15 facts about Harry Maguire

Widely known as Harry Maguire in general public, it might come as a shock to you that his first name isn't actually Harry. His full name is Jacob Harry Maguire, but he likes to go with Harry.

With his on-field performances making waves, Maguire was not a slouch in the classroom either. His former deputy headteacher recalls him as being a very good student, academically speaking.

His former teacher, Sue Cain, said: “He had his head screwed on even at that age. He did everything you asked him to do and he never questioned why. He was popular, and he was huge."

“Even at a young age he was very tall but he has filled out since then too. He towered over the other teams. He got A* and A grades in his GCSEs."

“I think he would have gone on to study business or maths and probably would have been an accountant. He was very capable academically.”

Manchester United captain and England international Maguire played a wide variety of sports while growing up and did not focus solely on football until later on in his teenage years.

He took part in cross country and credits it for developing his stamina. He also spent some time playing rugby which helped him with his “bravery, weaving in and out of players, helping with agility” and hockey which helped his “vision and passing”.

Maguire isn't the only footballer in his family. His two brothers, Joe and Laurence, are also footballers, with Laurence playing for Chesterfield in the National League while Joe plays for Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity.

Laurence was recently selected for the England C side, a team for under-23 players who are outside the football league.

Maguire has been given a rather unflattering nickname by his former Leicester teammate, Jamie Vardy, owing to the size of his head in comparison to his body. The nickname caught on following the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

After Maguire's goal against Sweden at the World Cup, the striker gatecrashed the press conference after the game and said to his team-mate: “Hi, this is Jamie Vardy from Vardy News – what is the diameter of your head?”

During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a crazy England fan made a promise to get Maguire's face tattooed on his chest in case he scores against Sweden. Maguire indeed scored against Sweden and the fan kept his word.

This incident was brought to the England international's attention and he appreciated it and decided to gift the fan a signed England shirt.

Can’t believe what I’m seeing ... Great effort 😂 DM me and I’ll sort out a signed England shirt from the lads 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🦁 #FullyDeserved #YouMustHaveABigChest https://t.co/iF6OzQfWE4

— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) July 9, 2018

Maguire is known to be an avid golf enthusiast and often plays the sport during his free time. In fact, he is reported to have a single-figure handicap and has played in celebrity golf tournaments alongside other professional athletes.

He has also been seen playing golf with his teammates, including Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw. It is said that golf provides Maguire with a way to relax and unwind from the pressures of professional football, and he enjoys the challenge of mastering the sport.

Maguire quickly established himself as one of the most important players of the United squad following his signing in 2019. He was named the captain of the club instantly by then manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, citing his leadership skills.

The English defender player every single minute of United's 38-game campaign in the 2019-20 season, becoming the first outfield player to do so for the club since 1995.

Maguire has been a reliable figure ever since arriving at the Theater of Dreams.

On 25 April 2021, he equalled Gary Pallister's club record for playing the most number of league games without being substituted, by playing the full 90 minutes for the 71st consecutive Premier League game, in a scoreless draw against Leeds United. He couldn't break the record, however, having to be substituted in his 72nd game against Aston Villa.

Following his impressive performances for Leicester City in the Premier League, Maguire attracted interest from a lot of big clubs. He was snatched up by Manchester United in the end for a then-world-record fee of £80 million for a defender.

The Englishman surpassed Liverpool's £75 million move for Virgil van Dijk just over a year before that. He signed a six-year deal with Manchester United and quickly became integral to the team, being named as the club captain as well.

Maguire's talents were clear since his days as a Sheffield United boy. When he made his senior debut for the Blades in 2011, he was rewarded with "Player of the Year" and "Young Player of the Year" by the club in his first season as he helped them push for the promotion. He was also a part of League One's Team of The Year for 2011–12 by BBC Match of the day magazine.

In his next two seasons, he didn't slow down either. The ball playing center-back impressed again and was voted as the club's Player of the Season for the next two seasons as well.

While growing up Maguire used to look up to English legends, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, as his footballing idols and modelled his game around them.

“The two greatest centre-halves when I was growing up were John Terry and Rio Ferdinand,” said Maguire, who was speaking at his previous club Hull City in 2016/17.

“I really looked up to them, especially Rio Ferdinand, because he brought the ball out of defence really well. Very comfortable on the ball and he had a bit of everything in his prime. A great centre-half in his time.”

Maguire is now a renowned central defender but until the age of 16 he was playing as a midfielder. Sheffield United academy manager John Pemberton is the man who can take credit for Maguire’s development into a centre-back.

“I won’t play you centre midfield while I’m manager here,’” Pemberton told The Times. “As a midfielder, lots of people can do what you do. But as a centre-half, no one can do what you can do with a football."

Maguire has had his fair share of controversies as well, including his arrest and conviction for the assault of a policeman in Greece in 2020. Maguire was involved in an altercation with a police officer outside of a nightclub while on his holidays in Mykonos, Greece and was arrested and later found guilty of the same.

The 29-year-old was handed a 21-month suspended sentence for his involvement. He has appealed the verdict and is hoping to be cleared of any wrongdoing at a retrial on the neighbouring island of Syros.

Due to his appeal, Maguire does not currently have a criminal record, and he insists he is innocent of any crime. The matter is yet to be resolved completely.

However, he has since moved on and continues to focus on his football career.

Last year Manchester United ran an awareness campaign for mental health problems in an attempt for players to be more open about their struggles and to get them the necessary help needed. Club captain Maguire was announced as ambassador for the campaign.

In speaking with the club, Maguire said, “Manchester United does fantastic work in this area across the first-team, academy and in the community. I am looking forward to supporting the Academy in my role as mental health awareness month Ambassador. I know first-hand what players experience when they are developing and, as club captain, I am always there to support them as they come through the system."

“It is important that everyone feels comfortable to discuss any problems they may have and that as a society we promote good mental health for all. The awareness month provides the perfect platform to build on the work already being done to promote the mental health and wellbeing of our young players.”