of teamwork and leadership. As a commentator and pundit, Higginbotham has gained an abundance of skills in talking in front of people and can provide fascinating speeches during his time as a sports speaker.