#8 Steven Davis (M)
Former clubs:
Aston Villa, Fulham, Rangers (loan), Rangers
Early years
Born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Davis began his career with St Andrews Boys Club before transferring in Aston Villa in 2002, by which point he had represented his country at under-15, under-16, under-17 level.
He was a member of Villa’s FA Youth Cup winning team in 2002, as they beat Everton 4-2 in the final. Two years after joining, Davis made his debut in the Premier League, coming on against Norwich City in September 2004.
Davis would go on to make a total of 102 appearances for Aston Villa over the course of three seasons, as well as representing Northern Ireland at under-21 and under-23 level before becoming their youngest modern day captain in May 2006.
England to Scotland
Davis teamed up with Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez at Fulham in the summer of 2007, but after just six months with the club, he sealed a dream move to Rangers, initially on loan.
Davis won the Scottish Premier League on three occasions, the Scottish Cup twice, the Scottish League Cup three times and was a runner-up in the UEFA Cup in 2008 during his time with the Scottish giants, who he supported as a boy.
Steven was voted by his fellow professionals north of the border as the Scottish Players' Player of the Year in 2010 - the only Rangers player in seven years to land the prize – while, on the international stage, Davis was handed the captaincy of the Northern Ireland team on a full-time basis in 2012 by manager Michael O'Neill, taking over the honour from former Fulham and Villa teammate Aaron Hughes.
To the south coast
The midfielder made a total of 211 appearances, scoring 22 goals, during his four-and-a-half seasons with Rangers, before agreeing a deal to join Southampton in the summer of 2012.
He got his Southampton career off to a flying start, emerging from the bench in the season-opening game at Manchester City to score within three minutes to put his side ahead. He went on to make a further 32 appearances in his debut season at St Mary's, most memorably scoring in a 3-1 home victory over reigning champions City in February 2013.
During 2013/14, Davis continued to impress, featuring 40 times in all competitions, scoring four goals, as Saints finished eighth in the Premier League. Early the following season, Davis agreed a new deal to keep him at Southampton until 2018.
International memories
The Northern Ireland captain had another impressive campaign, despite failing to find the back of the net, before helping his country quality for their first major tournament in 40 years. The goals flowed during 2015/16 as Davis netted five in all competitions, before captaining Northern Ireland at UEFA EURO 2016.
While on international duty, the vice captain signed a new three-year contract with Saints.
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