Harry Maguire has played for Manchester United since 2019.
The
Manchester United star has revealed why he decided to change his name when he was 18 years old.
The 32-year-old came up through the youth system of Sheffield United before playing for clubs such as Hull City, Wigan Athletic and Leicester City. After a string of impressive performances for Leicester, Maguire attracted interest from all over the country, but he eventually signed for Manchester United in a deal worth £80 million.
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Maguire was at the time the world’s most expensive defender.
Since then, Maguire has played 254 football games for the Red Devils and scored 17 goals.
The defender has also become one of the most recognizable figures in English football, with 64 caps for England.
Despite receiving a lot of criticism during his time at Old Trafford, Maguire has returned to form in recent months and earned the trust of manager Ruben Amorim.
Recently, Maguire revealed that his original birth name was actually Jacob Harry Maguire, but that he decided to change it when he turned 18.
Maguire told TNT Sports: “My mum decided to call me Jacob Harry [Maguire] when I was born. After three months, people started calling me Jakey. She didn’t like it, so she switched to Harry Jacob [Maguire].”
He continued: “But she couldn’t change it on my passport until I turned 18. As soon as I turned 18, I changed it, so it’s now officially Harry Jacob.”
Maguire is not the only English star to have changed his name. Former goalkeeper Joe Hart was born as Charles Joseph John Hart but chose to use Joe to separate himself from his father.
The current first goalkeeper for the England national team, Jordan Pickford, was actually named Pigford, but his father changed his surname to prevent his son from being bullied.
Maguire was back in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon when United faced Tottenham Hotspur in North London in a dramatic game that ended 2 – 2. He was also asked what happens after he retires. The answer was he did not know, but that he is in the process of getting a 1 license.
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