For the wheelchair rugby league footballer, see Nathan Collins (wheelchair rugby league).
Nathan Collins
Full nameNathan Michael Collins[1]
Birth date30 April 2001 (age 25)[2]
Birth placeLeixlip, Ireland
Height1.93 m[2]
PositionCentre-back, full-back[3]
CurrentclubBrentford
Clubnumber22
Youthyears 12006–2016
Youthclubs 1Cherry Orchard
Youthyears 22016–2019
Youthclubs 2Stoke City
Years 12019–2021
Clubs 1Stoke City
Caps 139
Goals 12
Years 22021–2022
Clubs 2Burnley
Caps 219
Goals 22
Years 32022–2023
Clubs 3Wolverhampton Wanderers
Caps 326
Goals 30
Years 42023–
Clubs 4Brentford
Caps 4105
Goals 44
Nationalyears 12016–2018
Nationalteam 1Republic of Ireland U17
Nationalcaps 119
Nationalgoals 10
Nationalyears 22018
Nationalteam 2Republic of Ireland U19
Nationalcaps 23
Nationalgoals 20
Nationalyears 32019–2020
Nationalteam 3Republic of Ireland U21
Nationalcaps 34
Nationalgoals 30
Nationalyears 42021–
Nationalteam 4Republic of Ireland
Nationalcaps 439
Nationalgoals 43
Club-update22:16, 24 May 2026 (UTC)
Nationalteam-update23:26, 28 May 2026 (UTC)

Nathan Michael Collins (born 30 April 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or full-back for and captains both club Brentford and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Early life

Collins was born in Confey, Leixlip, County Kildare and attended secondary school at Confey College.[4]

Club career

Stoke City

Collins began his career with youth club Cherry Orchard, where his father David and uncle Eamonn both started their careers.[5][6] He joined English club Stoke City in January 2016 after being scouted by Tony Bowen, assistant manager Mark Bowen's brother.[7][8] Collins made his first team debut on 9 April 2019 away at Swansea City.[9][10] His first start came ten days later when he played the full 90 minutes of Stoke's 1–0 loss away to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.[11] Collins signed a five-year contract with Stoke City in July 2019.[12]

Collins started the first few matches of the 2019–20 season and was given the captain's armband by Nathan Jones against Leeds United, becoming Stoke's youngest captain in the process.[13] He was sent off for the first time in his career in an EFL Cup defeat at Crawley Town for a mistimed challenge on Panutche Camará.[14] Collins remained on the fringes of the first team for the rest of the season under the management of Michael O'Neill, making a total of 17 appearances in the 2019–20 season.[15] Collins played 27 times in the 2020–21 season before he suffered a season ending foot injury playing against Norwich City on 13 February 2021.[16]

Burnley

On 24 June 2021, Collins joined the Premier League club Burnley for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract with the club.[17][18] He scored his first two goals for the club in a pair of home game ties during April 2022, against Everton[19] and Southampton.[20] Collins became a key member of Burnley's club in the second half of the 2021–22 season as the team fought against relegation. Burnley were relegated after a 2–1 defeat against Newcastle United on the final day of the season, a game in which Collins gave away a penalty for handball.[21]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 12 July 2022, Collins signed with the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers on a five-year contract for a fee of £20.5 million, an all-time record transfer fee for an Irish player.[22][23] Collins made his competitive debut in a 2–1 defeat away to Leeds United on the opening weekend of the 2022–23 Premier League season, playing the full 90 minutes in central defensive pairing with Max Kilman.[24]

Collins received a straight red card for a high challenge on Jack Grealish during the first half of the Wolves' home Premier League game against Manchester City on 17 September 2022, resulting in a three-match suspension.[25] The game ended in a 3–0 loss.

Brentford

On 4 July 2023, Collins signed for Brentford for a club-record £23 million transfer fee, he also broke his own record for most expensive Irish player.[26] Later that year, on 4 November, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 win over West Ham United.[27]

Collins opened his 2024–25 Premier League goals account with the headed opener in his team's 5–3 home victory over Wolves on 5 October 2024, his second league goal for the club.[28] He went on to become the only outfield player in the league to play every minute of the 2024–25 season.[29][30] Following the departure of club captain Christian Nørgaard at the conclusion of the season, Collins was named the new captain on 2 August 2025.[31]

International career

Collins made his Republic of Ireland U17 debut against Kazakhstan on 17 October 2016 and was later made captain of the team.[32] He made his senior debut on 12 October 2021, coming on as a late substitute in a 4–0 friendly victory against Qatar.[citation needed] On 14 June 2022, Collins scored his first goal for Ireland in a 1–1 draw against Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League.[33]

Personal life

Collins' family includes a number of other footballers, including his grandfather, Michael Collins who captained Transport to the FAI Cup in 1950,[34] his father Dave Collins who played with Liverpool and Oxford United among others. His uncle, Eamonn Collins, played with many sides including Southampton and Portsmouth before going on to manage St Patrick's Athletic and later becoming a football agent.[6] His older brother Josh Collins previously played for UCD and Waterford in the League of Ireland Premier Division.[35] Nathan's uncle Mick Collins played for St Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk before later becoming a scout at Manchester City for 20 years, his son Mikey Collins (Nathan's cousin) is also an ex-footballer who played for Liverpool in his youth career before playing in Sweden, Italy, Cyprus and Holland, as well as representing Ireland up to U21 level.[36] His younger cousin, Brody Collins, is a talented midfielder playing for the academy side of German club Schalke 04 and currently plays with the Ireland national under-17 football team who have qualified for the upon coming u17 World Cup in Qatar this year.[37]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueFA CupEFL CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stoke City U232018–19[38]———2[a]020
Stoke City2018–19[38]Championship300000—30
2019–20[39]Championship1401020—170
2020–21[40]Championship2221040—272
Total3922060—472
Burnley2021–22[41]Premier League1920030—222
Wolverhampton Wanderers2022–23[42]Premier League2602030—310
Brentford2023–24[43]Premier League3212110—352
2024–25[44]Premier League3821030—422
2025–26[45]Premier League3512041–412
Total10545181—1186
Career total1898912012022010
  1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

International

[46]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Republic of Ireland202110
202291
202381
202480
2025100
202631
Total393
Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Collins goal[46]
List of international goals scored by Nathan Collins
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 June 2022Stadion Miejski ŁKS, Łódź, Poland6Ukraine1–01–12022–23 UEFA Nations League
216 June 2023Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens, Greece13Greece1–11–2UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
328 May 2026Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland39Qatar1–01–0Friendly

References

  1. ^ "2017/18 Premier League clubs publish retained lists". Premier League. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Nathan Collins: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Nathan Collins: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Confey College - Congratulations to former Confey College...". www.facebook.com
  5. ^ "Collins reflects on path from Cherry Orchard to Wolves". 2022-09-26.
  6. ^ "Collins continues family tradition on big stage". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  7. ^ "The story of Nathan Collins and how he became Stoke City's youngest ever captain". The Sentinel. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Two Irish youngsters selected in list of young Premier League talents to watch". The42.ie. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Swansea 3–1 Stoke". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Who is Nathan Collins? Introducing Stoke City's new teenage first teamer". The Sentinel. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Middlesbrough 1–0 Stoke". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Major coup for Stoke City as Nathan Collins pens new long-term contract amid significant interest from big clubs". The Sentinel. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  13. ^ "Stoke City starlet insists results won't damage his growth". The Sentinel. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  14. ^ "The Stoke City games Nathan Collins will miss after red card at Crawley Town". The Sentinel. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Stoke City teenager tipped for big future amid Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United links". The Sentinel. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Eye-opening injury update from key Stoke City duo Nathan Collins and Tyrese Campbell". The Sentinel. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Collins Joins Clarets". Burnley F.C. 24 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Nathan completes Burnley switch". Stoke City F.C. 24 June 2021.
  19. ^ Magowan, Alistair (6 April 2022). "Burnley beat fellow strugglers Everton 3–2 with Maxwel Cornet winner". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  20. ^ Bysouth, Alex (21 April 2022). "Burnley 2–0 Southampton: Clarets keep Premier League survival hopes alive". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Burnley 1–2 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  22. ^ Stone, Simon. "Nathan Collins: Wolves sign defender from Burnley for £20.5m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Nathan Collins to become the most expensive Irish player ever when he completes €24million move to Wolves". Irish Independent. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  24. ^ Dawkes, Phil (6 August 2022). "Leeds 2–1 Wolves: Jesse Marsch's side show fight and clearer plan to beat Wolves". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  25. ^ Stone, Simon (17 September 2022). "Wolves 0–3 Manchester City: Erling Haaland scores again in dominant win". BBC Sport
  26. ^ "Brentford transfer news: Nathan Collins completes £23m club-record transfer to Bees from Wolves". Sky Sports. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  27. ^ Jackson, Bobbie (4 November 2023). "Brentford 3-2 West Ham United: Nathan Collins scores first goal for Bees in comeback win". BBC Sport.
  28. ^ Howarth, Matthew (5 October 2024). "Brentford 5-3 Wolves: Desperate defensive display costs visitors dearly". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  29. ^ "Nathan Collins: Born Leader". Brentford F.C. 17 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Players to play every Premier League minute". OneFootball. 26 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Nathan Collins named new Brentford captain | Brentford FC". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  32. ^ "'It's heartbreaking' – Ireland U17 captain on penalty shootout defeat". Sports Joe. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  33. ^ "Collins wonder-goal lights up Ireland's thrilling draw with Ukraine". The 42. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  34. ^ "The making of Nathan Collins: Early years, the family pedigree, and his journey to the Premier League". independent
  35. ^ ""I'm Very Lucky" – UCD's Josh Collins On How How Almost Quit Football As A Teenager". Off the Ball. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  36. ^ Sneyd, David (25 June 2022). "Mikey Collins continued a family dynasty when he signed for Liverpool. What happened next?". The42
  37. ^ Staff, Echo (2024-11-13). "Brody and Desmond go on trial with Hoffenheim". Echo.ie. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
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