Neil Lennon
| Date of birth | 25 June 1971 |
| Place of birth | Lurgan |
| Nationality | Northern Irish |
| Weight | 69 kg |
| Height | 1.75 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
Leicester City's fiery right-footed midfield dynamo struggled to find his best form during the early weeks of the 2000-01 season while playing under the shadow of mounting speculation about an impending transfer to Celtic.
He eventually linked up with his former mentor, Martin O'Neill, in December where he collected an array of medals as the Bhoys walked off with the Scottish League Cup, FA Cup and Premiership title.
A regular for Northern Ireland, he was treated disgracefully by some sections of his own supporters during a subsequent World Cup tie in Belfast because of his Catholic background and his new club allegiance, but showed great character to put those incidents behind him as the sporting world rallied to his support.
Neil joined Nottingham Forest in June 2007 with a one-year contract.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 26 Aug 1989 | 09 Aug 1990 | |
| Crewe Alexandra | 09 Aug 1990 | 23 Feb 1996 | |
| Leicester City | 23 Feb 1996 | 08 Dec 2000 | |
| Celtic | 08 Dec 2000 | 31 May 2007 | |
| Nottingham Forest | 12 Jun 2007 | 31 Jan 2008 | |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 31 Jan 2008 | 04 Apr 2008 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Crewe Alexandra | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 1995-96 | Leicester City | League Division 1 | 14 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 1995-96 | Leicester City | League Division 1 Play-Offs | 3 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 2 |
1
|
1
|
||
| 1996-97 | Leicester City | League Cup | 7 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 1996-97 | Leicester City | Premier League | 35 | 1 |
7
|
||
| 1997-98 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 1997-98 | Leicester City | League Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 1997-98 | Leicester City | Premier League | 37 | 2 |
6
|
||
| 1997-98 | Leicester City | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Leicester City | League Cup | 8 | 1 |
|||
| 1998-99 | Leicester City | Premier League | 37 | 1 |
6
|
||
| 1999-00 | Leicester City | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Leicester City | League Cup | 6 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 1999-00 | Leicester City | Premier League | 31 | 1 |
7
|
1
|
|
| 2000-01 | Celtic | Scottish FA Cup | 6 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Celtic | Scottish League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 17 | 1 |
5
|
||
| 2000-01 | Leicester City | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Leicester City | Premier League | 15 |
3
|
|||
| 2000-01 | Leicester City | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Celtic | Scottish FA Cup | 4 |
1
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Celtic | Scottish League Cup | 1 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2001-02 | Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 32 | 1 |
1 |
5
|
|
| 2001-02 | Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 7 |
2
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Celtic | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Celtic | Scottish League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 15 |
2
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 2 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Celtic | UEFA Cup | 8 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 4 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Celtic | UEFA Cup | 4 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 38 |
6
|
|||
| 2004-05 | Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 6 |
2
|
|||
| 2006-07 | Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2007-08 | Nottingham Forest | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2007-08 | Nottingham Forest | Johnstones Paint Trophy | 1 |
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| 2007-08 | Nottingham Forest | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2007-08 | Nottingham Forest | League One | 15 | 3 |
4
|
||
| 2007-08 | Wycombe Wanderers | League Two | 8 | 1 |
1
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 2007 | Nottingham Forest v AFC Bournemouth | D | 0-0 | League One | |
| 14 Aug 2007 | Chester City v Nottingham Forest | W | 0-0 (4-2) | League Cup | 1st round |
| 18 Aug 2007 | Swansea City v Nottingham Forest | D | 0-0 | League One | |
| 25 Aug 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Leeds United | L | 1-2 | League One | |
| 01 Sep 2007 | Bristol Rovers v Nottingham Forest | D | 2-2 | League One | |
| 04 Sep 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Peterborough United | L | 2-3 | Johnstones Paint Trophy | 1st round - southern section |
| 15 Sep 2007 | Port Vale v Nottingham Forest | W | 0-2 | League One | |
| 18 Sep 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Leicester City | L | 2-3 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 22 Sep 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Gillingham | W | 4-0 | League One | |
| 29 Sep 2007 | Yeovil Town v Nottingham Forest | W | 0-3 | League One | |
| 02 Oct 2007 | Huddersfield Town v Nottingham Forest | D | 1-1 | League One | |
| 06 Oct 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Hartlepool United | W | 2-1 | League One | |
| 13 Oct 2007 | Cheltenham Town v Nottingham Forest | W | 0-3 | League One | |
| 20 Oct 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Doncaster Rovers | D | 0-0 | League One | |
| 27 Oct 2007 | Luton Town v Nottingham Forest | L | 2-1 | League One | |
| 07 Dec 2007 | Brighton and Hove Albion v Nottingham Forest | W | 0-2 | League One | |
| 11 Dec 2007 | Luton Town v Nottingham Forest | L | 1-0 | FA Cup | 2nd round |
| 15 Dec 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Northampton Town | D | 2-2 | League One | |
| 22 Dec 2007 | Nottingham Forest v Port Vale | W | 2-0 | League One | |
| 26 Dec 2007 | Oldham Athletic v Nottingham Forest | D | 0-0 | League One | |
| 01 Jan 2008 | Nottingham Forest v Huddersfield Town | W | 2-1 | League One | |
| 29 Jan 2008 | Nottingham Forest v Swansea City | D | 0-0 | League One | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | Northern Ireland | Under-23 | 1 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Northern Ireland | B International | 1 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Northern Ireland | International Friendly | 1 |
||||
| 1993-94 | Northern Ireland | Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 1994-95 | Northern Ireland | Canada Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Northern Ireland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Northern Ireland | UEFA European Championship | 3 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Northern Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 7 | 1 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Northern Ireland | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Northern Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 1997-98 | Northern Ireland | International Friendly | 3 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Northern Ireland | Charity Omagh Fund | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Northern Ireland | UEFA European Championship | 5 | 1 |
|||
| 1999-00 | Northern Ireland | International Friendly | 3 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Northern Ireland | UEFA European Championship | 3 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Northern Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 5 |
1
|
|||
| 2000-01 | Northern Ireland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Northern Ireland | International Friendly | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 1990 | Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland | L | 2-3 | U23 | |
| 22 Mar 1994 | Northern Ireland v Romania | D | 0-0 | U21 | |
| 10 May 1994 | England v Northern Ireland | L | 4-2 | B International | |
| 11 Jun 1994 | Mexico v Northern Ireland | L | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 26 May 1995 | Chile v Northern Ireland | L | 2-1 | CANADA CUP | |
| 03 Sep 1995 | Portugal v Northern Ireland | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 11 Oct 1995 | Liechtenstein v Northern Ireland | W | 0-4 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 15 Nov 1995 | Northern Ireland v Austria | W | 5-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 27 Mar 1996 | Northern Ireland v Norway | L | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 31 Aug 1996 | Northern Ireland v Ukraine | L | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 05 Oct 1996 | Northern Ireland v Armenia | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 09 Nov 1996 | Germany v Northern Ireland | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 14 Dec 1996 | Northern Ireland v Albania | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 11 Feb 1997 | Northern Ireland v Belgium | W | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Mar 1997 | Northern Ireland v Portugal | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 02 Apr 1997 | Ukraine v Northern Ireland | L | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 30 Apr 1997 | Armenia v Northern Ireland | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 21 May 1997 | Thailand v Northern Ireland | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Aug 1997 | Northern Ireland v Germany | L | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 10 Sep 1997 | Albania v Northern Ireland | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Portugal v Northern Ireland | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 25 Mar 1998 | Northern Ireland v Slovakia | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 22 Apr 1998 | Northern Ireland v Switzerland | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Jun 1998 | Spain v Northern Ireland | L | 4-1 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Sep 1998 | Turkey v Northern Ireland | L | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 10 Oct 1998 | Northern Ireland v Finland | W | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 18 Nov 1998 | Northern Ireland v Moldova | D | 2-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 27 Mar 1999 | Northern Ireland v Germany | L | 0-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 31 Mar 1999 | Moldova v Northern Ireland | D | 0-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 29 May 1999 | Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland | W | 0-1 | Charity Omagh Fund | |
| 18 Aug 1999 | Northern Ireland v France | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Sep 1999 | Northern Ireland v Turkey | L | 0-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 08 Sep 1999 | Germany v Northern Ireland | L | 4-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 09 Oct 1999 | Finland v Northern Ireland | L | 4-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 28 Mar 2000 | Malta v Northern Ireland | W | 0-3 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Apr 2000 | Northern Ireland v Hungary | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Oct 2000 | Northern Ireland v Denmark | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 11 Oct 2000 | Iceland v Northern Ireland | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 28 Feb 2001 | Northern Ireland v Norway | L | 0-4 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Mar 2001 | Northern Ireland v Czech Republic | L | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 28 Mar 2001 | Bulgaria v Northern Ireland | L | 4-3 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 02 Jun 2001 | Northern Ireland v Bulgaria | L | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 13 Feb 2002 | Poland v Northern Ireland | L | 4-1 | International Friendly | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.