Harry Souttar
Full nameHarry James Souttar[1]
Birth date22 October 1998 (age 27)
Birth placeAberdeen, Scotland
Height1.98m[2]
PositionCentre-back
CurrentclubLeicester City
Clubnumber15
Youthclubs 1Brechin City Boys
Youthclubs 2Celtic
Youthyears 32013–2015
Youthclubs 3Dundee United
Years 12015–2016
Clubs 1Dundee United
Caps 12
Goals 11
Years 22016–2023
Clubs 2Stoke City
Caps 261
Goals 21
Years 32018
Clubs 3→ Ross County (loan)
Caps 313
Goals 30
Years 42019–2020
Clubs 4→ Fleetwood Town (loan)
Caps 445
Goals 44
Years 52023–
Clubs 5Leicester City
Caps 517
Goals 51
Years 62024–2025
Clubs 6→ Sheffield United (loan)
Caps 621
Goals 60
Nationalyears 12015–2016
Nationalteam 1Scotland U17
Nationalcaps 12
Nationalgoals 10
Nationalyears 22016–2017
Nationalteam 2Scotland U19
Nationalcaps 23
Nationalgoals 20
Nationalyears 32019–2021
Nationalteam 3Australia U23
Nationalcaps 37
Nationalgoals 30
Nationalyears 42019–
Nationalteam 4Australia
Nationalcaps 437
Nationalgoals 411
Club-update23:31, 2 May 2026 (UTC)
Ntupdate09:19, 1 June 2026 (UTC)

Harry James Souttar (born 22 October 1998) is a professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for club Leicester City. Born in Scotland, he plays for the Australia national team.

Souttar began his senior career there with Dundee United before moving to England with Stoke City in 2016. He then joined Leicester City in 2023. After initially representing Scotland at youth level, he switched to play for Australia in 2019 and was a member of their squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His brother John Souttar plays for Scotland.

Early life

Souttar grew up in Luthermuir and attended Luthermuir Primary School Luthermuir, and subsequently Mearns Academy in Laurencekirk.[3][4] He played youth football for Brechin City Boys Club and was attached to Celtic before joining the academy at Dundee United in July 2013.[5] His older brother John is also a professional footballer and plays for Rangers, as well as representing Scotland. Their mother Heather was born in Port Hedland, Western Australia which meant the Souttar brothers were eligible to represent either Australia or Scotland at the international level.[6][7] They grew up supporting Brechin City where their father, Jack, had played in the 1970s.[8]

Club career

Dundee United

Souttar played for the Dundee United development team, including alongside his brother John in February 2015.[9] Having featured in a number of match day squads and having been listed as a substitute for the first team, Souttar signed a contract extension in December 2015, tying him to Dundee United until May 2018.[5] He made his first team debut against Partick Thistle in a Scottish Premiership match on 10 May 2016[10] and scored his first senior goal against Kilmarnock four days later.[11]

English Premier League club Stoke City became interested in signing Souttar, and although Dundee United rejected two bids to buy the player during June 2016,[12] it was reported during August 2016 that the clubs had agreed an initial £200,000 fee for his transfer.[13]

Stoke City

Despite an agreement for Souttar's transfer to Stoke City having been reached before the end of the transfer window on 31 August, completion was delayed pending FIFA approval due to the player being under 18 years old.[14] He officially joined Stoke on 29 September 2016, signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[15][16] Souttar made his Stoke debut on 23 August 2017 in a 4–0 EFL Cup win over Rochdale.[17] After signing a new contract with Stoke, Souttar joined Scottish Premiership side Ross County on 24 January 2018 until the end of the season.[18] He played 13 times for the Staggies but was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Scottish Championship.[19]

On 30 January 2019, Souttar joined EFL League One side Fleetwood Town on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season.[20] Souttar played 11 times for Fleetwood, scoring once against Accrington Stanley.[21] Souttar re-joined Fleetwood on loan for the 2019–20 season.[22] Souttar played regularly under Joey Barton in 2019–20 and his performances earned him the EFL Young Player of the Month award for February 2020.[23][24] The League One season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the table was decided via points per game which saw Fleetwood quality for the EFL League One play-offs in sixth place, where they faced Wycombe Wanderers and lost 6–3 on aggregate.[25]

Souttar made his league debut for Stoke City on 26 September 2020 in a 1–0 win away to Preston North End, and was named as the man of the match.[26] Due to a number of outstanding performances, he was named Stoke City's Player Of The Month in October.[27] Souttar established himself as a key member of Michael O'Neill's side in 2020–21 and he signed a new long term contract with the club in February 2021.[28] He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 2–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on 6 March 2021.[29] Souttar made 43 appearances in 2020–21 as Stoke finished in 14th position.[30][31] Souttar began the 2021–22 season in good form having been part of a Stoke defence that had conceded 19 goals in 17 games with the Potters fifth in the Championship before he suffered a season ending anterior cruciate ligament injury whilst playing for Australia in November 2021.[32] Souttar made his return a year later prior to the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[33] After returning to England following the World Cup, Souttar attracted bids from Premier League clubs.[34]

Leicester City

On 31 January 2023, Souttar joined Leicester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[35] The fee was reported by the BBC to be £15 million which could eventually rise to £20 million with add-ons.[36]

Loan to Sheffield United

On 6 August 2024, Souttar was loaned to Championship club Sheffield United for the 2024–25 season.[37] After making 22 appearances for the club, he ruptured his Achilles tendon during Sheffield United's Boxing Day defeat to Burnley. Manager Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield that Souttar will return to Leicester for treatment.[38]

International career

Souttar made his debut for the Scotland under-17 team against Romania in February 2015.[9] On 6 March 2019, he was called up to the Australia national under-23 team.[39]

On 10 October 2019, he switched allegiance and debuted for the senior Australian national team at 20 years of age in a World Cup qualifier against Nepal, and scored twice in a 5–0 win; the fourth goal was initially recorded as a Nepalese own goal,[40] but eventually was awarded to Souttar by FIFA.[41] Souttar would go on to score two more goals for Australia in a 7–1 win against Chinese Taipei in his second game for the national team.[42]

At 2.00 metres (6.56 ft), Souttar is the tallest outfield player to have represented the senior Australia national team, and the second tallest player ever, behind goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac at 2.02 metres (6.6 ft).[43]

Souttar qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He was part of the Olyroos Olympic squad. The team beat Argentina in their first group match but were unable to win another match. They were therefore not in medal contention.[44]

He was named in Australia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November 2022.[45] Souttar received significant praise for his defensive performances during the tournament.[46][47]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dundee United2015–16[48]Scottish Premiership210000—21
2016–17[49]Scottish Championship0000100010
Total2100100031
Stoke City U232017–18[50]———3[a]030
2018–19[51]———3[a]030
Total———6060
Stoke City2017–18[50]Premier League000010—10
2018–19[51]Championship000010—10
2019–20[52]Championship000000—00
2020–21[30]Championship3811040—431
2021–22[53]Championship1600021—181
2022–23[54]Championship700000—70
Total6111081—702
Ross County (loan)2017–18[50]Scottish Premiership1300000—130
Fleetwood Town (loan)2018–19[51]League One11100—00111
2019–20[52]League One34330103[b]0413
Total454301030524
Leicester City2022–23[54]Premier League1200000—120
2023–24[55]Championship300010—40
2025–26[56]Championship210000—21
Total1710010—181
Sheffield United (loan)2024–25[57]Championship200001000210
Career total157640121901827
  1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Two appearances in League One play-offs, one appearance in EFL Trophy

International

[58]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Australia201924
202182
202240
202374
2024141
202500
202610
Total3711

Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Souttar goal.[58]

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
110 October 2019Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia1Nepal3–05–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
24–0
315 October 2019National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan2Chinese Taipei5–17–1
47–1
57 June 2021Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait3Chinese Taipei1–05–1
615 June 20215Jordan1–01–0
79 September 2023AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States17Mexico1–02–2Friendly
818 October 2023Gtech Community Stadium, London, United Kingdom19New Zealand1–02–0Soccer Ashes
916 November 2023AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia20Bangladesh1–07–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
1021 November 2023Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait21PLE1–01–0
1128 January 2024Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar26Indonesia4–04–02023 AFC Asian Cup

Honours

Leicester City

See also

References

  1. ^ "Harry Souttar: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Leicester City | Harry Souttar |"
  3. ^ "Former Brechin City youth Harry to play for Scotland U17s Euro squad". Brechin Advertiser. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Super Souttar excelling in Cod Army defence". fleetwoodtownfc.com. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Development squad – Harry Souttar". Dundee United F.C. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  6. ^ "How Scottish roots made future Socceroos captain Harry Souttar". Code Sports. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Former Dundee United defender Harry Souttar called into Australia U/23 squad". Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  8. ^ "The incredible link between Harry Souttar and Michael O'Neill that stretches 12 years and 400 miles". Stoke Sentinel. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  9. ^ Fisher, Stewart (25 February 2015). "Lining up with brother John suits Harry Souttar just fine". The Herald. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  10. ^ Duthie, Tom (10 May 2016). "Dundee United 3 Partick 3: United fight back to earn a point". Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  11. ^ Sutherland, Jonathan (14 May 2016). "Kilmarnock 2–4 Dundee United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  12. ^ Duthie, Tom (24 June 2016). "Dundee United reject another Stoke bid for Harry Souttar". Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  13. ^ "Stoke set to sign Dundee United youngster Harry Souttar – Sky sources". Sky Sports. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  14. ^ Duthie, Tom (16 September 2016). "Harry Souttar's move to Stoke still in limbo – Evening Telegraph". Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Souttar Deal Completed". Stoke City. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  16. ^ "Potters announce signing of teenage defender". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 29 September 2016.[dead link]
  17. ^ "Stoke 4–0 Rochdale". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Harry Souttar joins the club on loan". Ross County FC. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  19. ^ "St Johnstone 1–1 Ross County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Souttar Heads Out". Stoke City. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Accrington 0–1 Fleetwood". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  22. ^ "Souttar Heads Back to Highbury". Stoke City. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  23. ^ "Fleetwood Town rising star Harry Souttar wins EFL Young Player of the Month". English Football League. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  24. ^ Cartwright, Phil (9 March 2020). "Harry Souttar: Fleetwood Town defender wins EFL Young Player of the Month for February". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Wycombe Wanderers 2–2 Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  26. ^ Smith, Peter (27 September 2020). "'Just ask Nick Powell' - Stoke City boss's twice-weekly headaches keep players on edge". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  27. ^ FC, Stoke City (9 November 2020). "Stoke City FC - Souttar scoops monthly award". Stoke City FC. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  28. ^ "Harry Souttar: Stoke City defender signs new contract". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  29. ^ "Stoke 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  30. ^
  31. ^ "AFC Bournemouth 0–2 Stoke City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Harry Souttar: Stoke City centre-back out for rest of season with knee injury". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  33. ^ "Harry Souttar gives honest answer to Stoke City transfer question at World Cup". Stoke Sentinel. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  34. ^ "Leicester set to ignite Stoke City transfer deadline day with big Harry Souttar bid". Stoke Sentinel. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Harry completes Leicester switch". Stoke City. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  36. ^ "Leicester City transfer news: Harry Souttar signs for £15m from Stoke". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  37. ^ "Harry arrives". Sheffield United F.C. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Harry Souttar: Sheffield United defender out for the season". BBC Sport. 2024-12-29. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  39. ^ "Graham Arnold announces squad for 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers in Cambodia". socceroos.com.au. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  40. ^ "Jamie Maclaren hits hat-trick as Socceroos stroll to win over Nepal". The Guardian. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  41. ^ FIFA.com. "2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Qualifiers - Asia - Matches - Australia - Nepal". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  42. ^ Jackson, Ed (16 October 2019). "Souttar at the double for Roos in Taiwan". Seven News
  43. ^ Smithies, Tom. "World Cup qualifiers: Harry Souttar poised to become second-tallest Socceroo in clash against Kuwait". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  44. ^ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  45. ^ "Socceroos Squad Announced: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™". Socceroos. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  46. ^ "'Magnet in his Head'". MSN.com. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  47. ^ "Give him the keys to the country: Australia loses it over 'Superman' Souttar's epic last-ditch tackle'". FoxSports.com.au. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
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  59. ^ "Championship: 2023/24: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
    "Leicester: Squad details: 2023/24". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  • Profile at the Leicester City F.C. website (archived)
  • Profile at the Sheffield United F.C. website