Joe Allen (born 1990)

Joseph Michael "Joe" Allen (born 14 March 1990) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Wales national team as a midfielder.

Swansea City
Born in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Allen was part of the Swansea City youth set-up from the age of nine. As a first-year scholar in the youth team in the 2006–07 season, he featured as an unused first-team substitute in a 3–0 away win over then FA Premier League side Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup. Two weeks later, when Allen was just 16, Swansea manager Kenny Jackett gave Allen his debut in the FAW Premier Cup away tie to local Welsh Premier League side Port Talbot Town. Allen played the first half of the match, as Swansea lost 2–1 after extra time. Allen made his league debut for Swansea as a substitute in a 6–3 defeat to Blackpool on the final day of the League One season, as Swansea missed out on a play-off position under new manager and former team captain Roberto Martínez.

The following pre-season Allen played in numerous games for the club. As the 2007–08 season got underway, he started in the first round of the League Cup game in a 2–0 home win over Walsall. Allen was named man of the match for his performance, which included assisting in the first goal by providing a left-footed chipped cross to Paul Anderson. In August 2007 Martínez awarded Allen his first professional contract, which kept him at Swansea until 2010. Allen started in the next round of the League Cup at home to Reading, and again received the man of the match award.

The following season, Swansea's first in the Championship, Allen struggled to get into the first team due to competition from midfielders Darren Pratley, Ferrie Bodde, Owain Tudur Jones, Jordi Gómez and Leon Britton. In October 2008 Allen joined Conference National club Wrexham on a one-month loan deal, and scored a goal from 25 yards on his debut for the North Wales side in a 3–1 win over York City. Allen made a handful of appearances for the club, but his loan spell was cut short when he damaged ankle ligaments, which kept him out for a month. Allen returned from the injury in December going back into Swansea squad at home to Barnsley; regular midfielder Ferrie Bodde had been ruled out for the remainder of the season as a result of injury. With Swansea 2–0 down playing terribly prompted manager Roberto Martinez brought Allen on from the bench. Swansea went on to earn a late 2–2 draw and, despite only playing 25 minutes, Allen once more received the man-of-the-match award.

In April 2009, Allen came on as a substitute to score his first goal for Swansea in a South Wales derby away at Cardiff City. At the end of the season, he signed a new three-year contract until 2012. After frequently being injured in the 2009–10 season, Allen returned to regular first-team football at the start of the 2010–2011 season. A string of impressive performances prompted manager Brendan Rodgers to play Allen in the South Wales derby in November 2010, with Allen receiving the man-of-the-match award in the 1–0 win.

A few days prior to the beginning of the 2011–12 Premier League, Allen signed a new four-year contract with Swansea until 2015.

Liverpool
On 10 August 2012 after passing a medical at Melwood, Allen signed a long-term contract with Liverpool in a deal worth £15 million. He made his Premier League debut on 18 August 2012, starting in a 3-0 loss against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. He started Liverpool's next game of the league campaign against Manchester City, where he was voted Man of the Match on the club's official website by fans and journalists. He went on to win the Liverpool Player of the Month award for August 2012. He scored his first goal for Liverpool on 27 January 2013, in a 3-2 defeat to Oldham Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup. He scored his first European goal on 21 February 2013, in a 3-1 win over Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Europa League. On 20 March 2013, it was announced that Allen would be ruled out for the remainder of the 2012–13 season, with him requiring surgery on his left shoulder.