Tom Heaton Biography: Football Careers, Awards, Family And Net Worth

Tom Heaton Biography: Thomas David Heaton (born April 15, 1986) is an English professional football goalkeeper who represents Premier League team Manchester United.

Heaton’s journey to football prominence began during his formative years, where he showcased his goalkeeping prowess while representing his school team. His natural ability and determination soon caught the attention of talent scouts, paving the way for his entry into the competitive world of professional football.

Early Life

Heaton, who was born in Chester, England, on April 15, 1986, began his playing career as a youth player for Wrexham, a local team. After a few months in the Wrexham setup, he switched to the youth academy of Manchester United for 2 years.

He spent time on loan with Swindon Town, Royal Antwerp, Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers, Rochdale, and Wycombe Wanderers before joining Cardiff permanently after being released by Manchester United in July 2010.

He then signed with Bristol City on a one-year contract with a second-year option but opted it down in May 2013 in favour of a move to Burnley, where he stayed for six years before joining Aston Villa in 2019. After two years at Aston Villa, he returned to Manchester United in July 2021.

Heaton did not make it into the first team at Manchester United, despite beginning his career in the academy.

Heaton was an international from under-16 to under-21, and he has been a member of senior England squads since 2015, making his senior debut against Australia on May 27, 2016.

Football Career

Manchester United

Heaton began his football career with Wrexham, where he played in goal and midfield, but after making 20 appearances for Manchester United’s Under-17 squad over the previous two seasons, he signed as a trainee on July 8, 2002.

During the 2002–03 season, he established himself as a fixture in the Under-17 team and won the FA Youth Cup despite playing second fiddle to Luke Steele throughout. He earned his reserve team debut the following season, starting in a 3-1 home win over Birmingham City in the Premier Reserve League on October 2, 2003.

Heaton was named on the bench for the Manchester Senior Cup final against Manchester City at the end of the 2003–04 season, and although he was not playing, he won a medal. Heaton had become the Manchester United reserve team’s first-choice goalkeeper by the 2004-05 season, and he was chosen to the bench for Stan Ternent’s testimonial on August 17, 2004, going on as a 76th-minute substitute for Luke Steele, who had previously replaced Tim Howard.

Heaton played in goal for 17 of the 28 Premier Reserve League North games and 12 of the 22 Central League games, and the squad won both league crowns by nine and five points. Heaton’s form for the reserves led to him being loaned out to Swindon Town at the start of the 2005–06 season, initially until January 1, 2006.

Heaton made his professional debut against Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup, and in his second league match against Yeovil Town, he saved Lee Johnson’s penalty. He appeared in almost 20 matches for Swindon and was dubbed “one for the future” by manager Iffy Onuora.

He went back to Manchester United, but after United rejected an offer from Huddersfield Town, Heaton was sent there for the rest of the season after Ritchie Jones was called up from Royal Antwerp. Heaton spent the 2007–08 season with Manchester United’s first team, appearing on the bench when Edwin van der Sar was injured.

Cardiff City (loan)

Heaton decided to sign a loan with Championship team Cardiff City for the 2008–09 campaign after the 2007–08 campaign. Manager Dave Jones selected him as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper over Peter Enckelman at the start of the season.

Except for the League Cup third-round match against Swansea City, where he was replaced by Enckelman, he played in every game until late November.

However, Heaton sustained an injury late in Cardiff’s 2-1 away defeat to Plymouth Argyle on November 22, 2008, and was forced to leave the game. The injury cost Heaton his place in the team, as the club went unbeaten for more than two months with Enckelman in goal.

Enckelman was forced to undergo knee surgery in February, and Heaton returned to goal on February 16, 2009, when he was named man of the match in a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal.

However, he tore his thigh muscle during the battle, putting him out for up to five weeks. Heaton began his return on the bench behind loanee Stuart Taylor, but after a 6-0 defeat to Preston North End, he replaced Taylor for the final three games of the season.

He was unable to maintain Cardiff in the play-offs, thus, he returned to Manchester United at the end of the season.

Aston Villa

Heaton joined newly promoted Premier League team Aston Villa on August 1, 2019, for an undisclosed sum estimated to be £8 million. On January 1, 2020, in a 2-1 victory over his former team, Burnley, Heaton sustained a season-ending knee injury. Wesley, another player on the team, also sustained a serious knee injury during the match.

In September 2020, while Heaton remained sidelined due to injury, Aston Villa secured Emiliano Martínez from Arsenal as their primary goalkeeper. Heaton resumed playing for Aston Villa U23s on November 10, 2020, during a 2-2 draw against Burnley U23s in the Premier League 2.

Heaton made his first-team debut following his injury on December 26, 2020, as an unused substitute in a 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace. On May 28, 2021, it was confirmed that Heaton would leave Aston Villa at the end of his contract.

Return to Manchester United

After being released by Aston Villa, Heaton agreed to return to Manchester United on July 2, 2021, 11 years after leaving them. He agreed to a two-year contract with a one-year extension option.

Heaton made his first-team debut on December 8, 2021, replacing Dean Henderson in the 68th minute of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League encounter against Young Boys.

Heaton began his first match for United in the EFL Cup against Charlton Athletic on January 10, 2023, and kept a clean sheet as United won 3-0 to advance to the semi-finals.

On February 1, 2023, he started the second leg of the semi-final against Nottingham Forest, keeping another clean sheet as his club won 2-0 on the night (5-0 on aggregate) and advanced to the final.

International career

After playing for England at several youth levels, manager Stuart Pearce gave Heaton his England under-21 debut in March 2008, replacing Joe Hart as a substitute in a match against Poland.

However, he was not named to the final roster for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Heaton received his first call-up to the England senior team on May 21, 2015, ahead of a friendly against the Republic of Ireland and a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Slovenia.

Heaton continued to be named to Roy Hodgson’s squads before making his debut as an 87th-minute substitute for Fraser Forster in England’s Euro 2016 warm-up match against Australia at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. He was included in the squad for the 2016 UEFA Euro and wore number 23.

On May 16, 2018, he was named as one of five standby players for England’s 23-man FIFA World Cup team. Heaton was also a member of the side that came in third in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League finals in Portugal, England’s best major international result since UEFA Euro 1968.

Awards

FA Youth Cup winner (2003)
Championship Player of the Season (2014–15)
Burnley Player of the Year (2014–15)

Family

He got married to Taralee Heaton, and they have two children together.

Tom Heaton Net Worth

Tom Heaton is a young player, and football has contributed significantly to his earnings. The player’s net worth is expected to be £10 million in 2023.