Nathan Collins

Nathan Michael Collins (born 30 April 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or full-back for club Brentford and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Early life
Collins was born in Confey, Leixlip, County Kildare and attended secondary school at Confey College.

Stoke City
Collins began his career with youth club Cherry Orchard, where his father David and uncle Eamonn both started their careers. He joined English club Stoke City in January 2016 after being scouted by Tony Bowen, assistant manager Mark Bowen's brother. Collins made his first team debut on 9 April 2019 away at Swansea City. His first start came ten days later when he played the full 90 minutes of Stoke's 1–0 loss away to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. Collins signed a five-year contract with Stoke City in July 2019.

Collins started the first few matches of the 2019–20 season and was given the captain's armband by Nathan Jones against Leeds United, becoming Stoke's youngest captain in the process. He was sent off for the first time in his career in an EFL Cup defeat at Crawley Town for a mistimed challenge on Panutche Camará. Collins remained on the fringes of the first team for the rest of the season under the management of Michael O'Neill, making a total of 17 appearances in the 2019–20 season. Collins played 27 times in the 2020–21 season before he suffered a season ending foot injury playing against Norwich City on 13 February 2021.

Burnley
On 24 June 2021, Collins joined the Premier League club Burnley for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract with the club. He scored his first two goals for the club in a pair of home game ties during April 2022, against Everton and Southampton. Collins became a key member of Burnley's club in the second half of the 2021–22 season as the team fought against relegation. Burnley was relegated after a 2–1 defeat against Newcastle United on the final day of the season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 12 July 2022, Collins signed with the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers on a five-year contract for a fee of £20.5 million, an all-time record transfer fee for an Irish player. Collins made his competitive debut in a 2–1 defeat away to Leeds United on the opening weekend of the 2022–23 Premier League season, playing the full 90 minutes in central defensive pairing with Max Kilman.

Collins received a straight red card for a high challenge on Jack Grealish during the first half of the Wolves' home Premier League game against Manchester City on 17 September 2022, resulting in a three-match suspension. The game ended in a 3–0 loss.

Brentford
On 4 July 2023, Collins signed for Brentford for a club-record £23 million transfer fee. Later that year, on 4 November, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 win over West Ham United.

International career
Collins made his Republic of Ireland U17 debut against Kazakhstan on 17 October 2016 and was later made captain of the team. He made his senior debut on 12 October 2021, coming on as a late substitute in a 4–0 friendly victory against Qatar. On 14 June 2022, Collins scored his first goal for Ireland in a 1–1 draw against Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League.

Personal life
Collins' family includes a number of other footballers, including his grandfather, Michael Collins who captained Transport to the FAI Cup in 1950, his father Dave Collins who played with Liverpool and Oxford United among others. His uncle, Eamonn Collins, played with many sides including Southampton and Portsmouth before going on to manage St Patrick's Athletic and later becoming a football agent, with his clients including Nathan Collins. His older brother Josh Collins previously played for UCD and Waterford in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Nathan's uncle Mick Collins played for St Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk before later becoming a scout at Manchester City for 20 years, his son Mikey Collins (Nathan's cousin) is also an ex-footballer who played for Liverpool in his youth career before playing in Sweden, Italy, Cyprus and Holland, as well as representing Ireland up to U21 level.

International

 * Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Collins goal