Joe Allen
Updated: Wikipedia source
Joseph Michael Allen (born 14 March 1990) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Allen began his career at Swansea City, making his first-team debut in January 2007 at age 16. He played in 150 matches across all competitions in six years at the Liberty Stadium, also having a loan at Wrexham. During his time at Swansea, they won two promotions, going from League One to the Premier League. He also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. In the same year, he joined Liverpool for £15 million, signed by his former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers. Allen spent four seasons at Anfield, making 132 appearances. In July 2016, he signed for Stoke City for a £13 million transfer fee. After making over 220 appearances for the Potters, he returned to Swansea in 2022. A full international for Wales from 2009, Allen represented Wales at the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020, helping the team reach the semi-finals of the former tournament. He also helped Wales qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022, the nation's first appearance at the competition since 1958.