Jordan James (footballer, born 2004)

James was born in Hereford,[3] where he attended Whitecross Hereford High School.[4] His father, Tony James, played in the Football League as a defender for Burton Albion, Newport County and Hereford United.[5] James joined Birmingham City at pre-Academy level and took up a two-year scholarship in July 2020.[3] According to the then head of professional development phase Mike Dodds, James was "technically very good and versatile, [and] can play in both offensive and defensive areas of the pitch." Dodds also highlighted the commitment shown by James and his family in making a round trip of more than 100 miles (160 km) from their Hereford home for training in Birmingham three times a week for nine years.[3]

James was a member of the Birmingham under-18 team that finished as runners-up in the Northern Section of their league,[6] and came from behind against Charlton Athletic's U18 in the national semi-finals only to lose to a last-minute goal.[7] As well as playing for the under-18s, he started several matches for Birmingham's under-23 team in the 2021–22 Premier League 2.[8] He trained occasionally with the first team, and was given a squad number and named in the matchday squad for the EFL Championship match at home to Bristol City on 2 November.[9][10] With only a few minutes left, Birmingham led 3–0, and the 17-year-old James came on in place of Jordan Graham to make his senior debut.[11] Manager Lee Bowyer said "He came on today, ran around, didn't give the ball away, competed and when he passed, he passed it with a purpose."[9]

With both Ryan Woods and Gary Gardner suspended,[12] James made his first start against Blackpool on 27 November, partnering Ivan Šunjić in central midfield in a 3–4–1–2 formation. He played the whole game, headed Kristian Pedersen's cross into the path of Lukas Jutkiewicz who scored the 81st-minute winner, and was the Birmingham Mail's man of the match.[13] On the same day, James signed his first professional contract.[14]

Although James was born in England, he was eligible to represent Wales because his father was born in that country.[4] He came through the 2018 Cymru Cup, a training and pre-selection camp for 14-year-olds,[15] to make his under-15 debut during the 2018–19 season.[16][17] He played for Wales U16 in 2019–20,[18] and attended under-17 training camps in 2020–21.[19][20] James made his under-18s debut against England in September 2021.[21]

James was called up to the England under-20 squad for matches against Poland and Germany in March 2022,[22] and appeared in both games as a very late substitute.[23][24]

As of match played 30 April 2022