Harry Souttar
Harry James Souttar is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Stoke City and the Australia national team.
Souttar began his career with Dundee United, making three first team appearances, before joining Stoke in September 2016. He has also played for Ross County on loan.
Born in Scotland to an Australian mother, Souttar previously represented Scotland at youth levels before making his debut for the Australia under-23 team, followed by the senior team, in 2019.
Early life
Souttar was born in Aberdeen and attended Luthermuir Primary School and Mearns Academy in Laurencekirk. He played youth football for Brechin City Boys Club and was attached to Celtic before joining the academy at Dundee United in July 2013.His older brother John is also a professional footballer and is the vice captain of Heart of Midlothian. Their mother Heather is Australian.
Club career
Dundee United
Souttar played for the Dundee United development team, including alongside his brother John in February 2015. Having featured in a number of match day squads and having been listed as a substitute for the first team, Souttar signed a contract extension in December 2015, tying him to Dundee United until May 2018. He made his first team debut against Partick Thistle in a Scottish Premiership match on 10 May 2016 and scored his first senior goal against Kilmarnock four days later.English Premier League club Stoke City became interested in signing Souttar, and although Dundee United rejected two bids to buy the player during June 2016, it was reported during August 2016 that the clubs had agreed an initial £200,000 fee for his transfer.
Stoke City
Despite an agreement for Souttar's transfer to Stoke City having been reached before the end of the transfer window on 31 August, completion was delayed pending FIFA approval due to the player being under 18 years old. He officially joined Stoke on 29 September 2016, signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Souttar made his Stoke debut on 23 August 2017 in a 4–0 EFL Cup win over Rochdale.After signing a new contract with Stoke, Souttar joined Scottish Premiership side Ross County on 24 January 2018 until the end of the season. He played 13 times for the Staggies but was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Scottish Championship.
On 30 January 2019 Souttar joined EFL League One side Fleetwood Town on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. Souttar played 11 times for Fleetwood, scoring once against Accrington Stanley.
Souttar re-joined Fleetwood on loan for the 2019–20 season. Souttar played regularly under Joey Barton in 2019–20 and performances earned him the EFL Young Player of the Month award for February 2020. The League One season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the table was decided via points per game which saw Fleetwood quality for the EFL League One play-offs in sixth place, where they faced Wycombe Wanderers and lost 6–3 on aggregate.
International career
Souttar made his debut for the Scotland under-17 team against Romania in February 2015. On 6 March 2019 he was called up to the Australia national under-23 soccer team.On 10 October 2019 he debuted for the Australian national team in a World Cup qualifier against Nepal, and scored twice in a 5–0 win; the fourth goal was initially recorded as a Nepalese own goal, but eventually was awarded to Souttar by FIFA. Souttar would go on to score two more goals for Australia in a 7–1 win against Chinese Taipei in his second game for the national team.
Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
. Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each of his goal.No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
1 | 10 October 2019 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia | 1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
2 | 10 October 2019 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia | 1 | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
3 | 15 October 2019 | National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan | 2 | 5–1 | 7–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
4 | 15 October 2019 | National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan | 2 | 7–1 | 7–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |