Stewart Downing was born in Middlesbrough in July 1984 and grew up in the Pallister estate.  He was a graduate of Middlesbrough Academy.

Downing signed a professional contract with Middlesbrough in 2001 and went on to make his debut for the first team on 24 April 2002 in a match against Ipswich Town.  He made just three appearances in that first season, and only three in the following season, eventually going to Sunderland on loan in 2003.

Injuries in the Middlesbrough team saw Downing recalled early and he went on to establish himself as a first team regular, making 49 appearances and scoring 6 goals before the end of 2005.

Middlesbrough were relegated at the end of that season and after recovering from an operation on his foot, Downing signed for Aston Villa in a bid worth up to £12 million depending upon appearances.

He debuted for his new club as a substitute in a match against Burnley, but his first goal didn’t come until the match against Portsmouth in the Carling Cup that December.

At an international level, Downing received call-ups to the Youth sides, but didn’t play senior international football until Holland in February 2005 in a friendly at home. He has made further appearances against Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, with his last appearance being against Slovakia in March 2009.