View source for David O'Leary

{{Short description|Football manager and Republic of Ireland international footballer}}
{{about|the footballer|the priest|David O'Leary (priest)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = David O'Leary
| image          = David O'Leary (1981).jpg
| caption        = O'Leary in 1981
| full_name      = David Anthony O'Leary
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1958|5|2|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Stoke Newington]], Greater London, England
| height         = {{convert|1.86|m|order=flip}}<ref name="PremProfile">{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/8/David-O'Leary/overview |title=David O'Leary: Overview |publisher=Premier League |access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref>
| position       = [[Centre-back]]
| currentclub    =
| youthyears1    = 1973–1975
| youthclubs1    = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
| years1         = 1975–1993
| caps1          = 558
| goals1         = 11
| clubs1         = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
| years2         = 1993–1995
| clubs2         = [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]
| caps2          = 10
| goals2         = 0
| totalcaps      = 568
| totalgoals     = 11
| nationalyears1 = 1976–1993
| nationalteam1  = [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]
| nationalcaps1  = 68
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| manageryears1  = 1998–2002
| managerclubs1  = [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]
| manageryears2  = 2003–2006
| managerclubs2  = [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]
| manageryears3  = 2010–2011
| managerclubs3  = [[Al-Ahli Dubai|Al-Ahli]]
}}
'''David Anthony O'Leary''' (born 2 May 1958) is a [[association football|football]] [[manager (association football)|manager]] and former player. The majority of his 20-year playing career was spent as a [[central defender]] at [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], where his tally of 722 appearances stands as a club record.<ref name=ArsenalCaps /> He played 68 times for the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] from 1976 to 1993, and was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the [[1990 FIFA World Cup]].

O'Leary retired as a player after two years at [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]], and began managing the club in 1998. He built a team of young talents, and reached the semi-finals of the [[UEFA Champions League]] in [[2000–01 UEFA Champions League|2000–01]] before being dismissed the following year. He also managed [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] for three [[Premier League]] seasons and had one year in charge of [[Shabab Al Ahli Club|Al Ahli Dubai]].

==Club career==
O'Leary was born in [[Stoke Newington]], London, on 2 May 1958, and moved to live in [[Dublin]] in 1961.<ref name="O'Leary1">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/david-o-leary-life-and-times-1.206323|title=David O'Leary: Life and Times|website=The Irish Times|date=22 October 1998}}</ref>

===Arsenal===
O'Leary had two weeks on trial at [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] before signing for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] as an apprentice in 1973. He made his debut against [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] on 16 August 1975 in a 3–3 draw,<ref name="O'Leary1"/> and despite being only 17, went on to make 30 appearances that season. The following year, he signed a professional contract.<ref name="O'Leary1"/> For the next 10 years, he played more than 40 matches a season (except for [[1980–81 in English football|1980–81]], when he was out with a ankle injury and only played 27).

A calm and collected [[central defender]], O'Leary was noted for his good positioning and elegant style of play. He won his first major honour with Arsenal when he played in their 3–2 win over [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in the [[1979 FA Cup final]]. He also played in the 1978 and 1980 Cup finals, and the [[1980 European Cup Winners' Cup final]], all of which Arsenal lost. In 1982, O'Leary became club captain but relinquished it to [[Graham Rix]] 18 months later.<ref name=Dave>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gunners-greatest-players-14.-david-o-leary|title=Greatest 50 Players: 14. David O'Leary|website=Arsenal.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010154325/http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gunners-greatest-players-14.-david-o-leary|archive-date=10 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/570/graham-rix|title=Graham Rix: Profile|website=Arsenal.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906030043/http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/570/graham-rix|archive-date=6 September 2015}}</ref>

In 1981, O'Leary rejected a move to Manchester United and signed a four-year extension at Arsenal.<ref name="O'Leary1"/> He missed the loss to [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] in the [[1988 Football League Cup final]] due to an [[Achilles tendon rupture]].<ref name="O'Leary1"/> O'Leary broke numerous appearance records at Arsenal; he was the youngest person to reach the 100- and 200-match milestones, and he made his 400th appearance while still only 26. He passed [[George Armstrong (footballer)|George Armstrong]]'s all-time record of 621 first-team games in November 1989. By this time, O'Leary was no longer automatic first choice (with the partnership of [[Tony Adams]] and [[Steve Bould]] at the centre of [[George Graham]]'s defence), but he still turned in over 20 appearances as Arsenal won the [[1988–89 in English football|1988–89]] [[Football League First Division|First Division]] title due to a [[Liverpool 0–2 Arsenal (26 May 1989)|2–0 win at Anfield]] on the final day of the season.

O'Leary won another league title in [[1990–91 in English football|1991]] and an FA Cup and [[EFL Cup|League Cup]] double in [[1992–93 in English football|1993]], though by this time he was mainly used as a [[substitute (association football)|substitute]]. He holds Arsenal's all-time record for appearances, with 722 first-team games,<ref name=ArsenalCaps>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/club-records/appearances-and-attendances|title=Appearances / Attendances|date=8 July 2008|website=Arsenal F.C. News|access-date=19 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20151105/arsenal-weekly-david-o-leary-exclusive|title=Arsenal Weekly – David O'Leary exclusive|date=5 November 2015|website=Arsenal F.C. News|access-date=19 April 2016}}</ref> in a 20-year-long association with the club. In a poll to compile the list of the club's greatest-ever players, O'Leary was voted 14th.<ref name=Dave /> O'Leary assumes the role of a club ambassador for Arsenal.<ref name="O'Leary">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/12/01/david-oleary-course-return-football-right-job-came-havent-fallen/|title=David O'Leary:Feature|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=December 2016|last1=Wilson|first1=Jeremy}}</ref>

===Leeds United===
O'Leary joined [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds]] on a [[free transfer (soccer)|free transfer]] in 1993 after 19 years at Highbury. He retired due to another Achilles injury in 1995, after only 12 appearances.<ref name="O'Leary1"/> O'Leary was never sent off in a professional match.<ref name=walker>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Michael |title=O'Leary and Leeds just have to grin and bear it |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/1998/oct/19/newsstory.sport4 |access-date=15 September 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=19 October 1998}}</ref>

==International career==
O'Leary's international debut with the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] came as a teenager in a 1–1 friendly draw with [[England national football team|England]] on 8 September 1976. Following the appointment of [[Jack Charlton]], O'Leary was frozen out of the international setup for two years.<ref name="O'Leary1"/> After being left out of a squad for a [[Iceland Triangular Tournament|mini tournament]] in Iceland in May 1986, O'Leary booked a family holiday, which he decided not to cancel when he was eventually asked up to the squad following several withdrawals. O'Leary did not feature until November 1988, thus missing out on [[UEFA Euro 1988|Euro 88]].

The highlight of his 68-cap international career came in the [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990 World Cup]]. With Ireland in a [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shootout]] with [[Romania national football team|Romania]], [[Packie Bonner]] saved [[Daniel Timofte]]'s last penalty. O'Leary then stepped up to take the decisive final penalty to win the shootout 5–4 to take Ireland to the quarterfinals. O'Leary's strike has since been voted as the greatest moment in Irish footballing history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2015/0625/710625-live-world-cup-1990-ireland-v-romania/|title=As it happened: World Cup Ireland v Romania|website=RTE.ie|date=25 June 2015|last1=Wright|first1=Rob}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://irishpost.co.uk/its-25-years-since-david-oleary-scored-that-penalty-for-ireland-against-romania-at-italia-90/|title=It's 25 years since David O'Leary scored that penalty|website=Irish Post.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/12011/9889945/ireland8217s-world-cup-joy-david-o8217leary-recalls-his-penalty-v-romania|title=Ireland's World Cup joy: David O'Leary recalls his penalty v Romania|publisher=Sky Sports}}</ref>

On 17 October 1990, O'Leary scored his only goal for the Republic of Ireland in a 5–0 win over [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] in a [[UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying|Euro 92 qualifier]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/3023--republic-of-ireland-vs-turkiye/|title=Republic of Ireland 5 – Turkey 0|website=[[UEFA]]}}</ref> O'Leary was captain in his final international game on 17 February 1993, but was injured in the opening minutes of the 2–1 friendly win over [[Wales national football team|Wales]] at [[Tolka Park]].<ref name="O'Leary1"/>

==Managerial career==
===Leeds United===
When the former Arsenal manager [[George Graham]] was put in charge at Leeds United in September 1996, O'Leary was installed as his assistant. He remained in this position for two years.<ref name="O'Leary1"/>

On 29 September 1998, in Graham's last match as manager, O'Leary was sent off for arguing with match officials in a [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]] first-round game away to [[C.S. Marítimo]], which Leeds won on penalties.<ref name=walker/> Graham left for [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], and on O'Leary's debut as caretaker on 3 October, Leeds lost 1–0 at home to [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]], managed by [[Martin O'Neill]] who was linked with the Leeds job.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Daniel |title=Cottee takes charge at Leeds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/1998/oct/03/match.leedsunited |access-date=15 September 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=3 October 1998}}</ref> After a goalless draw with [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] at [[Elland Road]] on 25 October, chairman [[Peter Ridsdale]] gave the job permanently to O'Leary on a 2{{frac|1|2}}-year deal for a salary of £600,000, then one of the highest salaries for managers in England.<ref>{{cite news |title=O'Leary takes the major plunge |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/1998/oct/25/match.sport1 |access-date=15 September 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=25 October 1998}}</ref>

At the end of the 1998–99 season, Leeds finished fourth in the [[Premier League]] and qualified for the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]. Their [[1999–2000 UEFA Cup#Semi-finals|1999-2000 UEFA Cup]] campaign ended in the semifinal with defeat to the Turkish side [[Galatasaray S.K. (football)|Galatasaray]], following the [[2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence|murders of two Leeds fans during violence the night before]].
On the domestic front, Leeds finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]]. It was their first campaign at this level since the 1992–93 season. In August 2000, O'Leary signed a six-year contract, for which he would earn £10 million.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tynan |first1=Gordon |title=O'Leary signs six-year deal |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/o-leary-signs-sixyear-deal-696432.html |access-date=15 September 2023 |work=The Independent |date=19 August 2000}}</ref>

Leeds reached the semifinals of the Champions League in [[2000–01 UEFA Champions League#Semi-finals|2000-01]], where they lost to eventual runners-up [[Valencia CF|Valencia]]. Their Premier League form also dipped slightly and O'Leary's men had to settle for a [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]] place, finishing fourth in the last [[2000–01 FA Premier League|season]] before the Champions League qualification spots for the English Premiership expanded from the top three to the top four. Although there was little indication of this at the time, this was a serious failure for the club because Ridsdale had borrowed £60&nbsp;million against future gate receipts, budgeting for prolonged Champions League involvement.

The [[2001–02 FA Premier League|2001–02 season]] began well for Leeds. They frequently topped the table during the first half of the season and were Premier League leaders on 1 January 2002, but a loss of form in the second half of the season had them slump into fifth place, again just outside the Champions League qualification spots, meaning that they would again have to settle for a UEFA Cup place.

Leeds players [[Jonathan Woodgate]] and [[Lee Bowyer]] were charged in an incident in Leeds city centre in January 2000, in which a man was beaten in what he believed was a racially motivated attack. In December 2001, Woodgate was convicted of affray and received 100 hours of community service, while Bowyer was acquitted.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leeds footballer walks free |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1701493.stm |access-date=15 September 2023 |publisher=BBC News |date=14 December 2001}}</ref>  In January 2002, O'Leary wrote a book, ''Leeds United on Trial''. In it, he revealed that the club hired private investigators in the Bowyer and Woodgate affair, and said that he felt the police wanted to "put one over the club"; he also criticised [[The Football Association]] for freezing the pair out of England squads until the end of the trial. He also alleged that [[Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink]] refused to play unless he could be the highest-paid player at the club.<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 October 2021|title=O'Leary brought to book|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/1745878.stm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508050448/http://news.bbc.co.uk:80/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/1745878.stm |archive-date=8 May 2013 }}</ref>

By June 2002, O'Leary had spent almost £100&nbsp;million on new players in less than four years for no reward in terms of trophies, but he had never finished outside the top five as a manager. Ridsdale sacked O'Leary as Leeds manager in the summer of 2002, replacing him with [[Terry Venables]]. O'Leary's departure signalled a downhill spiral for the club – highly attributable to the financial state that saw the sale of several key players, which saw three more managers (Venables, [[Peter Reid]], and [[Eddie Gray (footballer, born 1948)|Eddie Gray]]) come and go before the club was finally relegated from the Premier League in 2004 with £80&nbsp;million debt, and fell into [[EFL League One|League One]] (the third tier of the league) three years later. This fall from grace led to the phrase "[[doing a Leeds]]".<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 October 2021|title=THE GRIPPING RISE AND CRUSHING FALL OF LEEDS UNITED AT THE TURN OF THE 21ST CENTURY|url=https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/04/23/the-gripping-rise-and-crushing-fall-of-leeds-united-at-the-turn-of-the-21st-century/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604194601/https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/04/23/the-gripping-rise-and-crushing-fall-of-leeds-united-at-the-turn-of-the-21st-century/ |archive-date=4 June 2019 }}</ref>

O'Leary's fame at Leeds rests upon his promotion of a series of younger players such as Woodgate, Bowyer, [[Alan Smith (footballer, born 1980)|Alan Smith]], [[Harry Kewell]], [[Stephen McPhail]], [[Eirik Bakke]], [[Ian Harte]], and [[Danny Mills]] (signed for £4&nbsp;million from [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]]). He promoted several members of the youth team into an exciting Leeds side that played a pressing game relying on youthful enthusiasm.<ref name=young>{{cite web|url=http://www.the42.ie/5-best-young-premier-league-teams-2633916-Feb2016/|title=David O'Leary's 'babies' and the best-ever young Premier League teams|website=The 42.ie}}</ref> In an interview regarding the decline of Leeds, O'Leary stated, "I never wanted to leave Leeds. The fans are fantastic to me here. I hope they stay up because I had great times at the club."<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/6557065.stm ''Leeds still have time – O'Leary''] [[BBC Sport]] 15 April 2007</ref>

O'Leary was fired with two years remaining of his contract and sued for compensation as the club claimed he had left by mutual consent. He settled with the club for £2 million and legal costs in February 2003.<ref>{{cite news |title=O'Leary delight at settlement |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/2722851.stm |access-date=15 September 2023 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=4 February 2003}}</ref>

===Aston Villa===
After settling his case with Leeds, O'Leary was linked with [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] who had sacked [[Howard Wilkinson]] in March 2003.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/2838431.stm |work=BBC News |title=Stadium of Light contenders|date=10 March 2003}}</ref> On 21 May, he signed a three-year deal at [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], who had finished 16th under [[Graham Taylor]]. O'Leary targeted 6th place within two years.<ref>{{cite news |title=O'Leary gets Villa job |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/3044845.stm |access-date=15 September 2023 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=21 May 2003}}</ref> His first game on 16 August was a 2–1 loss at newly promoted [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]]; ''[[The Guardian]]'' journalist Russell Thomas wrote "Punters who have already wagered on Portsmouth going down might now consider covering themselves by entering Aston Villa into the equation".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Russell |title=O'Leary learns the chimes of hard times |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2003/aug/18/match.sport3 |access-date=15 September 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=18 August 2003}}</ref>

In January 2004, O'Leary criticised chairman [[Doug Ellis]] for a lack of funding for transfers, as Villa had let go of 13 players while only signing Sunderland duo [[Thomas Sørensen]] and [[Gavin McCann]] for a combined £4.5 million; forward [[Dion Dublin]] had been playing in central defence.<ref>{{cite news |title=O'Leary warns Ellis |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/3440417.stm |access-date=15 September 2023 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=29 January 2004}}</ref> The team finished in sixth place – one place too low for European qualification due to [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]]'s [[2004 FA Cup final|FA Cup final]] appearance and [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]'s [[2004 Football League Cup final|League Cup]] triumph.

O'Leary signed [[AC Milan]]'s international defender [[Martin Laursen]], [[Carlton Cole]] from Chelsea, and French midfielder [[Mathieu Berson]] ahead of the 2004–05 season, in which Villa finished 10th in the league.<ref name=parts/> Despite six summer acquisitions including strikers [[Milan Baroš]] and [[Kevin Phillips (English footballer)|Kevin Phillips]],  Villa finished 16th in 2005–06, just two places above the relegation zone. Following the relegation of local rivals [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] and [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|Bromwich Albion]], Villa were the only Midlands side playing Premier League football in 2006–07.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gordos |first1=Phil |title=Is West Midlands football in decline? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4968920.stm |access-date=15 September 2023 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=8 May 2006}}</ref>

On 19 July 2006, O'Leary's contract as Aston Villa manager was terminated by mutual consent, after an investigation into a statement against Ellis allegedly given by the squad.<ref name=parts>{{cite news |title=O'Leary parts company with Villa |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/5196872.stm |access-date=15 September 2023 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 July 2006}}</ref> Ellis sold the club within a few days to [[Randy Lerner]], and [[Martin O'Neill]] was appointed as manager.<ref>{{cite news |title=Villa appoint O'Neill as manager |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/villa-appoint-o-neill-as-manager-1.1188983 |access-date=15 September 2023 |work=The Irish Times |date=4 August 2006}}</ref>

===Al-Ahli===
O'Leary returned to management on 4 July 2010 with [[United Arab Emirates]] club [[Al-Ahli Dubai]], where World Cup-winning [[Italy national football team|Italy]] captain [[Fabio Cannavaro]] was signed and made skipper.<ref>{{cite news |title=David O'Leary to coach Dubai club side |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8786674.stm |access-date=15 September 2023 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=4 July 2010}}</ref>

On 2 April 2011, O'Leary was relieved of his duties following a 5-1 defeat at the hands of [[Al Jazira Club|Al Jazira]].<ref>[http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2931/go-global/2011/04/02/2422824/david-oleary-to-be-sacked-as-coach-of-dubai-side-al-ahli David O'Leary to be sacked as coach of Dubai side Al Ahli - report - Goal.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On 22 April 2011, Al-Ahli officially announced its decision to sack O'Leary with his assistant coach [[Roy Aitken]].<ref>[http://www.arabianbusiness.com/david-o-leary-sacked-by-dubai-s-al-ahli-football-team-395601.html David O'Leary sacked by Dubai's Al Ahli football team - ArabianBusiness.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> When he was sacked, O'Leary had two years remaining on a three-year contract. In March 2012, he asked [[FIFA]] for help in getting compensation from Al-Ahli for the early termination of his contract.<ref name=BBC2012-03-06>{{cite news | title = David O'Leary asks for Fifa help in Al Ahli contract dispute | publisher = [[BBC Sport]] | date = 6 March 2012 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/1727304 | access-date = 10 March 2012}}</ref> In May 2013, he won $5.2&nbsp;million (£3.34&nbsp;million) compensation. The dispute was settled by FIFA's players' status committee. Al-Ahli claimed O'Leary had abandoned his post, despite previously stating he had been dismissed. O'Leary had won six of his 15 league games in charge.<ref>{{cite news|first=Owen |last=Gibson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/03/david-oleary-wins-compensation-al-ahli |title=David O'Leary wins more than £3m in compensation after sacking by Al Ahli |work=The Guardian |date=3 May 2013 |access-date=13 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sportinglife.com/football/transfer-centre/article/4/8687070/oleary-wins-al-ahli-dispute |title=O'Leary wins Al Ahli dispute |work=Sporting Life |date=3 May 2013 |access-date=13 January 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life==
O'Leary's father was an avid Arsenal supporter who had left Ireland to work in London as a contractor, and was later proud that his son chose Arsenal instead of Manchester United, who had also offered him terms to sign for them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 5 Live - Adrian Chiles, 08/12/2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ftqp |access-date=8 December 2022 |website=BBC}}</ref> O'Leary is a UK resident according to current UK Companies House documents, and maintains links to [[Yorkshire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Anthony O'LEARY personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/m7BNTMQo-mWpKqnzOnfc72Z9wEY/appointments |access-date=8 December 2022 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk}}</ref> He has been married to wife Joy for more than forty years. In 2002 she was the subject of hate mail during a failed CPS prosecution of two Leeds football players.<ref name="Staff">{{Cite web |author=Guardian Staff |date=23 January 2002 |title=Hate mail threatens O'Leary's wife |url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/jan/23/newsstory.sport2 |access-date=8 December 2022 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> The couple have two children together.<ref name="Staff"/>

O'Leary's brother, [[Pierce O'Leary|Pierce]], played for [[Shamrock Rovers]] and [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], and was [[cap (football)|capped]] seven times for the Republic of Ireland. His nephew, [[Ryan O'Leary|Ryan]], declined to play for the Republic of Ireland Under-21s, choosing to play for [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]], the country of his birth.<ref name="O'Leary" />

O'Leary endorsed a [[Game Boy Color]] game called ''[[O'Leary Manager 2000]]'', which was released by [[Ubi Soft]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite news |title=David O'Leary's Total Soccer 2000 Review |url=https://www.gamesxtreme.com/article/3003/david-olearys-total-soccer-2000-review |access-date=15 September 2023 |work=Games Xtreme}}</ref>

O'Leary was involved in a complex tax avoidance scheme, ''O'Leary v. McKinlay (Inspector of Taxes)'', that was struck down in the [[High Court of Justice#Chancery Division|Chancery Court]] in December 1990. The scheme involved the loan of £266,000 ({{Inflation|UK|266000|1990|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) by Arsenal, O'Leary's club, to trustees in Jersey, where it was held for his benefit.<ref>{{cite news|title=Footballer's tax benefit scheme fails|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0500085692/TTDA?u=wes_ttda&sid=TTDA&xid=d3df339a|accessdate=25 March 2021|work=[[The Times]]|issue=63888|date=13 December 1990|page=33}}</ref>

==Playing statistics==

===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>[http://www.level-k.com/player/D_O'leary.htm David O'LEARY] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703051057/http://www.level-k.com/player/D_O%27leary.htm |date=3 July 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football/arsenal-fc/david-o-leary-6010/league-appearances-for-arsenal_a17173/|title = David O'LEARY - League appearances for Arsenal. - Arsenal FC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ozwhitelufc.net.au/leeds_stats/leeds_united_player_details/O/O'LearyDA_LUFC.php|title=Leeds United Players Details: No.477: O'Leary: David Anthony (David)|accessdate=6 October 2024|publisher=OzWhite's Leeds United F.C. history}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|[[FA Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[Football League Cup|League Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[UEFA|Europe]]
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="19"|[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
|[[1975–76 Football League|1975–76]]
|rowspan="17"|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|27||0||1||0||2||0||colspan=2|—||30||0
|-
|[[1976–77 Football League|1976–77]]
|33||2||3||0||4||1||colspan=2|—||40||3
|-
|[[1977–78 Football League|1977–78]]
|41||1||6||1||6||0||colspan=2|—||53||2
|-
|[[1978–79 Football League|1978–79]]
|37||2||11||0||1||0||5||0||54||2
|-
|[[1979–80 Football League|1979–80]]
|34||1||9||0||6||0||9||0||58||1
|-
|[[1980–81 Football League|1980–81]]
|24||1||1||0||2||0||colspan=2|—||27||1
|-
|[[1981–82 Football League|1981–82]]
|40||1||1||0||5||0||4||0||50||1
|-
|[[1982–83 Football League|1982–83]]
|36||1||5||0||7||0||2||0||50||1
|-
|[[1983–84 Football League|1983–84]]
|36||0||1||0||4||0||colspan=2|—||41||0
|-
|[[1984–85 Football League|1984–85]]
|36||0||3||0||3||0||colspan=2|—||42||0
|-
|[[1985–86 Football League|1985–86]]
|35||0||5||0||7||0||colspan=2|—||47||0
|-
|[[1986–87 Football League|1986–87]]
|39||0||4||0||9||0||colspan=2|—||52||0
|-
|[[1987–88 Football League|1987–88]]
|23||0||4||0||6||1||colspan=2|—||33||1
|-
|[[1988–89 Football League|1988–89]]
|26||0||1||0||0||0||colspan=2|—||27||0
|-
|[[1989–90 Football League|1989–90]]
|34||1||3||0||4||0||colspan=2|—||41||1
|-
|[[1990–91 Football League|1990–91]]
|21||1||6||0||1||0||colspan=2|—||28||1
|-
|[[1991–92 Football League|1991–92]]
|25||0||1||0||1||0||0||0||27||0
|-
|[[1992–93 FA Premier League|1992–93]]
|[[Premier League]]
|11||0||4||0||1||0||colspan=2|—||16||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!558||11||69||1||69||2||20||0||716||14
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]
|[[1993–94 FA Premier League|1993–94]]
|rowspan="2"|Premier League
|10||0||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|—||10||0
|-
|[[1994–95 FA Premier League|1994–95]]
|0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|—||0||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!10!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!colspan=2|—!!10!!0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!568||11||69||1||69||2||20||0||726||14
|}

===International===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>{{NFT|15502|accessdate=}}</ref>
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="18"|[[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]
|1976||2||0
|-
|1977||4||0
|-
|1978||3||0
|-
|1979||5||0
|-
|1980||3||0
|-
|1981||5||0
|-
|1982||2||0
|-
|1983||1||0
|-
|1984||6||0
|-
|1985||8||0
|-
|1986||1||0
|-
|1987||0||0
|-
|1988||1||0
|-
|1989||5||0
|-
|1990||9||1
|-
|1991||6||0
|-
|1992||6||0
|-
|1993||1||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||68||1
|}

==Managerial statistics==
{{updated|22 October 2010}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|Nat
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="7"|Record
|-
!P!!W!!D!!L!!GF!!GA!!Win %
|-
|align=left|[[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|1 October 1998
|align=left|27 June 2002
{{WDL|203|101|47|55|for=320|against=217}}
|-
|align=left|[[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|20 May 2003
|align=left|19 July 2006
{{WDL|131|47|35|49|for=172|against=176}}
|-
|align=left|[[Al-Ahli Dubai|Al-Ahli]]
|{{flagicon|United Arab Emirates}}
|align=left|4 July 2010
|align=left|22 April 2011
{{WDL|7|3|2|2|for=14|against=13}}
|-
!colspan="4"|Total
{{WDLtot|341|151|84|106|for=506|against=406}}
|}
* Al-Ahli: Only league games

==Honours==
===Player===
'''Arsenal'''<ref>{{cite news |title=Sporting Spotlight: David O'Leary |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/20729674 |access-date=31 May 2021 |work=BBC Sport |date=19 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FA Community Shield 1991 » Teams |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/players/eng-fa-community-shield-1991/ |website=worldfootball.net |access-date=31 May 2021}}</ref>
* [[Football League First Division]]: [[1988–89 Football League First Division|1988–89]], [[1990–91 Football League First Division|1990–91]]
* [[FA Cup]]: [[1978–79 FA Cup|1978–79]], [[1992–93 FA Cup|1992–93]]
* [[EFL Cup|Football League Cup]]: [[1986–87 Football League Cup|1986–87]], [[1992–93 Football League Cup|1992–93]]
* [[FA Community Shield|FA Charity Shield]]: [[1991 FA Charity Shield|1991]] (shared)

'''Individual'''
* [[PFA Team of the Year|PFA First Division Team of the Year]]: 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82<ref name="Lynch 143">{{Cite book | last = Lynch | title = The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes | page = 143 }}</ref>

===Manager===
'''Individual'''
* [[Premier League Manager of the Month]]: [[1998–99 FA Premier League#Monthly awards|March 1999]], [[2000–01 FA Premier League#Monthly awards|March 2001]], April 2001<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/managers/1568/David-OLeary/overview |title=Manager profile: David O'Leary |publisher=Premier League |access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010154325/http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gunners-greatest-players-14.-david-o-leary |date=dmy |title=Profile Arsenal.com }}
* {{Soccerbase manager|id=1313}}
* [http://www.wafll.com/leeds-managers/david-o-leary.html Full Managerial Stats for Leeds United] at WAFLL
* {{EU-Football.info|15406}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list = 
{{1978–79 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1979–80 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1981–82 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Managerial positions
| list = 
{{Leeds United F.C. managers}}
{{Aston Villa F.C. managers}}
}}
{{Republic of Ireland squad 1990 FIFA World Cup}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oleary, David}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Hackney]]
[[Category:People from Stoke Newington]]
[[Category:Association footballers from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland men's association footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. players]]
[[Category:Leeds United F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Premier League players]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers]]
[[Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland association football managers]]
[[Category:Leeds United F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Leeds United F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Aston Villa F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Premier League managers]]
[[Category:UAE Pro League managers]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland expatriate association football managers]]
[[Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Al Ahli Club (Dubai) managers]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen]]