Damien Duff, nicknamed ‘Duffer’, is an international footballer who was born on March 2, 1979 in Ballyboden, Republic of Ireland. At junior level, Damien Duff played for his country in the 1997 and 1999 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Youth Championship and in 1998 made his senior debut against Czech Republic. He played every game for his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and was also voted the Irish Player of the Tournament.
In 1992, Damien Duff started his career with the St. Kevin’s Boys football club and in 1996, he joined Blackburn Rovers as a trainee. He made his debut for the club at the age of 18 against Leicester City on the final day of the 1996-97 season. In the summer of 2002, he signed a new four-year contract with the club. He carried his good form in the 2002-03 season and finished top goal scorer for Rovers with 11 goals to his credit. Later in 2003, Chelsea signed him for a transfer fee of £17m, at the time the club’s record transfer fee. In his first season with the club, Damien Duff scored 8 goals in 29 appearances. In the 2004-05 season, he scored 10 goals including a crucial goal in the 4-2 win over Barcelona at the Champions League. His team won the Premiership title and the Carling Cup in which Damien Duff scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the semi-final. He played 30 games in the 2005-06 season in which his team won the second consecutive Premier League title.
On July 23, 2006, Damien Duff joined Newcastle United on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of £5m. He made his debut in a friendly match against PSV Eindhoven on July 29, 2006 and in August 2006, he had his first competitive start in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup match against FK Ventspils. On September 17, 2006, he scored his first goal in the 2-0 win over West Ham United. On January 16, 2008, in the first match after Kevin Keegan’s reappointment as the club’s manager, Damien Duff scored the club’s fourth goal in the 4-1 win over FA Cup opposition Stoke City. On July 19, 2008, in the first preseason match of the 2008-09 season, Damien Duff scored a hat trick against League One opposition Hartlepool United to win the match 4-1.
