Truth be told, the name Dwight McNeil deserves to be associated with a footballer worthy of representing the England National team at the highest level. Born to Tracy and Matty McNeil in Rochdale, Dwight’s journey is one of resilience and determination. This article delves into the full history of Dwight McNeil, a boy who faced rejection from Manchester United as a child. Why was Dwight McNeil rejected? Research suggests it was due to his perceived lack of skill in set pieces. We’ll explore how Dwight coped with this rejection and how he transformed it into fuel for his eventual success.
Inside the Life of Dwight McNeil: Personal Stories and Football Triumphs.
This article tells the story of Dwight McNeil, an athlete from a rich footballing family. Perhaps you didn’t know, but Dwight’s father, Matty McNeil, once played against a 2007 Chelsea side featuring John Terry, Michael Essien, and Ashley Cole. Standing at 6 feet 5 inches, Matty was a prolific striker during his career and a dedicated father who passed on his football knowledge to his son.
In this article, we’ll embark on the inspiring journey of Dwight McNeil, a tale that begins in the heart of his family, with roots deeply planted by his parents, Matty and Tracy McNeil, and nurtured alongside his siblings, Baillie and Chiara.
This biography delves into the life of a young footballer whose path from his early days to the bright lights of the English Premier League is marked by dedication, talent, and the influence of a footballing lineage, with his father, Matty McNeil, having paved the way through his own career.
Beyond the pitch, we’ll explore the personal side of Dwight, including his relationship with Megan Sharpley, his family’s heritage, and the values that guide him. Additionally, we’ll unveil untold facts about his lifestyle, personal life, and net worth. Without further ado, let’s dive into the meat and potatoes of Dwight McNeil’s story.
Preamble:
Our take on Dwight McNeil’s biography starts with the key moments from his childhood and early life. Then, we’ll delve into the story of his rejection and, finally, how he overcame all obstacles to become a successful professional footballer.
We aim to pique your interest with Dwight McNeil’s engaging life story. To kick things off, let’s reveal this gallery that captures his journey from his early years to his rise in football. Witness the life trajectory of Dwight, whose charm and skill on the field are undeniable.
Dwight McNeil Biography – Behold his Childhood Years, Early Life, Road to Fame and Rise.
This winger, no doubt, is a confident player. Someone who beats himself whenever he doesn’t live up to his own standards. Severally, McNeil has walked over the pitches looking “broken” whenever things don’t go well. Thanks to self-reflection, he gets better every day.
Despite the many great things he has done for Burnley Football Club, we notice a gap in his story. We found that not many football fans have read an in-depth version of Dwight McNeil’s Biography. This is why we have prepared it, and without further ado, let’s begin.
Dwight McNeil Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, he bears the nickname – DM11.
Dwight James Matthew McNeil was born on the 22nd day of November 1999 to his Mother, Tracy McNeil, and Father, Matty McNeil, in Rochdale. This is a large and bustling town in Greater Manchester, England.
Dwight McNeil came to the world as the first child and son (among three children) born to the marital union between his parents.
Find here a rare photo of Dwight McNeil’s parents (Tracy and Matty). While his mum was beautiful, Dwight took after his dad’s facial looks.
This is Tracy McNeil and Matty McNeil. They are the lovely parents of Dwight McNeil, the Burnley Football Star.
Growing-Up:
The Rochdale native spent his childhood years alongside his younger siblings, both of whom we have pictured below.
Starting off, Baillie McNeil is Dwight’s only brother. On the other hand, Chiara McNeil, who looks exactly like her Mum, is Dwight McNeil’s one and only Sister.
Let me introduce you to Dwight McNeil’s Siblings. His sister’s name is Chiara McNeil, and his brother goes by the name Baillie McNeil.
As of May 2022, the time of putting up this Biography, Baillie McNeil is 19 years old. On the other hand, Dwight McNeil’s Sister (Chiara McNeil) is 15 years old.
From the picture above, you can tell that Chiara is a carbon copy of her mother, Tracy McNeil.
While he was a child, Dwight was seen as a boy with a gentle touch. He was very quiet and preferred to mutter only a few words.
Dwight would only speak when he had to or when he wanted something. The only exception to this comes whenever he watches a football match.
Dwight McNeil’s Early Life:
The Rochdale native’s first encounter with football came when he was 12 months old. It happened on a Saturday morning at Dwight McNeil’s family home in Oldham.
On that day, the TV in the living room was showing the Italian football show, Gazzetta Football Italia.
Whenever a goal was scored, there was this shout of “Golazzo!!” by the commentator. The sound of that echoes around his home.
A 1-year-old Dwight liked the “Golazzo shout,” and that made him utter his first words, “Goalz”. From that day, his football love affair began.
Dwight McNeil Family Background:
Starting off, members of his household are Manchester United fans. At the time Dwight was a member of United’s academy, his whole family enjoyed free match tickets.
They can all vaguely remember watching some memorable European nights and Manchester derbies.
Matty McNeil Family photo. Do you know his Dad is 6 feet 5 inches tall?
Regarding what Dwight McNeil’s parents do for a living, let’s start with his Dad. Matty was a former footballer who later became Oldham Athletic U-16 youth coach.
On the other hand, Dwight McNeil’s Mum (Tracy McNeil) is a homemaker who takes care of the family home.
During his time as a professional footballer, Matty was a prolific Striker. Dwight McNeil’s Dad played mostly for English clubs like Hyde United, Stockport County, Chester, etc.
The 6 foot 5 Goal Machine once played against Frank Lampard‘s Chelsea at the Bridge in 2007.
This is Dwight McNeil’s Dad as a footballer. Matty McNeil was a prolific striker during his career days. He played against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in an FA Cup tie in 2007.
In total, Matty McNeil played for ten different English clubs.
Family Origin:
Starting off, the Rochdale native holds British nationality. Also, the Baller holds an extra nationality from a Caribbean nation.
This section of Dwight McNeil’s Bio explains his family origin from both his father’s and mother’s sides. Now, let’s start with that of Matty, his Dad.
Dwight McNeil’s Father Origin:
Matthew McNeil has Jamaican ancestry. Research has it – that he was born in England to both English and Jamaican parents.
By implication, it means Matty McNeil is half Jamaican and half English. Jamaica is mostly famous for being Usain Bolt’s home country.
This map gallery explains Dwight McNeil’s Family Origin from his Father’s side.
Dwight McNeil joins the likes of many English footballers you probably don’t know have Jamaican family origins.
Popular among them are Djed Spence (RB), Jacob Ramsey (Midfielder), Tyrick Mitchell (LB), Mason Holgate (Defender), Ivan Toney (Striker), Chris Smalling, Demarai Gray, Kyle Walker (Right Back), Raheem Sterling, etc.
Dwight McNeil’s Mother Origin:
Tracy McNeil is fully English. It means that Dwight McNeil’s maternal grandparents are both British citizens.
According to our findings, Tracy is from the city of Manchester, England. Asides from the city’s rich industrial heritage, Manchester is known to be Tyson Fury’s city.
This map gallery explains Dwight McNeil’s Family Origin from his Mother’s side.
Ethnicity:
Dwight McNeil, the Rochdale-born Winger is a British Jamaican. Put simply, Dwight McNeil is among British citizens of Jamaican descent.
Around 800,000 people in the United Kingdom belong to this ethnic group. More so, Dwight’s ethnicity makes up 7 percent of the London population.
Dwight McNeil Education:
Have you heard of Oasis Academy in Oldham, England? Dwight McNeil had his education at this local Secondary school.
Because of his football ability, he once won the Federation of Oldham Schools Sports Association award. Here is one of Dwight’s best school moments.
Dwight McNeil’s Education – Behold one of his most memorable school moments.
Career Buildup:
There was plenty of promise from Dwight McNeil’s Early Years. Matt introduced his son to kicking the soccer ball as soon as he could walk.
This was just after his love affair with watching the Italian Golazzo commentary. Since then, he has just loved kicking the soccer ball.
While most kids would just bend down to pick the ball, Dwight didn’t do that. The boy will just put his foot on the ball and begin rolling it away from corners in the house.
Just like Jarrad Branthwaite (in his early years), many people who knew him enjoyed that cool act.
As a child, Dwight McNeil idolized Lionel Messi. He got several photoshopped photos of the Argentine when his family went on a tour of the Nou Camp.
Asides from Lionel Messi, he also had a huge admiration for Marouane Fellaini and the Man United legend, Ryan Giggs.
Dwight McNeil Biography – Football Story:
From an early age, Matt could sense that his son wanted to follow in his footsteps. He also sensed that Dwight was destined to play professional football.
He was the kid who could go watch his Dad at the stadium, refuse to go home, and then still sit to watch other games.
When the JJB Stadium was still existing (by name), Dwight formed the habit of collecting fly-away balls after every match he watched at the venue.
These balls had lots of faces on them, and they were in different colours. These were the words of Matty McNeil, his Dad;
They used to have those balls with faces on them. Every time we went into Oldham, Dwight would scream the place down and we’ll have to get him another ball.
Did you know?… Dwight McNeil’s parents ended up buying about 30 of those balls in their house – all different sizes.
When you see Dwight with those balls, you will think he was just football mad. It was bizarre, but that was just Dwight’s childhood personality in a nutshell.
Little Dwight would get very excited whenever he was with his Dad at the stadium.
As a parent and a professional footballer (at that time), Matty McNeil knew there was a natural connection regarding his son’s likeness for football.
Dwight fancied his Dad’s goal-scoring abilities. On most occasions, Matty McNeil would remember his son telling him.
Dad, ‘I’ll be better than you one day!
The journey to Manchester United Academy:
At four years old, Dwight’s Dad enrolled him at the Bobby Charlton Soccer School. They play their football at the JJB Sports soccer school near the Trafford Centre.
To ensure his son gets the best, Matty McNeil would pay £10 to get two hours of kids’ football activity.
One day, one of Bobby Charlton’s Soccer School coaches agreed to bring scouts to watch the kids play.
One scout was from Bolton and he was invited to join the academy’s satellite squad. The scout and also a Man United scout made Dwight their top transfer target.
For a short period, Dwight was training for both Man United and Bolton academies. As time progressed, the youngster was later given a chance to choose between the two clubs.
Just like Anthony Elanga, the son of Matty and Tracy, didn’t dare reject a Man United call.
The Road to Fame Story:
Just like many youngsters ahead of him (the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford), he continued to progress through the age groups.
Reaching the under-14 team, it became known that Man United would halve their squads – meaning some kids would go.
The truth is, Manchester United didn’t have an under-15 team.
And because of that, the Under-14 players (those with the best quality) would need to compete and qualify for their Under-16 level. Dwight McNeil’s performance report came in and it wasn’t looking so bad.
In that report, the academy management advised he needs to make more impact in training and games.
Sadly, at that time (November 2013), Dwight experienced growing pains. It caused problems with his knees, and his minutes on the pitch began to dwindle.
Getting Released from Manchester United Academy:
Dwight McNeil’s parents, in the April of 2014, were told their son had been released from the club.
In a further explanation, the Man United academy management said they didn’t want to keep Dwight hanging. This is because they felt it would be unprofessional of them.
Matty and Tracy got into their car after the discussion. Dwight was already insight the car waiting for words from his parents.
Everywhere was silent and no words came out from Matt or Tracy. Realizing that his Mum and Dad were just quiet in the car, Dwight said;
‘I’m gone from man united, right…?’
Both Matt and Tracy said, ‘Yes’. Just after the response, they spoke to the son, telling him not to worry about rejection.
Thankfully, McNeil didn’t let the Man United setback define him. According to rumours, Man United released Dwight because he was bad at set-pieces.
Moving On:
To keep his son away from depression, Matty tried getting him into another academy. First, a trial at Blackburn was arranged and later turned down.
At that time, there came that thought that if Dwight goes to Blackburn, he was likely to play against Man United.
The reason is that both clubs belong to a similar category of academies. Because of that, Dwight rejected it. After some days, the opportunity at Burnley came. Although being a smaller academy, Burney’s facilities very impressed the McNeils. Dwight accepted Burnley.
Following a six-week trial, the youngster signed with the club. Did you know?… Dwight got into Burnley football academy within a week of his release from Manchester United. While at Burney, he began scoring more goals for fun, especially from outside the area.
Dwight McNeil Biography – Success Story:
In July 2016, the life of the youngster began seeing big changes. First, Burnley rewarded Dwight with a two-year scholarship.
They made him a regular member of the under-18 squad. Fast forward to May 2018, he made his first-team debut after signing a pro contract.
Aged 19 years 38 days, Dwight became the 1st teenager to score a Premier League goal for Burnley.
Thanks to that, he received his first call-up for the England U20s. This team, as of then, had Top Stars like Eddie Nketiah (CF), Rhian Brewster, Hudson-Odoi, Max Aarons, etc.
Destiny delivered, and Reputation restored.
Since that Premier League goal, Dwight became a keyman in Sean Dyche’s Burnley team. With five goals and ten assists, the younger won the Burnley’s Young Footballer of the Year Award.
Following that, Burnley decided to commit McNeil to a long-term contract – until 2024.
Self-belief and hard work got him to this stage of his life.
Suddenly, Man United started eyeing him just five years after letting him leave their academy (Daily Mail Report).
Burnley’s forwards Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood enjoyed McNeil the most. The trio formed a formidable partnership with McNeil as their assist king.
Destiny Delivered, Reputation Restored:
Without a doubt, being dumped by his boyhood club (Man United) at 14 was a blessing in disguise.
And going to Burnley has brought that desire and work rate out of Dwight. It is truly fantastic to see him compete against the club that once showed him the backdoors.
Dwight McNeil hopes to get an England senior team call-up as Nick Pope got in March 2018.
Also, to establish himself in the national team as teammate Maxwel Cornet has done with Côte d’Ivoire. The rest of Dwight McNeil’s Biography, as we always say, is now history.
Having journeyed you through the History of the Rochdale Winger, we’ll use the next part of his Bio to tell you Facts about his Love Life. Now, without further ado, let’s begin.
Who is Megan Sharpley?
There is a saying that behind every successful Burnley professional footballer comes a glamorous WAG.
For this England winger, there exists a lady whom he loves dearly. Her name is Megan Sharpley, and we are proud to say she is Dwight McNeil’s girlfriend.
Meet Dwight McNeil’s Girlfriend, Megan Sharpley, alongside their dog, Knox.
About Megan Sharpley – Dwight McNeil’s Wife to be:
Megs, as people nickname her, is a private person. Her relationship with Dwight is private and, of course, very drama-free.
Megan Sharpley and Dwight McNeil’s dating rumours began only recently (March 8th 2022) which is not long from the time of writing this Bio.
Personal Life:
Away from football, who is Dwight McNeil?
Starting off, the England footballer is computer-game bound. While living with his family, Dwight does basically three things; playing video games, eating and seeing friends.
Tracy McNeil (his Mother), and Chiara (his Sister) do most of the cleaning and laundry for him.
Because Tracy and Chiara are always there for him, Dwight oftentimes shies away from domestic duties like washing the dishes or tidying his room.
For many years, he shared a room (of his family home) with this Guy – his one and only his brother (Baillie McNeil).
These two brothers (Dwight and Baillie) have both come a long way. They shared the same room for nearly two decades.
In that room, there exists plenty of Dwight’s football pictures youth. The best photo will always remain that given to him on the day of his Premier League debut.
Also in that room contains a PlayStation 4. Dwight’s favourite game is FIFA. Now, let’s present proof of that.
The FIFA 98 Nostalgia:
First and foremost, did you ever know FIFA 98 existed?… Once upon a time, Dwight and his best friend, Nick Pope, decided to try their hands on who was best at FIFA 98.
Dwight McNeil Lifestyle:
Although making football money is a necessary evil, Dwight sees himself as an antidote to living large.
Now, COUNT HIM NOT when you think of footballers who drive fascinating cars, showcase big mansions, wear the most expensive wristwatches, etc – as observed here.
He would certainly get these luxuries, perhaps too early in his career.
Dwight McNeil Family Life:
At the final whistle, the Winger never ceases to wave members of his household before he makes his way down the tunnel.
These sets of people give him enormous positive energy that helps him conquer many things. In this section, we’ll tell you more about them.
About Dwight McNeil’s Father:
When you sit next to Matty for a 90 minutes football match, you can tell he is a coach.
Dwight always has time for a chat with his Dad, who never stops giving him advice. Matt spends lots of time watching Dwight’s game and sending him video clips for improvement.
Unlike the rest of his family, he doesn’t get nervous whenever his son plays very important games.
Being a former player and a now soccer manager is sure to have helped Matty in that regard. He always advises his son to stay calm on the pitch and follow the process.
Matty believes that being a professional with Burnley and making it with Man United are two completely different things.
While some parents wanted that, he preferred his son to play to spend his first senior season with a smaller team before switching to a bigger one.
About Dwight McNeil’s Mother:
For starters, Tracy is not so calm but very nervous when her son is about to play a big game.
According to family sources, whenever her family gets off the motorway in their car to the stadium, she would feel like being sick. We’ll tell you about her best Dwight moment.
Tracy McNeil is a walking miracle. Dwight is lucky to have her as a Mother.
Once upon a time, Tracy McNeil cried (tears of joy) as soon as she saw her son score his first goal for Burney.
That match from 2018 was her most memorable Dwight moment. It was a 2–0 Burnley home win against West Ham United on 30 December 2018.
About Dwight McNeil’s Brother:
Just maybe you didn’t know; Baillie McNeil is also a professional footballer. He is a product of Macclesfield Town FC academy.
Pictured in the photo below, Dwight McNeil’s Brother made his debut for Macclesfield on the 10th of February 2019. A year after Dwight had his.
Can you identify Dwight McNeil’s brother in this photo? Baillie McNeil is behind, fourth from the left.
Also, regarding Dwight McNeil’s Brother, it might interest you to know that Baillie is a Dad.
He is the proud parent of Maebel Emmie Addison McNeil, who was born on the 24th of July 2021. Behold Dwight McNeil’s Niece after attending her first match at five months old.
Baillie McNeil is the proud Father of Maebel Emmie Addison McNeil.
About Dwight McNeil’s Sister:
Whenever the focus is directed towards travelling to watch Dwight’s game, the close bond between family members becomes very clear. As revealed by a household source, there was once a talk about how long Chiara slept in the car on one occasion of travelling.
Chiara McNeil’s defence of 20 sleeping minutes was heavily disputed and raised to a whole 40 minutes.
She always puts on a never-ending smile whenever her brother gets a goal assist. Chiara, who is 16 (as of the year 2022), is likely to have taken her GCSE exams.
About Dwight McNeil’s Relatives:
Asides from Maebel Emmie Addison McNeil (who is a niece), we were able to identify Carys Jones-McNeil.
Pictured here alongside her baby boy, she is Dwight McNeil’s Aunt. At the time of taking this photo, they were just getting ready to watch Dwight at a Burnley match.
This is Dwight McNeil’s Aunt (Carys Jones-McNeil) alongside her son before a Burnley game.
Dwight is best described as a nephew to Carys Jones-McNeil. Also, the Burnley winger is a celebrity cousin to Carys Jones-McNeil’s son. This son of hers is a cousin to Maebel Emmie Addison McNeil, who is Baillie McNeil’s Daughter.
Untold Facts:
In the final phase of Dwight McNeil’s Bio, we will reveal more information you might not know about him. Now, without further ado, let’s begin.
The issue with Darren Bent:
A few years ago, someone flew a huge banner (via a plane) before Burnley’s game against Pep Guardiola’s Man City. The banner said, ‘White Lives Matter Burnley!’
Former England international Bent, a pundit on TalkSport, took to his social media after the incident. He criticised Burnley for a lack of diversity in their squad. In Darren Bent’s words;
“Very strange considering Burnley has NO black players in their squad at all.”
There was once an issue between Dwight and Darren.
The social media post prompted a response from Dwight McNeil, who is one of Britain’s people of colour ethnicity. Dwight McNeil criticises Darren Bent via the response;
“As a player of BAME family origin, I find Darren Bent’s comments as completely disrespectful, especially to my father, who is black. A man who helped make me the person I am proud to be.”
Bent was quick to apologise to McNeil for the comments he made.
Dwight McNeil FIFA Profile:
We compare the Winger’s FIFA attributes to those of Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, who have sweet left foots. Again, we have proof that Dwight McNeil lacks only one thing in FIFA -and that is his Intercept stats (46).
The English footballer excels best when it comes to his skill and movement.
Dwight McNeil’s Religion:
The footballer of British-Jamaican origin believes in God and practices Christianity. McNeil is not the type who professes his religious affiliation publicly. Matty and Tracy (Dwight’s parents) gave him two Christian middle names, which are James and Matthew.
EndNote:
Dwight McNeil was born on the 22nd of November 1999 to his Parents – his Mother, Tracy McNeil and Father, Matty McNeil.
DM’s birthplace is Rochdale, and he has two siblings. Baillie is Dwight McNeil’s Brother. On the other hand, Chiara is Dwight McNeil’s Sister.
The English professional footballer has a British Jamaican Ethnicity. Dwight McNeil’s Dad has his Family roots in Jamaica, while his Mum’s parents are both English.
As a child, he grew up following the footsteps of his Dad, a retired footballer who became a coach.
At four years old, Matty enrolled his son at the Bobby Charlton Soccer School. Bolton and Man United scouts who came to visit fell in love with the way he played soccer.
Dwight had to choose between the two clubs. As the saying goes, nobody rejects a Man United call.
During his teenage years with United’s academy, the youngster experienced growing pains.
Sadly, Manchester United released Dwight McNeil in 2014 because he didn’t meet their standards. Following that 2014 disappointment, he moved on to Burnley Football Club.
So far, Dwight has enjoyed a meteoric rise with Burnley FC, a feat that earned him an England U20 and U21 call. Dwight’s former team, Burnley, at the time of writing, boasted of Lyle Foster and Zeki Amdouni, meaning the club is in safe hands even after his departure.
With the big support he gets from his parents, siblings and wife-to-be (Megan Sharpley), the future Three Lions star has shown that he can defeat dragons.
Appreciation Note:
As always, we say ‘Thank You’ for taking the time to read our version of Dwight McNeil’s Biography. We care about accuracy and fairness in our daily quest to deliver you England Football Stories as we have done for names like Micah Hamilton and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Do let us know (via comment) if you find something that doesn’t look right in DM11’s Bio. Stay tuned for more footballers’ childhood biography stories from us. On a final note, please tell us what you think about Dwight and his amazing Football Story.
