At just 22 years of age, Nathan Collins is already making a name for himself in the world of football.
The centre back is already playing for English Premier League teams and is expected to start for the Republic of Ireland team tonight in their away game against France.
He was bought by English team Brentford in July for £23 million, which broke the Irish transfer record, making him the most expensive Irish player in history.
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Family connection to footballNathan was born in Leixlip in Kildare and attended secondary school at Confey College.
His family have a long history with football in Ireland. His grandfather Michael captained Transport FC, a football club mainly made up of staff from CIE, to the FAI Cup in 1950.
Nathan's father Dave played with Liverpool and Oxford United in England, and played alongside Roy Keane on the Republic of Ireland's Under 21s team.
His older brother Josh previously played for UCD and Waterford in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
His uncle Eamonn also played for English teams, including Southampton and Portsmouth. He then went on to become the manager of St Patrick's Athletic football club back home.
The later became a football agent and he currently represents Nathan.
Nathan's other uncle Mick played for St Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk FC, before he became a scout at Manchester City for 20 years. Mick's son and Nathan's cousin Mikey is also an ex-footballer who played for Liverpool in his youth career before playing in Sweden, Italy, Cyprus and Holland, as well as representing Ireland up to U21 level.
“We had every cap up to the U21s, but we were always missing the one senior cap for our family name,” Nathan told Brentford FC.
“We’ve all been born into it; it’s all we’ve ever known,” he said. “It’s my life and always will be. I understood the game a lot and my Dad helped me out a lot, so I could notice things quicker."
Republic of Ireland careerNathan made his under 17s debut for the national team back in 2016, later making captain. His first senior game was a 2021 friendly match against Qatar in the Aviva Stadium.
Nathan has been capped 14 times for Ireland so far in his career, and is the Republic of Ireland’s 2022/23 Player of the Year.
“There’s nothing better than playing for Ireland, I love it so much. I’d do anything and fight through any injury to play for my country," he told Brentford FC recently.
“It’s been a tough year, we’ve had some tough results, but I’ve still loved every minute of it. I want to get better and play for Ireland as long as I can.”
In 2016, he left home aged 15 to join Stoke City FC. Despite his young age, Nathan says he wasn't phased, adding that he loved every minute of it.
In June 2021, he moved to Burnley, despite having offers from bigger clubs. Just over a year later, Nathan moved clubs again, this time to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
This summer the Kildare native moved to Burnley in West London. “It’s a really hard-working club, a humble club, and it comes from a good place. That’s what I am, that’s what my family is, and that’s what made me feel comfortable," he said.
He has signed a six year contract with the club. Nathan said he hopes this will give him some stability. “I don’t like the fact that I’ve moved, and I don’t want to be that person.
"I’m in a good place. My family are happy, and my brother lives 20 minutes down the road, so it feels like home already.”
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