Ex-Birmingham City and Sunderland star declared bankrupt | OneFootball

A former Premier League star for the likes of Sunderland and Birmingham City has been declared bankrupt in recent days.

James McFadden has played for a number of English clubs, including Everton and Sunderland in the Premier League, as well as Birmingham City in the EFL.

A product of Motherwell’s academy, he burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, earning a move to Everton in 2003. While his Goodison Park spell was inconsistent, it produced unforgettable highlights, including a stunning winner against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby.

McFadden later returned to Motherwell, where he was most loved during his playing career, making over 300 appearances across a further two spells and playing some of his best football. However, he also featured for Birmingham City latterly, as well as Sunderland.

Internationally, he remains a Scotland cult hero, particularly for his goal in Paris against France in 2007. It secured Scotland's first win on French soil since 1950. The now 42-year-old retired in 2018 after a season with Queen of the South and has been a pundit since.

James McFadden declares bankruptcy

Since retiring, McFadden has built a strong media career, becoming a regular pundit and co-commentator for BBC Scotland, but also with Sky Sports, and he has been a part of major tournaments in recent years.

In fact, McFadden has combined media work with coaching briefly. He joined Motherwell’s backroom staff as a an assistant coach in 2016 and later worked within the club’s youth setup.

He also served as part of Scotland’s coaching staff under Alex McLeish, taking part in national-team camps before returning full-time to punditry. That's where he has been since, but not without other issues away from football.

Per The Sun, McFadden has applied for bankruptcy after his debts soared to £2,594,192. He was declared insolvent after failing to settle large tax bills — seven years on from narrowly avoiding a similar fate.

McFadden was on screen last night commentating on Rangers’ 2-0 Premiership win over Aberdeen, and he has declared he has no assets available. It comes after national agency Accountant In Bankruptcy approved his bankruptcy application last month.

Birmingham, Sunderland, and Everton fans alike will be delighted that McFadden has firmly established a career since retiring from playing, and hopefully the worst is now behind him as he looks to rebuild his life.

However, he enjoyed a successful career in England, where the report claims they understand he earned tens of thousands of pounds a week in the English Premier League.

His return was decent, given that McFadden was deployed all across the attack. He could be utilised as a winger or in more central attacking roles. His stints at Everton were particularly memorable.