Liam Cooper

Cooper was born in Kingston upon Hull and attended Malet Lambert school.{{Cite news |date=27 August 2008 |title=Breaking news: Cooper called up for Tigers |work=Hull Daily Mail |url=http://www.sporthull.co.uk/football/hull_city/tigers_news/displayarticle.php?ID=8095 |access-date=27 August 2008}}{{Cite magazine |date=September 2008 |title=Liam Cooper |magazine=City Magazine |issue=37 |page=50}} His paternal grandfather John hailed from Bo'ness in Scotland. His father David and brother Joe work on the Pilot boats on the Humber Estuary.{{Cite news |date=6 September 2020 |title=Leeds United's Liam Cooper reaping rewards of hard graft with his arrival in Premier League |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/leeds-uniteds-liam-cooper-reaping-rewards-of-hard-graft-with-his-arrival-in-premier-league-3pggqmwbq |access-date=31 January 2021}}

Growing up, his father was a West Ham United fan and would take him to games, while the rest of his family were Hull City supporters. Liam, however, supported Leeds United.{{Cite news |date=22 June 2020 |title=Player says father West Ham Fan, but he supports Leeds|work=HITC |url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/04/09/player-says-father-west-ham-united-fan-but-he-supports-leeds-uni/ |access-date=31 January 2021}}

In March 2020, Cooper opened his own Football Academy for youngsters aged 4–14.{{Cite web|last=Reynolds|first=Louis|date=2019-12-19|title=Liam Cooper commits to project away from Leeds United ahead of 2020|url=https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/liam-cooper-commits-to-project-away-from-leeds-united-ahead-of-2020/|access-date=2021-03-12|website=Football League World|language=en-GB}}

Cooper joined his hometown club Hull City in 2002 at under-12 level. He was in the youth team that won the Football League Youth Alliance Cup Final against Colchester 3–0, scoring the opening goal but later being sent off for a deliberate handball.{{Cite web |date=29 April 2008 |title=City Youngsters Win Cup After 3–0 Win |url=http://www.hull.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=107744 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212122919/http://www.hull.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=107744 |archive-date=12 February 2012 |access-date=15 March 2010 |publisher=Hull City A.F.C.}}

During the 2007–08 season, he was given the number 37 shirt but failed to make any appearances as the Tigers went on to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history. He made his debut as 16-year-old for the club against Swansea City in the League Cup on 26 August 2008 and featured as an unused substitute in their Premier League defeat to Wigan Athletic four days later after signing his first professional contract.{{Cite news |date=30 August 2008 |title=Cooper Signs Professional Contract |publisher=Hull City A.F.C. |url=http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10338~1379752,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=12 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217194951/http://www.hullcityafc.net/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10338~1379752%2C00.html |archive-date=17 February 2012}} A year later, he would make his first Premier League start on 26 September 2009 at Anfield in a 6–1 defeat to Liverpool.{{Cite web |last=Stevenson |first=Jonathan |date=26 September 2009 |title=Liverpool 6–1 Hull |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8270616.stm |access-date=19 September 2009 |website=BBC Sport}}

Over the following three years, Cooper would find his opportunities limited at Hull and spent brief periods out on loan at Carlisle United and Huddersfield Town in 2011.{{Cite news |date=10 January 2011 |title=Carlisle United sign Liam Cooper and Liam Noble |work=BBC Sport |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/carlisle_united/9355488.stm |access-date=10 January 2011}}{{Cite news |date=8 July 2011 |title=Town Sign Cooper on Season Loan |publisher=Huddersfield Town F.C |url=http://www.htafc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10312~2388472,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711135523/http://www.htafc.com/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10312~2388472%2C00.html |archive-date=11 July 2011}} He briefly returned to the first team under Nick Barmby to form a solid partnership with James Chester in March 2012 for the rest of the season following an injury to Jack Hobbs. When Barmby departed for Steve Bruce in the summer of 2012, he was replaced by the new manager's son Alex.{{Cite news |date=22 December 2017 |title=From Hull City boy wonder to Leeds United captain: How bitter rejection was the making of Liam Cooper |work=Hull Daily Mail|url=https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hull-city-golden-boy-leeds-962571 |access-date=31 January 2021}}

Cooper joined League Two side Chesterfield in November 2012. He made his debut in a 6–1 win over Hartlepool United in the FA Cup,{{Cite news |date=3 November 2012 |title=Chesterfield 6–1 Hartlepool United |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/20107680 |access-date=31 January 2021}} and scored on his league debut two weeks later in a 2–1 victory over Oxford United.{{Cite news |date=16 November 2012 |title=Chesterfield 2–1 Oxford United |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20278299 |access-date=14 June 2014}} The 2012–13 season was Cooper's first year of playing regular professional football, making 31 appearances in all competitions as the Spireites narrowly missed out on a play–off spot.

The 2013–14 would prove to be a memorable campaign for both Cooper and Chesterfield under manager Paul Cook. The club reached the 2014 Football League Trophy Final and played at Wembley Stadium, but ultimately lost 3–1 to Peterborough United in front of more than 35,000 fans.{{Cite web |date=30 March 2014 |title=Spireites Defeated at Wembley |url=http://www.chesterfield-fc.co.uk/news/article/20140330-jpt-final-report-1455918.aspx |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614210322/http://www.chesterfield-fc.co.uk/news/article/20140330-jpt-final-report-1455918.aspx |archive-date=14 June 2014 |access-date=14 June 2014 |publisher=Chesterfield F.C.}} In the league, Cooper formed a formidable partnership with Ian Evatt as the team won the division and were promoted to League One. At the end of the season, Cooper was named in the PFA Team of the Year along with three other Chesterfield players.{{Cite web |date=27 April 2014 |title=League Two Team of the Year 2014 |url=http://www.thepfa.com/thepfa/pfaawards/l2-team-of-the-year-2014 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528011526/http://www.thepfa.com/thepfa/pfaawards/l2-team-of-the-year-2014 |archive-date=28 May 2014 |access-date=14 June 2014 |publisher=The PFA Official Website}}

File:Liam_Cooper.jpg season]]

Cooper came to the attention of Leeds United after impressing Sporting Director Nicola Salerno in a 2–2 preseason draw at the b2net Stadium in the summer of 2014. After weeks of negotiations, Leeds agreed a deal for £600,000 plus add-ons relating to appearances, a future sale and promotion; with Cooper joining the club on 13 August.{{cite news |date=17 June 2020 |title=The inside story of Liam Cooper's move to Leeds United and how Chesterfield could benefit from Whites promotion |publisher=The Derbyshire Times |url=https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/sport/football/inside-story-liam-coopers-move-leeds-united-and-how-chesterfield-could-benefit-whites-promotion-2887365 |access-date=31 January 2021}} (After winning promotion to the Premier League in 2020, the Spireites received an additional £150,000 from the sale.){{Cite news |date=12 August 2020 |title=New Chesterfield FC owners "very disappointed" after missing out on six-figure sum from Liam Cooper's Leeds United Premier League promotion |publisher=The Derbyshire Times |url=https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/sport/football/new-chesterfield-fc-owners-very-disappointed-after-missing-out-six-figure-sum-liam-coopers-leeds-united-premier-league-promotion-2939977 |access-date=31 January 2021}}

He made his debut three days later at home to Middlesbrough in a 1–0 win, before being made club captain by Neil Redfearn midway through his first season. He would struggle for consistency under a succession of managers, losing his starting place to Sol Bamba and later to Pontus Jansson, but would still go on to make over 100 appearances during his first four seasons with the club. During a period of 30 games between 2017 and 2018, Cooper was sent off three times and received another six game ban for a stamp on Reading defender Reece Oxford.{{Cite web |date=5 April 2017 |title=Liam Cooper: Leeds United defender banned for six matches for 'stamp' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39502877 |access-date=15 April 2017 |website=BBC Sport}} His propensity to be a liability in games earned him the disparaging nickname 'League One Liam' among Leeds fans at the time, but Cooper remained a highly respected captain amongst his teammates.{{Cite news |date=25 December 2019 |title=Liam Cooper exclusive: 'Before Bielsa, we accepted being mediocre. The fanbase expected it. We won't let it go back to being like that' |publisher=The Athletic|url=https://theathletic.co.uk/1473511/2019/12/26/liam-cooper-exclusive-before-bielsa-we-accepted-being-mediocre-the-fanbase-expected-it-we-wont-let-it-go-back-to-being-like-that/ |access-date=31 January 2021}} He kept hold of the captaincy during Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom's time as manager in the 2017–18 campaign, who would be his 7th and 8th manager respectively at the club in less than four years.

Cooper retained the captaincy after the shock appointment of the world renowned Marcelo Bielsa as Head Coach in the summer of 2018. In Bielsa's first game, he scored the third goal in a comprehensive 3–1 victory over promotion favourites Stoke City, as Leeds ascended to the top of the Championship by Christmas.{{Cite web |date=5 August 2018 |title=Leeds Impress To Beat Stoke In Opener |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44995752 |website=BBC Sport}} Leeds would eventually lose out on automatic promotion to Norwich City and Sheffield United as their form dipped in the second half of the 2018–2019 campaign, before losing 4–3 on aggregate to Derby County in the play-offs.{{Cite news |date=15 May 2019 |title=Derby stun Leeds to reach play-off final |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48196167 |access-date=10 December 2020}} In spite of a disappointing end to a season that had long looked so promising, Cooper was widely perceived to be one of the most improved players in the team under the new head coach, and was included in the EFL Championship Team of the Season, EFL Team of the Season,{{Cite web |date=26 March 2019 |title=EFL Awards 2019: Shortlists revealed |url=https://www.efl.com/news/2019/march/efl-awards-2019-shortlists-revealed/ |access-date=28 March 2019 |publisher=EFL}} as well at the PFA's Championship Team of the Season with teammates Pontus Jansson and Pablo Hernández.{{Cite web |date=26 March 2019 |title=EFL awards: Che Adams, Teemu Pukki & Billy Sharp on Championship shortlist |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47710254 |access-date=28 March 2019 |website=BBC Sport}}

The 2019–2020 marked Leeds' centenary year and Cooper's sixth season with the club. He would sign a new five-year deal with the club in September, and would be present at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 to collect the FIFA Fair Play Award on behalf of Bielsa and the Leeds United team for allowing Aston Villa to score an uncontested goal in the previous season.{{Cite web |date=11 September 2019 |title=Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas: Leeds United pair sign new deals |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49664069 |access-date=13 September 2019 |website=BBC Sport}}{{Cite web |date=23 September 2019 |title=Messi, Rapinoe Crowned The Best in Milan |url=https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa-football-awards/news/messi-rapinoe-crowned-the-best-in-milan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923222647/https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa-football-awards/news/messi-rapinoe-crowned-the-best-in-milan |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 September 2019 |access-date=23 September 2019 |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association}} On the pitch, the team's nine–point lead at Christmas in the automatic promotion zone was completely eroded by the beginning of February after a run of four defeats in five games.{{Cite web |date=8 February 2020 |title=Nottingham Forest 2–0 Leeds United|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51268162 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=BBC Sport}} With questions again being asked of Leeds' ability to maintain the form over the course of a full season, Cooper would score a crucial equaliser in a 1–1 draw in the following game against promotion rivals Brentford.{{Cite web |date=11 February 2020 |title=Brentford 1–1 Leeds United|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51366546 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=BBC Sport}} It would later transpire that Cooper's son had been in hospital for three days prior to the game and there were doubts over whether he would play at all.{{Cite web |date=9 September 2020 |title=Bielsa and the long-awaited return to the Premier League|url=https://www.skysports.com/football/story-telling/11095/12067350/leeds-fall-and-rise-pt3-marcelo-bielsea-and-a-pl-return |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=Sky Sports}} The result proved to be a catalyst for the Yorkshire club's season, as they went on to win their next five games with Cooper being part of a defence that would also keep five clean sheets, taking the team back to the summit of the table and reestablishing a seven–point lead in the automatic promotion places.{{Cite web |date=7 March 2020 |title=Leeds United 2–0 Huddersfield|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51685139 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=BBC Sport}} The momentum building around the club with only nine games remaining would be halted six days later when the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web |date=13 March 2020 |title=Coronavirus: Premier League and EFL suspended in England – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland halt games|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51867989 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=BBC Sport}}

The season would resume behind closed doors three months later in June, with Leeds' five match winning run coming to an immediate end with a 2–0 defeat to Cardiff City. Leeds would only drop two further points from the remaining eight games, as Leeds secured promotion to the Premier League on 17 July after West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town beat West Bromwich Albion 2–1, and won the Championship title the following day after Brentford failed to beat Stoke City.{{Cite web |date=17 July 2020|title=Championship: Leeds United promoted to Premier League after 16-year absence|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53449068 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=BBC Sport}} Cooper became the first Leeds United captain to win promotion since Gordon Strachan in 1990 and lifted the Championship title on 22 July after a 4–0 win over Charlton Athletic on the final day of the season, immortalising himself in the club's history.{{Cite web |date=22 July 2020 |title=Leeds United 4–0 Charlton|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53412707 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=BBC Sport}} He would also retain his place in the PFA Team of the Year.{{cite web |url=https://www.thepfa.com/thepfa/pfa-awards |title=PFA AWARDS 2019/20 |publisher=PFA |date=8 September 2020 |access-date=23 September 2020}}

Cooper missed Leeds' first Premier League game for 16 years in a 4–3 away defeat to Liverpool on the opening day of the season after picking up an injury. In the following match, he made his first Premier League start since September 2009 in a 4–3 win over Fulham. The period between stands at 10 years, 359 days was a league record for the greatest length of time between starts.{{Cite web |date=21 September 2021 |title=The Premier League record Liam Cooper set in Leeds United's win over Fulham|url=https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/premier-league-record-liam-cooper-18968401 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=Leeds Live}} The following game against Sheffield United also marked his 200th appearance with the club and the first player to reach that number of games since Luciano Becchio in 2012. Cooper joins a select group of just 70 players{{Cite web|url=http://www.lufctalk.com/stats/club-200/|title=Leeds United Club 200|work=LUFCTALK STATS & HISTORY|access-date=2021-02-17|language=en}} that have made over 200 appearances for the club, including current teammate Stuart Dallas who also hit the milestone later in that season.

On 6 August 2023, Cooper scored the team's first goal on the opening day of Leeds' 2023–24 Championship league campaign, a 2–2 home draw with Cardiff City, injuring his knee in the process, which kept him out of the team until his 20 September return as a second-half substitute against Hull City.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66352124|title=Leeds United 2-2 Cardiff City|website=BBC Sport |last=Pritchard|first=Dafyyd|date=6 August 2023|access-date=19 September 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66793443|title=Hull City 0-0 Leeds United|website=BBC Sport|date=20 September 2023|access-date=20 September 2023}}

Cooper was eligible to represent England, having been born in Kingston upon Hull, and Scotland through his paternal grandfather who was born in Bo'ness, West Lothian.{{Cite news |date=6 September 2020 |title=Leeds United's Liam Cooper reaping rewards of hard graft with his arrival in Premier League|work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/leeds-uniteds-liam-cooper-reaping-rewards-of-hard-graft-with-his-arrival-in-premier-league-3pggqmwbq |access-date=31 January 2021}} During his time in the youth team at Hull City, he chose to represent Scotland and made his debut at under-17 level in March 2008, before going on to play for the under-19s in 2009.{{Cite web |title=Yahoo UK & Ireland – Sports News | Live Scores | Results |url=https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/ |website=uk.sports.yahoo.com}}

Cooper received his first call-up to the senior Scotland squad on 10 March 2016 for a friendly against Denmark,{{Cite web |date=10 March 2016 |title=Scotland: Six new call-ups for Czech Republic and Denmark friendlies |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35770855 |access-date=10 March 2016 |website=BBC Sport |publisher=BBC}} but he would have to wait for more than three years to make his debut in a 2–1 defeat to Russia on 6 September 2019.{{Cite news |date=6 September 2019 |title=Scotland 1 Russia 2 |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49519721 |access-date=21 September 2019}} He began to feature frequently for Scotland in 2020 and played 120 minutes against Israel in the UEFA Euro 2020 play-off semi final, which Scotland won 5–3 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.{{Cite news |date=8 October 2020 |title=Scotland 0–0 Israel|work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51955716 |access-date=31 January 2021}} A muscle injury meant that he would miss the final against Serbia, which Scotland again won on penalties to qualify for Euro 2020 – their first major tournament since France 98.{{Cite news |date=12 November 2020 |title=Serbia 1–1 Scotland |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54819938 |access-date=31 January 2021}} Cooper started the first game of the tournament against the Czech Republic at Hampden Park, a 2–0 defeat for Scotland.

{{updated|match played 12 April 2025}}{{soccerbase|id=49789}}

{{updated|match played 3 June 2024}}{{SFA Profile|id=141928|name=Liam Cooper}}

Chesterfield

• Football League Two: 2013–14{{cite book |editor-first=John |editor-last=Anderson |title=Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2014–2015 |year=2014 |publisher=Headline Publishing Group |location=London |isbn=978-1-4722-1251-1 |pages=124–125}}
• Football League Trophy runner-up: 2013–14{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/26703740 |title=Chesterfield 1–3 Peterborough United |first=Ian |last=Woodcock |website=BBC Sport |date=30 March 2014 |access-date=10 March 2021}}

Leeds United

• EFL Championship: 2019–20{{Cite web |date=18 July 2020 |title=Leeds United are champions! |url=https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/26806/leeds-united-are-champions |access-date=18 July 2020 |publisher=Leeds United F.C.}}

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2013–14 League Two,{{Cite news |date=28 April 2014 |title=Luis Suarez: Liverpool striker wins PFA Player of the Year award |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27180793 |access-date=23 May 2018}} 2018–19 Championship,{{Cite news |date=24 April 2019 |title=Championship: Norwich and Leeds dominate PFA selection of team of 2018–19 |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48039297 |access-date=25 April 2019}}, 2019–20 Championship{{Cite news |date=8 September 2020 |title=PFA Player of the Year: Kevin de Bruyne and Beth England named 2020 winners |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54044861 |access-date=9 September 2020}}
• EFL Team of the Season: 2018–19

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.leedsunited.com/teams/first-team/20/liam-cooper Liam Cooper profile] at Leeds United website
• {{SFA player|141928}}

{{PFC CSKA Sofia squad}}

{{Navboxes

| title = Scotland squads

| bg = #003876

| fg = #FFFFFF

| bordercolor = silver

| list1 =

{{Scotland squad UEFA Euro 2020}}

{{Scotland squad UEFA Euro 2024}}

}}

{{navboxes

| title = Awards

| bg = gold

| fg = navy

| list1 =

{{2013–14 Football League Two PFA Team of the Year}}

{{2018–19 EFL Team of the Season}}

{{2018–19 EFL Championship PFA Team of the Year}}

{{2019–20 EFL Championship PFA Team of the Year}}

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Liam}}

Category:1991 births

Category:Living people

Category:Footballers from Kingston upon Hull

Category:English men's footballers

Category:Scottish men's footballers

Category:Scotland men's youth international footballers

Category:Scotland men's international footballers

Category:Men's association football central defenders

Category:Hull City A.F.C. players

Category:Carlisle United F.C. players

Category:Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players

Category:Chesterfield F.C. players

Category:Leeds United F.C. players

Category:PFC CSKA Sofia players

Category:First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players

Category:Premier League players

Category:English Football League players

Category:UEFA Euro 2020 players

Category:UEFA Euro 2024 players

Category:English people of Scottish descent

Category:Scottish expatriate men's footballers

Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria

Category:Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria

Category:21st-century English sportsmen

Category:21st-century Scottish sportsmen