Danny Drinkwater: From Champions of England to Construction Site Worker, The Unsung Journey of a Premier League Fairytale

Danny Drinkwater is a former English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He began his career at Manchester United, progressing through their youth academy. 

Danny Drinkwater, who assisted Leicester City in winning the Premier League in 2016, paid £35 million to join Chelsea the following year. Having made little of an impact, he left Stamford Bridge after his contract expired in June 2022 and hasn’t played since.

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Danny Drinkwater Nurturing Talent in Football

Danny Drinkwater started playing football at a young age.

Danny Drinkwater started playing football at a young age.

Danny Drinkwater was born in Manchester, England, on March 5, 1990. At the age of nine, he started playing football at the Manchester United academy. He never played for the Red Devils as a senior, but at the age of sixteen, he was awarded a trainee contract, and at the age of eighteen, a professional contract.

 He received invaluable experience while on loan at many clubs, including Watford, Barnsley, Cardiff City, and Huddersfield Town, throughout his tenure at United. He moved to Leicester City in 2012 and was a key member of the side that won the title there in 2016. He also played a major part in the team’s elevation to the Premier League. 

He was loaned out to other teams when he was at United, including Watford, Barnsley, Cardiff City, and Huddersfield Town.

Who Are Danny Drinkwater’s Parents?

Danny Drinkwater was born to English parents in Manchester, England. Regretfully, specifics on the identities and occupations of his parents are still unknown. Drinkwater’s incredible path from Manchester United’s development academy to his prosperous football career is very impressive. 

Before establishing himself at Leicester City, where he was a member of the historic Premier League title-winning squad in 2016, he spent time on loan with a number of other clubs.

He continued his career on loan at a number of other clubs, including Burnley, Aston Villa, Kasımpaşa, and Reading, after transferring to Chelsea and making a few appearances. He recently started working as a laborer on construction sites as his new career. 

In addition, he mentioned his other family members, saying, “In 2019, I was dealing with mental health issues.” He remarked, “I lost my dog and was drinking and driving, which is just not me. Nan passed away, Grandad passed away, Dad was diagnosed with leukemia.”

Danny Drinkwater Club Career

Danny Drinkwater was a player of Chelsea.

Danny Drinkwater was a player for Chelsea.

Drinkwater started out in the junior academy of Manchester United. During this time, he had loan stints at Watford, Barnsley, Cardiff City, and Huddersfield Town. He relocated to Leicester City in 2012, where he made a big contribution. In 2014, he was a member of the Leicester team that was promoted to the Premier League.

Most famously, he played a significant role in Leicester’s incredible 2016 Premier League title run. In 2017, Drinkwater paid £35 million to join Chelsea.

But he found it difficult to leave a lasting impression at the London club. He didn’t make many appearances and was mostly on loan at other teams. Drinkwater had loan spells at Burnley, Aston Villa, Turkish club Kasımpaşa, and Reading while he was at Chelsea.

Regrettably, he was unable to advance because of injuries and a lack of opportunity. Danny Drinkwater declared his retirement from the NFL in October 2023, citing a sense of being “in limbo.” He started working as a worker on construction sites as a new job after that.

Danny Drinkwater’s Journey Through International Career

Danny Drinkwater played for England

Danny Drinkwater played for England

Drinkwater was a member of the under-18 and under-19 English teams. He showed his talent and obtained useful experience at this time. Playing for Leicester City in 2016, Drinkwater was called up to the senior England squad.

That year, he was awarded three caps for the national squad. During the time of these appearances, Leicester City was experiencing an incredible run towards winning the Premier League.

Danny Drinkwater Assault

Danny Drinkwater was assaulted

Danny Drinkwater was assaulted

Danny Drinkwater, a midfielder for Burnley who was on loan, was allegedly attacked by six guys outside a Manchester nightclub.

After Burnley’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool on August 31, the Premier League winner was out and about in Manchester that evening. After being ejected from the Manchester club, Drinkwater was beaten by six guys who allegedly yelled, “break his legs.”

The incident caused the 29-year-old to tear ankle ligaments, in addition to a black eye, a swollen forehead, bruises on his arms and shoulders, and a cut on his cheek. Due to an ankle injury, the former Leicester City star missed more than a month of play.

When the attackers commenced the brutal attack, they knew Drinkwater was a professional football player. “At one point, he was curled up in a ball on the ground, and they kept jumping up and down on his ankle and screaming, ‘Break his legs,'” the person is cited as saying.

Danny Drinkwater Retirement

Danny  Drinkwater announced his retirement in 2023

Danny Drinkwater announced his retirement in 2023

Even though he was the Premier League champion as recently as 2015–16, Danny Drinkwater, who is still in his early 30s, has disclosed that he works construction sites.

After winning a title with the Foxes, the Englishman was able to move to Chelsea, but he had difficulty adjusting to life at Stamford Bridge. He decided to put up his boots after a string of disappointing seasons with the Blues, during which he was loaned out to several different clubs.

Drinkwater, who is only 33 years old, announced his retirement from football on October 30, 2023. It appears he has been busy since announcing his resignation, having started a new career.

He had only played 75 times in the previous six years at the time of his retirement. After missing a whole season without a club, he said, “It’s probably been a long time coming.” with that in mind.

It’s encouraging to see that Drinkwater has discovered a passion project for himself outside of the sport that formerly shaped his identity. He’s not the first former player to make a career transition either; Phil Mulryne, a former player for Manchester United, gave up playing football to become a priest.

Danny Drinkwater Was Trolled For Changing Career Paths

Danny Drinkwater was trolled for leaving football.

Danny Drinkwater was trolled for leaving football.

In response to people who made fun of his unconventional career decision after retiring from football, Danny Drinkwater has released another statement.

The 34-year-old midfielder, who spent two years without a club, announced his retirement from professional football last year. He had previously played for Chelsea and Leicester City.

After having trouble with his form and fitness, Drinkwater, a former England international who appeared in three international matches, was let go by Chelsea in 2022.

The former midfield player is actively involved in the reconstruction process; he recently uploaded a photo of himself to Instagram while working on a site, which drew criticism from some quarters.

“F***** h*** Danny you’ve hit rock bottom [crying face emoji],” one Instagram user wrote in response to a photo he posted of himself with the message, “On site today.” Some of these messages, behave,” Drinkwater retorted quickly. I enjoy working on sites when grafting. It’s an option.

As evidence that he has no regrets whatsoever about his new career, he has since released a second answer to his detractors.

In a video that he uploaded to his Instagram account, Drinkwater was seen leaving the construction site for lunch with two coworkers in the front of a vehicle.

Danny Drinkwater’s Dynamic Playstyle

Danny Drinkwater was a midfielder for Chelsea.

Danny Drinkwater was a midfielder for Chelsea.

Throughout his career, English football player Danny Drinkwater mostly played as a box-to-box midfielder. Drinkwater was renowned for his efficient ground coverage. He made a contribution on defense as well as offense, switching between the two positions with ease.

Drinkwater could see well and was accurate enough to pass. His well-timed passes facilitated offensive maneuvers and produced scoring opportunities.

Playing accurate long balls was one of his strong suits; he would frequently launch them to locate teammates in advanced positions or to switch plays. He had a strong long-range kick, and he occasionally caught opponents off guard with goals scored from outside the penalty area.

What Is Danny Drinkwater’s Net Worth and Salary?

Danny Drinkwater was a Premier League champion who was set to become a soccer celebrity after being sold for $45 million. Then something unexpected happened in his life.

Formerly, Danny Drinkwater’s career represented the pinnacle of football achievement. Drinkwater sprang to prominence as a key player in Leicester City’s incredible 2016 Premier League title victory, and his name has since come to represent hard work and success.

Due to the midfielder’s outstanding performances, Chelsea were interested in him and made a high-profile deal of £35 million ($45 million) in 2017. But what first appeared to be a springboard to even bigger things suddenly descended into a roller coaster of bad luck, ailments, and off-field problems.

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Lina Khatiwada

Lina Khatiwada

Lina is an experienced writer and passionate sports fan who is committed to providing sports fans all over the world with the most recent information, and biography. Lina, who has a passion for all things sports-related, blends her writing abilities with her in-depth understanding of football to produce interesting articles.
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Player Info

Full Name

Daniel Noel Drinkwater

Nickname

"Danny"

Date Of Birth

March 5, 2024

Place Of Birth

Manchester

Nationality

British

Ethnicity

White

Height

1.78 m

Marital Status

Single

Parents

Mother – N/A

Father – N/A

Instagram

Twitter

Professional Career

Current Team

Retired/ Chelsea

Club Jersey Num

6

National Team

England

Youth Team(s)

Huddersfield Town,

 Cardiff City,

 Watford and Barnsley

Position(s)

Midfielder

Preferred Foot

Right

Playing Style

Controls the game

Market Value

20 Million Euros

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