History of Adam Johnson (footballer) in Timeline

Adam Johnson is a former English professional footballer who played as a winger. He emerged from Middlesbrough's youth system, debuting at 17 in a UEFA Cup match. Johnson made 120 appearances for Middlesbrough and had loan spells with Leeds United and Watford.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

July 1987: Adam Johnson's Birth

On July 1987, Adam Johnson, the English professional footballer, was born.

1995: Attended Newcastle United's Centre of Excellence

In 1995, Adam Johnson attended Newcastle United's Centre of Excellence.

1997: Left Newcastle United's Centre of Excellence

In 1997, Adam Johnson left Newcastle United's Centre of Excellence.

2003: Won FA Youth Cup

In 2003, Adam Johnson and his Middlesbrough teammates won the FA Youth Cup.

March 2005: Senior Debut in UEFA Cup

On 17 March 2005, Adam Johnson made his senior debut for Middlesbrough at age 17 in a UEFA Cup match against Sporting CP.

May 2006: First Goal for Middlesbrough

In May 2006, Adam Johnson scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in a Premier League match against Bolton Wanderers.

June 2006: Signed New Contract

On June 30, 2006, Adam Johnson signed a new four-year contract extension with Middlesbrough.

October 2006: Joined Leeds United on Loan

On 16 October 2006, Adam Johnson joined Leeds United on a month-long loan.

September 2007: Joined Watford on Loan

In September 2007, Adam Johnson joined Championship club Watford on a three-month loan.

2008: Scored Against Manchester City

In the final match of the 2008 season, Adam Johnson scored in Middlesbrough's 8-1 victory over Manchester City.

2009: Important Part of Boro's Championship Team

In 2009, Adam Johnson became an important part of Boro's Championship team. He scored three of Boro's five goals in the first three matches.

2009: UEFA U21 Championships

In 2009, Adam Johnson was called up for the England under-21 team at the UEFA U21 Championships in Sweden. He had previously scored once in qualification and in the qualification play-offs against Wales U21s. During the tournament, he started in two group stage matches, won man of the match against Germany, and converted his penalty in the semi-final shoot-out against Sweden.

2009: Transfer Rumours

In 2009, Adam Johnson was subject to transfer rumours but chose not to extend his contract with Middlesbrough.

February 2010: Move to Manchester City

In February 2010, Adam Johnson moved to Manchester City.

February 2010: Named in senior England squad

In late February 2010, Adam Johnson was named in the senior England squad for the first time in Fabio Capello's 30-man shortlist for a friendly against Egypt, though he didn't make the final 23.

September 2010: First international goal

On September 3, 2010, Adam Johnson scored his first international goal for England against Bulgaria in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier, which England won 4–0.

December 2010: Death of Dale Roberts

On December 14, 2010, Dale Roberts, who played as a goalkeeper and attended school and academies with Adam Johnson, died by suicide, which Johnson described as "the worst day of my life".

December 2010: Scored Winner Against Blackpool

On New Year's Day in December 2010, Adam Johnson scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win against Blackpool and dedicated it to Dale Roberts.

October 2011: Scored and Assisted Against Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 26 October 2011, Adam Johnson scored and got an assist in a 5–2 League Cup win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

2011: FA Cup Win

In 2011, Adam Johnson won the FA Cup with Manchester City.

2011: Won FA Cup With Manchester City

In 2011, Adam Johnson won the FA Cup with Manchester City.

February 2012: Capello resigns, Pearce takes charge

In February 2012, Fabio Capello resigned as England coach, and Stuart Pearce took temporary charge. Johnson started Pearce's only match as manager.

May 2012: Hodgson does not select Johnson

In May 2012, when Roy Hodgson took over as England manager, Adam Johnson was not selected in the 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2012, but was named on standby.

August 2012: Signed by Sunderland

On 24 August 2012, Adam Johnson signed with his hometown team Sunderland on a four-year contract for £10 million.

2012: UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifier

In 2012, Adam Johnson made five appearances in qualifying as England progressed to the finals of UEFA Euro 2012.

2012: Signed By Sunderland

In 2012, Adam Johnson was signed by his hometown club Sunderland for £10 million.

April 2013: Goal Against Newcastle

In April 2013, Adam Johnson scored a goal against Newcastle.

2013: Goal against Milton Keynes Dons and suffered form

In 2013, Adam Johnson scored a goal against Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup. His form suffered.

January 2014: Scored Hat-Trick and Named Player of the Month

In January 2014, Adam Johnson scored his first career hat-trick against Fulham and was named Premier League Player of the Month.

December 2014: Social media communication with minor

In December 2014, Adam Johnson began communicating over social media with a 15-year-old female fan while his partner was pregnant.

2014: First goal of the season

In 2014, Adam Johnson's first goal of the season came against Birmingham City in the League Cup.

January 2015: Birth of daughter

In January 2015, Adam Johnson's daughter was born with his then partner Stacey Flounders.

March 2015: Arrested and Charged

In March 2015, Adam Johnson was arrested and charged over sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.

March 2015: Suspended by Sunderland

On 2 March 2015, Adam Johnson was immediately suspended by Sunderland after his arrest on suspicion of having sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.

March 2015: Arrested on suspicion of sexual activity

On March 2, 2015, Adam Johnson was arrested by Durham Police on suspicion of having sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.

May 2015: Confession to Sunderland CEO

In May 2015, Adam Johnson claimed in court that he had confessed to Sunderland chief executive Margaret Byrne. Byrne resigned in March 2016.

May 2015: Allegations of Knowledge of Guilt

In May 2015, allegations arose that Sunderland had seen documents suggesting Adam Johnson acknowledged his guilt, leading to scrutiny of manager Sam Allardyce's decision to continue selecting Johnson during his bail.

May 2015: Admitted to kissing girl

In May 2015, during Adam Johnson's trial, he claimed that he admitted to Sunderland that he had kissed the girl and sent her sexually explicit messages.

August 2015: Picked up an injury

In August 2015, Adam Johnson picked up an injury, putting him out for two months.

September 2015: Trial date set and moved

In September 2015, Adam Johnson's initial trial date in Durham was set but later moved to February 2016 at Bradford Crown Court.

October 2015: Allardyce Joins Sunderland

Sam Allardyce joined Sunderland as manager in October 2015, later facing scrutiny for continuing to select Johnson during his bail.

2015: Scored Against Manchester City

On New Year's Day 2015, Adam Johnson scored a penalty against Manchester City.

February 2016: Sacked by Sunderland

Adam Johnson was suspended and then sacked by Sunderland, after pleading guilty at trial to two of the four counts put against him in February 2016. His endorsement by Adidas was terminated and EA Sports removed his likeness from the FIFA 16 video game.

February 2016: Trial Date

Adam Johnson's initial trial date was moved to February 2016 at Bradford Crown Court.

February 2016: Contract Terminated

In February 2016, Adam Johnson's contract was terminated by Sunderland after he pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child.

February 2016: Separation from partner

In February 2016, Stacey Flounders announced that she and Adam Johnson had separated, claiming that he had confessed to infidelity with other women while giving evidence at his trial.

February 2016: Pleaded guilty to charges

On February 10, 2016, at the start of his trial, Adam Johnson pleaded guilty to "one count of sexual activity with a child and one count of grooming" but denied two further counts of underage sexual activity.

March 2016: Found Guilty and Sentenced

In March 2016, Adam Johnson was found guilty of sexual activity with a child and sentenced to six years in prison.

March 2016: Byrne's Resignation

Margaret Byrne, Sunderland's chief executive, resigned on March 8, 2016, regretting her "serious mistake" related to Adam Johnson's case, but claimed she did not make the club aware of Johnson's admission or his intention to plead guilty.

March 2016: Found guilty

On March 2, 2016, Adam Johnson was found guilty on a majority verdict of 10–2 of one count of sexual activity with a child and found not guilty of a second count of the same crime.

March 2016: Sentenced to prison

On March 24, 2016, Adam Johnson was sentenced to six years in prison for grooming and sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. He was also ordered to pay £50,000 of the prosecution's legal fees.

March 2017: Second appeal refused

On March 16, 2017, Adam Johnson's second appeal against his sentence was refused.

April 2017: Video footage surfaces

In April 2017, video footage taken inside HMP Moorland appeared to show Adam Johnson talking to fellow inmates about his conviction, his victim, and his belief that his sentence was lengthened due to his position as a professional footballer.