Mark Hughes

This article is about the Welsh footballer. For other people with the same name, see Mark Hughes (disambiguation).

Mark Hughes

Personal information
Full name	Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Manchester City F.C (manager)

Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE (born November 1, 1963 in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales), nicknamed Sparky, is a former Welsh international football player and currently manager of Manchester City. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals.

During his playing career, he was most notable for his two spells at Manchester United, but he also turned out for FC Barcelona of Spain, Bayern Munich of West Germany, as well as the English clubs Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and finally Blackburn Rovers, before retiring in 1928.

His reign as Wales manager was his first managerial post; he was appointed in 1999 and remained in the role until 2004.

Playing career

Manchester United

Hughes joined Manchester United on leaving school in the summer of 1980 but did not make his first team debut for three years - in a 1–1 draw away to Oxford United in the FA Cup, in the 1983–84 season. Like many other United legends, "Sparky" quickly became a favourite by scoring on his debut and establishing himself as a regular first team player. He was a key player in United's run to the 1985 FA Cup final which resulted in a 1–0 win over Everton.

Barcelona and Bayern Munich

In the summer of 1986, Hughes was surprisingly sold to Barcelona for £2 million. Manager Terry Venables was hoping for him to be a successful strike partner for Gary Lineker but Hughes was a disappointment in his only season at Barcelona and was subsequently loaned out to German club Bayern Munich for the 1987–88 season, where he regained his form.

Back to Manchester United

In May 1988, Hughes returned to Manchester United, now managed by Alex Ferguson, for a then club record of £1.8 million. As he had done in his first spell at Old Trafford, Hughes proved to be a dynamic goalscorer and was a key player for the club in winning two League championships, two FA Cups, one League Cup and one Cup Winners' Cup.The 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup final against his old club Barcelona was arguably the most memorable game of his career,scoring both goals, one from close range (helping in an already goalbound header from Steve Bruce), and a superb second, scoring from what seemed an impossible angle.

Chelsea

He left Old Trafford for the second and final time in June 1995 when he was sold to Chelsea for £1.5million, in a summer that also saw the departures of players such as Paul Ince (to Internazionale) and Andrei Kanchelskis (to Everton). However, United still managed to achieve more success without Hughes, with the team winning the double for the second time in the subsequent season.

Hughes was one of the key players in Chelsea's resurgence as a top club in the late 1990s, forming an unlikely strike partnership with Gianfranco Zola and helping to freeze out Gianluca Vialli. He put in match-winning performances against Liverpool and Wimbledon in the FA Cup in 1997, and Vicenza in the Cup Winners' Cup a year later en route to Chelsea winning both trophies. In winning the FA Cup, he became the only player of the 20th century to win the trophy four times. He ended his Chelsea career with 39 goals from 123 games and was transferred to Southampton in July 1998.

Southampton

He was signed for Southampton for £650,000 by manager Dave Jones as a replacement for David Hirst. Unfortunately, the goals failed to flow and Hughes was pushed back into midfield where his experience helped Southampton maintain their Premiership status. His 2 goals for the Saints came against Blackburn Rovers, who he was later to join, and a memorable volley at home to Newcastle United on 15 August 1999. Hughes suffered with disciplinary problems throughout his career, and in his first season at The Dell he received 14 yellow cards, a total which has never been exceeded in the Premier league.[1]

Everton and Blackburn Rovers

When Glenn Hoddle arrived as Southampton's manager, Hughes did not fit in to his plans and he left for Everton. By now, Hughes was winding down his career as a player and in August 1999 was appointed national coach of the Welsh football team, although he moved outside of the top division for the first time in his playing career in 2000–01 to play a key role in getting Blackburn Rovers promoted from Division One. He also lifted the League Cup with Blackburn in February 2002 before finally hanging up his boots a few months short of his 39th birthday.

Managerial career

Wales

When Mark Hughes was appointed national coach, Wales were one of the weaker national sides in the world. But in the five years with Hughes in charge, Wales came close to qualifying for Euro 2004 and in their qualifying group beat Italy – they were only denied a place in the competition after losing to Russia in the playoffs.

Blackburn Rovers

Hughes quit the Welsh national side in September 2004 to take charge of Blackburn Rovers in the FA Premier League, the last club he had played for. His key aim was to keep Blackburn clear of relegation which he succeeded in doing, whilst also taking the club to an FA Cup semi-final for the first time in over 40 years.

In his second season, Hughes' side surprised even the most optimistic supporters by finishing inside the top 6 of the Premiership and qualifying for the UEFA Cup, beating teams such as Chelsea, Manchester United (twice) and Arsenal along the way. After just missing out on the League Cup final, his team sealed their spot in Europe by defeating champions Chelsea 1–0 at home.

On May 4 2006, Hughes and assistant Mark Bowen signed new three-year contracts to remain at Blackburn until the summer of 2009.

Hughes has set about creating a formidable side at Ewood Park, on the smallest of transfer budgets. He has proved to be a very shrewd dealer in the transfer market, bringing in bargains such as Benni McCarthy (£2m), Ryan Nelsen (free), Stephen Warnock (£1.5m), Roque Santa Cruz (£3.5m), and Christopher Samba (£400k). Rovers finished 10th in the Premier League in 2006–07, and reached the UEFA Cup round of 32, where they were knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen 3–2 on aggregate. Rovers faced Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, their third consecutive semi-final since Hughes took charge. The match ended in defeat 2–1.

He won the October 2007 Award for the English Premier league manager of the month.

Manchester City

On June 2, 2008, Rovers gave Manchester City permission to approach Hughes with a view to becoming the club's manager. The following day, Hughes joined Manchester City on a three-year deal believed to be worth a total of £9m. On the 4th June 2008 Mark Hughes was confimed as the new Manchester City Manager.

Honours

As a player

• Inducted into English Football Hall of Fame [2]

Manchester United

• FA Premier League winner: 1992–93, 1993–94
• FA Cup winner: 1985, 1990, 1994
• European Cup Winners Cup winner: 1991
• League Cup winner: 1992
• F.A. Charity Shield winner: 1993, 1994

Chelsea

• FA Cup winner: 1997
• League Cup winner: 1998
• European Cup Winners' Cup winner: 1998

Blackburn Rovers

• Football League First Division runners-Up: 2000–01
• League Cup winner: 2002

Managerial statistics

Team	Country	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Blackburn Rovers		September 152004	June 32008	188	82	47	59	43.61
Manchester City		June 32008	Present	0	0	0	0	0

Last updated on June 3 2008

External links

• Mark Hughes at Soccerbase
• Mark Hughes management career statistics at Soccerbase
• Article on Manchester United Legends

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