| Callum O'Dowda | |
| Fullname: | Callum Joshua Ryan O'Dowda[1] |
| Birth Date: | 1995 4, df=y[2] |
| Birth Place: | Kidlington, England |
| Height: | 1.83m (06feet) |
| Position: | Left winger |
| Currentclub: | Cardiff City |
| Clubnumber: | 11 |
| Youthyears1: | –2013 |
| Youthclubs1: | Oxford United |
| Years1: | 2013–2016 |
| Clubs1: | Oxford United |
| Caps1: | 87 |
| Goals1: | 12 |
| Years2: | 2016–2022 |
| Clubs2: | Bristol City |
| Caps2: | 160 |
| Goals2: | 8 |
| Years3: | 2022– |
| Clubs3: | Cardiff City |
| Caps3: | 50 |
| Goals3: | 4 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2015–2016 |
| Nationalteam1: | Republic of Ireland U21 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 3 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2016– |
| Nationalteam2: | Republic of Ireland |
| Nationalcaps2: | 30 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 4 May 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 01:22, 12 June 2024 (BST) |
Callum Joshua Ryan O'Dowda (born 23 April 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger for club Cardiff City[3] and the Republic of Ireland national team.
O'Dowda is a product of the Oxford United youth academy, which he joined when he was nine.[4] His performances for the academy in the 2012–13 season led him being awarded a Young Player of the Year award,[5] after which he was offered his first professional contract with the club, keeping him for two years with a further one-year option.[6] [7]
After making an impression in a pre-season friendly,[8] O'Dowda made his professional debut on 6 August 2013 in a League Cup first-round tie against Charlton Athletic.[9] His league debut came as a substitute versus Southend United in a League Two fixture on 6 October 2013.[10] In his first season at Oxford United, O'Dowda made 13 appearances for the club in all competitions.
The 2014–15 season proved to be a breakthrough for O'Dowda, with his first-team opportunities increased by new manager Michael Appleton.[11] He scored his first league goal for Oxford United against Exeter City on 13 September 2014,[12] a goal that was nominated for Goal of the Season.[13] Between 17 January 2015 and 31 January 2015, he scored two goals in three games, against Southend United[14] and Stevenage respectively.[15] O'Dowda signed a three-year contract with the club in February.[16] [17] A few weeks later, he scored his fourth goal, in a 1–0 win over Bury on 7 March 2015.[18] O'Dowda finished the 2014–15 season having made 39 league appearances and scoring four times.
O'Dowda made a promising start to the 2015–16 season, scoring twice in his first five league appearances, against Notts County[19] and Yeovil Town.[20] He began to attract interest from other clubs, though no bid was received.[21] O'Dowda scored two more goals at the end of 2015, against Accrington Stanley in the league[22] and Yeovil Town in the Football League Trophy.[23] He scored three more goals in the second half of the season, the first against Notts County[24] and then twice against Barnet.[25] On 3 April 2016 he scored Oxford's first goal in the final of the Football League Trophy at Wembley Stadium, though Oxford ultimately lost 3–2 to Barnsley.[26] Nine days later, he scored his seventh league goal of the season, in a 5–1 win over Crawley Town.[27] O'Dowda scored the final goal in a 3–0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers on 7 May 2016 that secured Oxford United's promotion to League One.[28] Despite international commitments and injuries,[29] O'Dowda finished the season with 38 league appearances (20 as a substitute) and 8 league goals.
On 14 July 2016, O'Dowda signed for Football League Championship side Bristol City for an undisclosed fee of around £1.25 million, potentially rising to £1.6 million depending on incentives. He signed on a three-year contract.[30] Upon signing for Bristol City, O'Dowda said that had been a difficult decision to leave his hometown club.[31] O'Dowda scored his first goal for Bristol City against Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup 4th Round on 24 October 2017.[32] 11 days later, O'Dowda scored the opener, his first league goal for Bristol City, in a 2–1 victory against Cardiff City.[33]
Amidst rumoured interest in the player from Leeds United, on 17 January 2019, Bristol activated a clause in O'Dowda's contract to extend it until the end of the 2019/20 season.[34]
In September 2019 he signed a new three-year contract with Bristol City.[35] O'Dowda was released from the club in May 2022 after his contract expired after spending six years at the club.[36]
On 8 June 2022, it was announced O'Dowda would join Championship club Cardiff City on a three-year deal on 1 July.[37]
In March 2015, O'Dowda was called up by Republic of Ireland U21 after becoming eligible for the national team through his late grandfather, Brendan O'Dowda,[38] a famous Irish tenor who was born in Dundalk. O'Dowda told the club's website "I am very proud and very excited to have the call up. It is a privilege to be included. I was approached a few weeks ago to see if I would be interested because of my family's Irish background. I jumped at the chance and can't wait to be involved."[39]
O'Dowda made his Ireland U21 debut on 26 March 2015, playing 90 minutes, in a 1–0 win over Andorra U21.[40] He scored his first goal for the U21s in a qualifying match for the 2017 U21 European Championships on 28 March 2016, the only Irish goal in a 3–1 defeat to Slovenia.[41] [42]
On 12 May 2016, he received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad.[43] He made his début for Ireland on 31 May, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Belarus.[44] However, on 31 May 2016, O'Dowda was among few players to be cut from the UEFA Euro 2016 squads.[45]
On 9 October 2016, he made his competitive debut in a World Cup qualifier in Moldova, coming on as a second-half substitute for Shane Long.[46]
O’Dowda scored his first international goal in a 3–2 friendly win against Latvia on 22 March 2023.[47]
His sister Jade O'Dowda is a track and field athlete who competed for England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the heptathlon. [48] [49] His grandfather was notable Irish Tenor Brendan O'Dowda.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Oxford United | 2013–14 | League Two | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | League Two | 39 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | League Two | 38 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 50 | 10 | ||
| Total | 87 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 106 | 14 | |||
| Bristol City | 2016–17 | Championship | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Championship | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 28 | 2 | |||
| 2018–19 | Championship | 31 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | Championship | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Championship | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | Championship | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | |||
| Total | 160 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 1 | — | 176 | 10 | ||||
| Cardiff City | 2022–23 | Championship | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| Career total | 272 | 23 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 303 | 26 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 1 | ||
Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first.
Oxford United