Kevin Kilbane is an Irish professional football player, born on February 1, 1977 in Preston, England. His brother, Farrell Kilbane is also a professional footballer who plays for Conference North club Fleetwood Town.
Kevin Kilbane represents Ireland at the international level and has won nine caps for the Republic of Ireland U-21 side and scored once. On September 9, 1997, Kevin Kilbane won his first international cap for the senior side in a match against Iceland. He was also included in Ireland team that played at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Kevin Kilbane scored his first international goal on October 11, 2006 in a match against Czech Republic. As of 2008, he has won 89 international caps for his national side, scoring 7 goals and is one of the pivotal members in the national squad.
After coming through the youth system at Deepdale, Kevin Kilbane began his professional football career with the Preston North End football club. During his tenure at this club, he has played 48 games for them and has 3 goals to his credit. In 1997, he moved to West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £1 million and has appeared in 106 matches for the club and has scored 15 goals during his stint with the club.
In 1999, Kevin Kilbane was signed by the Sunderland A.F.C. for a transfer fee worth £2.5 million. He made an impressive debut for this club by helping his team to win a match against Southampton. At the beginning of the 2002-03 season, Kevin Kilbane moved to the Everton football club. During his tenure at this club, he showed great versatility by playing in different positions that include left-back, midfield or in the left-wing position depending upon the strategy of the team. At Everton, he made a total of 104 appearances and scored 4 goals.
On August 31, 2006, Kevin Kilbane signed to play for the Wigan Athletic football club on a three-year deal that worth £2 million approximately. He scored the first goal for this club with a powerful header on April 15, 2007, in their 3-3 draw against the Tottenham Hotspur football club. With an impressive first season at this club, he won the Wiganer.net's Player of The Season Award. As of 2008, he has played 66 games for the club and has scored two goals.
To his fans, Kevin Kilbane is known by his nickname “KilBAM”.
