Newcastle United Born in
Stirling, Scotland, Caldwell started out his football career at
Hutchison Vale, along with his younger brother
Gary. He then joined
Premiership club
Newcastle United at age fourteen, along with Gary, where they began their football careers. At some point in the 1999–00 season, he was promoted to the first team, appearing twice as an unused
substitute. In the 2000–01 season, Caldwell was called up to the first team, with Manager
Bobby Robson said: "Caldwell's got a good pedigree. I like to put people in when it's right and when it's necessary and I can afford to do it, and not when we are forced to do it. But we are going to have the confidence with the lad to do it. He's a steady character, has indomitable spirit and we like him very much." Caldwell made his Newcastle United debut on 30 September 2000 against
Manchester City, coming on as a second half substitute for
Andy Griffin, and played the rest of the game, keeping a
clean sheet, in a 1–0 win. On 1 November 2000, he made his first start for the club against Bradford City in the League Cup and scored his first goal for Newcastle United, as they won 4–3. Since making his debut for the club, Caldwell rotated in and out of the first team, due to facing competitions in the defence. He went on to feature four more times for Newcastle United by the end of the year, making three starts. On 3 March 2001 Caldwell made his first appearances in two months following a thigh injury, playing the whole match in a 1–1 draw against
Everton. He later made two additional appearances before the end of the 2000–01 season, finishing the campaign with a total of nine appearances in all competitions. At the start of the 2001–02 season, Caldwell was featured three times in Newcastle United's matches in the
UEFA Intertoto Cup and once set up a goal, in a 4–0 win against
Lokeren on 14 July 2001. Due to lack of first team football opportunities, he was loaned out to
Blackpool on a month's loan. Caldwell made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against
Colchester United on 13 October 2001. In a follow–up match, he scored his first career goal, against
Stoke City in the
Football League Trophy, winning 3–2. Caldwell made a total of six appearances for Blackpool before returning to his parent club a month later. Shortly after, Caldwell was loaned out to
Bradford City on a month's loan in December 2001. He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 3–1 win against
Rotherham United on 8 December 2001. Since making his debut for Bradford City, Caldwell quickly became a first team regular for the side for the next two months there and had his loan spell extended at the club along the way. His loan spell at Bradford City ended in late–January, as he made nine appearances for the side. At the start of the 2002–03 season, Caldwell continued to find his first team opportunities limited at Newcastle United, due to competitions in the central defence, with Manager Robson challenging him to fight for his first team place at the club. On 2 November 2002 he was called up to the first team and made his first appearance of the season, coming against
Middlesbrough in the league and scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win. Caldwell then made his UEFA Champions League debut against
Inter Milan on 27 November 2002, coming on as an 86th-minute substitute, as Newcastle United lost 4–1. He then made six more starts for the club by the end of the year. Because of injuries to
Andy O'Brien and
Titus Bramble, Caldwell appeared three times at the beginning of January, including helping Newcastle United keep two consecutive clean sheets. However, he was dropped from the first team for the next two months, due to illness and competitions. In between the absence, Caldwell made his first UEFA Champions League start against
Bayer Leverkusen, as the club won 3–1 on 26 February 2003. He later made four more appearances later in the 2002–03 season and contributed to the club's UEFA Champions League qualification to
next season. In total, Caldwell made seventeen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Local newspaper
Evening Chronicle said his involvement in the first team "deserves credit for his unsung contribution" With his contract expiring at the end of the 2002–03 season, Caldwell said about his future, saying: "I've been in a worse position at this club. I'm not expecting anything at the moment. If the club wants me to stay, I'll be delighted, but I'm 22 and I don't want to spend my time in the reserves. I want to be playing for my country and I won't be doing that if I'm in the reserves." Newcastle United offered a him a new contract, but he rejected it, with clubs like
Rangers,
Sunderland and
Sporting CP were interested in signing him. With an imminent departure from Newcastle United, the club demanded a £750,000 compensation. But in an unexpected turn of an event, it was announced on 19 June 2003 that Caldwell signed a one–year contract extension with the club, having previously rejected the one before, describing it as an "insult". On 15 October 2003 Caldwell made his first appearance of the 2003–04 season, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win against
NAC Breda in the
UEFA Cup, a win that saw Newcastle United through to the next round of the tournament following a 6–0 win on aggregate. He then made three more appearances for the club in the first half of the season. Manager Robson praised his performance in the last two matches. However, Caldwell continued to found his first team opportunities limited, due to competitions and his own injury concern. Because of this, Caldwell wanted to leave Newcastle United if he was not given first team football at the club. At one point, Caldwell was expected to leave Newcastle United on loan but Manager Robson blocked any attempts following an injury of
Jonathan Woodgate. After Newcastle United recalled him due to an injury of Woodgate and Griffin, he made his appearances for the club since leaving, coming against
Wolverhampton Wanderers on 9 May 2004. Caldwell appeared in the last two matches of the 2003–04 season, as Newcastle United failed to qualify for the
UEFA Champions League next season. In total at the club, he made a total of seven appearances in all competitions. On 2 February 2004, Caldwell joined fellow Premiership club
Leeds United on loan as part of a loan swap for
Michael Bridges who went in the opposite direction. He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against
Aston Villa five days later on 7 February 2004. Since joining Leeds United, Caldwell became a first team regular, playing in the centre–back position, as he attempt to help the club avoid relegation once again. On 10 April 2004 Caldwell scored his first goal for Leeds United, in a 2–1 win against
Blackburn Rovers. However, he was recalled by his parent club on 5 May 2004. By the time Caldwell was recalled, he made thirteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Following his absence, Leeds United was eventually relegated to the
Championship. Once the 2003–04 season was concluded, Caldwell was released by Newcastle United and by the time he left the club, he made thirty–seven appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
Sunderland Throughout the 2003–04 season,
Sunderland wanted to sign Caldwell after their efforts to sign him, both on a free transfer and on loan failed. The club opted to wait to sign him on a free transfer at the end of the 2003–04 season. In May 2004, he agreed a move to Sunderland after leaving Newcastle United. The move was later confirmed on 27 June 2004, with the player signed a three–year contract. After missing out the first match of the 2004–05 season, Caldwell made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 3–1 win against
Crewe Alexandra on 10 August 2004. This was followed up by scoring his first goal for Sunderland, in a 3–3 draw against
Queens Park Rangers. Since making his debut for the club, Caldwell became was known for his whole-hearted approach to the game and the solid partnership he formed with
Gary Breen. Caldwell said that his aim was to help Sunderland reach the promotion to the
Premiership, in which Manager McCarthy praised Caldwell for his effort. However, during a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic on 28 August 2004, he suffered a knock and was substituted in the 25th minute as a result. After missing one match, Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against
Gillingham on 10 September 2004 and kept a clean sheet, in a 4–0 win. On 13 November 2004 he scored his second goal for the club, in a 1–0 win against
Leicester City. This was followed up by helping Sunderland keep two clean sheets in the next two matches, making it three in a row. However in a follow–up against
West Ham United, Caldwell was sent–off in the 41st minute after clashing with
Serhii Rebrov, as the club lost 2–0. After the match, Sunderland successfully appealed against his red card. However, his return was short–lived when he suffered a hamstring injury that saw him miss one match. Despite not risking Caldwell return ahead of the match against Leeds United on 26 December 2004, he returned to the starting line–up, as the club lost 3–2. However, his return was short–lived when Caldwell suffered a calf injury that saw him miss two matches. On 4 February 2005 he returned to the starting line–up against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Caldwell then scored his third goal of the season, as well as, setting up Sunderland's first goal of the game, in a 5–1 win against
Plymouth Argyle on 13 March 2005. Despite facing the sidelined during the 2004–05 season, he continued to regain his first team place, playing in the centre–back position for the rest of the season, as the club continued aiming to reach promotion to the Premiership. On 23 April 2005, Caldwell scored Sunderland's winning goal against Leicester City to send his team back to the Premiership, which he successfully predicted. He later said it was the best moment as a footballer. In his first season at the club, Caldwell went on to make forty–one appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. Ahead of the 2005–06 season, Caldwell said that he couldn't wait to play in Premiership now that Sunderland has returned to the top–flight league. Caldwell made his first Premiership appearance in a year, starting the whole game, as the club lost 3–1 against
Charlton Athletic in the opening game of the season. However, he missed the next six matches, due to competition in the defence. Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against Middlesbrough on 25 September 2005, as Sunderland won 2–0, giving their first Premier League since 2002. He regained his first team place in the defence for the next five matches, including setting up a goal against
Arsenal on 5 November 2005. This lasted until Caldwell was dropped from the first team in the next two matches. On 30 November 2005 he returned to the starting line–up, in a 2–0 loss against
Liverpool. Following his return, Caldwell regained his first team place and started in the next nine matches for Sunderland. Along the way, he received a straight red card in the 60th minute in a 2–1 loss against
Fulham on 2 January 2006 after "tripping
Heiðar Helguson after the Icelandic international had embarrassingly broken the offside trap". The club's appeal was unsuccessful and Caldwell had to serve a one-match suspension. Having picked up five yellow cards, he, once again, suspended for one match before not playing for the next three matches. O 11 March 2006 Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against Wigan Athletic and wore the club's captaincy in the absence of Breen, as they lost 1–0. He then captained the side on two more occasions. Caldwell continued to rotate in and out of the starting line–up for the rest of the 2005–06 season, as Sunderland were relegated again in the
2005–06 season. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he went on to make twenty–six appearances in all competitions. Ahead of the 2006–07 season, Caldwell was plagued with a knee injury that saw him sidelined for a month. He was tipped to become the next Sunderland captain following the departure of Breen and was eventually appointed. Caldwell captained in the opening game of the season against
Coventry City., as the club lost 2–1. In a follow–up match against Birmingham City, he " sprained the medial ligaments in his knee " that saw him substituted in the 29th minute, as Sunderland lost 1–0. After the match, Caldwell was sidelined for almost three months. On 4 November 2006 he returned to the starting line–up against
Norwich City, as the club lost 1–0. Despite keen to impress new Manager
Roy Keane, Caldwell, however, fall out of favour with him, and he rarely featured in
Roy Keane's first team when fit. Nevertheless, Caldwell was later featured eight times since returning before suffering a thigh injury that saw him substituted in the 16th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 loss against
Preston North End on 30 December 2006. In the January
transfer window, he was linked with a move away from the club: Sunderland accepted bids from Championship rivals Burnley and Coventry City. It came after when Manager Keane revealed that the contract talk between the club and Caldwell collapsed. Caldwell was then stripped of Sunderland's captaincy due to his imminent departure from the club.
Burnley It was agreed on 25 January 2007 that
Burnley agreed to sign Caldwell from Sunderland. However, the move was in doubt and expected to see out his contract for the rest of the 2006–07 season. But the move was back and it was completed minutes before the transfer deadline in January 2007. He signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at
Turf Moor for an initial £200,000, with a further £200,000 would be payable to Sunderland at a later date. Caldwell made his Burnley debut, starting the whole game, in a 3–1 loss against Queens Park Rangers on 3 February 2007. After the match, Manager
Steve Cotterill praised his debut performance. This was followed up by captaining the club for the first time against
Sheffield Wednesday, as they drew 1–1. Since making his debut for Burnley, he quickly became a first team for the side, playing in the centre–back position. Caldwell was also named as the club's captain and endeared himself to the team's fans with his uncompromising tackling and commitment. He then helped Burnley keep four consecutive clean sheets between 31 March 2007 and 9 April 2007. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Caldwell made seventeen appearances in all competitions. In the opening game of the 2007–08 season against
West Bromwich Albion, however, Caldwell suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted in the 31st minute, as Burnley lost 1–0. On 29 August 2007 he returned to the starting line–up against
Oldham Athletic in the second round of the League Cup, as the club won 3–0. Following this return, Caldwell regained his first team place in the centre–back and his captaincy for the next eight matches. This lasted until he suffered two separate injuries that saw him out for a month. On 22 December 2007 Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against
Ipswich Town and kept a clean sheet, as the club drew 0–0. Following his return, he resumed his duties as the captain, as well as, his first team place in the centre–back position. On 26 February 2008 Caldwell scored his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up Burnley's first goal of the game, in a 2–0 win against Coventry City. However, he was sent–off in a match for a second bookable offence against
Hull City on 4 March 2008, as the club lost 2–0. After serving a one match suspension, Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against local rivals Preston North End on 22 March 2008, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss. He then scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against
Southampton on 19 April 2008. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Caldwell went on to make thirty–two appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Caldwell continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the centre–back position, as well as, resuming his captain duties for Burnley. He stated that his aim was to help the club reach the
Premier League next season. Caldwell helped Burnley keep three consecutive clean sheets between 23 August 2008 and 30 August 2008. On 27 September 2008 Caldwell scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against Preston North End. During a 1–1 draw against
Charlton Athletic on 25 October 2008, he suffered a hip injury that saw him substituted in the 51st minute. But Caldwell quickly recovered from the injury and returned to the starting line–up against
Reading on 28 October 2008, as the club won 1–0. Prior to the match against
Chelsea in the Round of 16 of the League Cup, Caldwell said he wanted the opposition team to field in stronger players, saying: "I really hope they play their best team against us because you want to play against the very best. I'm sure they'll play a strong team, they seem to have been doing it in other rounds of the cup and you want to play against people like
Nicolas Anelka,
John Terry and
Frank Lampard because they're at the very top of football." However in a match, he captained Burnley throughout the match to extra time until his sending off in the 116th minute for a second bookable offence, as the club won 5–4 in the
penalty shootout following a 1–1 draw. After serving a one match suspension, Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against
Doncaster Rovers on 22 November 2008 and helped Burnley keep a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw. Once again, he received a straight red card after dragging
Richie Wellens back inside the area, in a 2–1 loss against Doncaster Rovers on 28 December 2008. After serving a two match suspension, Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against
Swansea City on 10 January 2009, as the club lost 2–0. On 21 March 2009 Caldwell scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Plymouth Argyle. He then helped the club reach the
play–offs after beating
Bristol City 4–0 in the last game of the season. Caldwell then helped Burnley beat Reading 3–0 in the
semi–finals of the Football League Championship play-off to reach the final. The highlight of Caldwell's Burnley career was lifting the
Football League Championship play-off trophy as captain after beating
Sheffield United 1–0 to play in the
Premier League next season. However, he expressed mixed emotions, due to his former club, Newcastle United, being relegated. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Caldwell made 57 starts throughout the season, as the Scottish international was a virtual ever-present in the Clarets back-line. However at the start of the 2009–10 season, Caldwell suffered a groin injury while on international duty and was sidelined for a month. After making a recovery, he returned to the substitute bench for a match against
Tottenham Hotspur and didn't make a return on 3 October 2009, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against Birmingham City. Following his return, Caldwell regained his first team place, starting seven matches between 18 October 2009 and 20 December 2009. He scored his first goal for the club, scoring from a header, in a 1–1 draw against Aston Villa on 21 November 2009. In a follow–up match against West Ham United, Caldwell received a straight red card for "hauling down
Zavon Hines", as Burnley lost 5–3. After serving a one match suspension, Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against Fulham on 12 December 2009, as the club drew 1–1. However during a 2–0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 20 December 2009, he suffered a groin injury and was substituted in the 67th minute. After the match, it was announced that Caldwell was eventually sidelined for three months. On 10 April 2010 he returned to the first team, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute, in a 4–1 win against Hull City. Caldwell was later featured three more matches in the remaining matches of the 2009–10 season, including captaining against Tottenham Hotspur in the last game of the season, as the club were relegated from the Premier League. Having made thirteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions, he was released by Burnley at the end of his contract following the
2009–10 season.
Wigan Athletic On 23 August 2010, he signed a one-year deal with
Wigan Athletic, again joining up with his brother Gary, having trained with the club earlier this month. He made his debut for Wigan Athletic on 24 August 2010, a day after signing, against
Hartlepool United in the
League Cup second round match, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 victory. Caldwell made his league debut for the club on 16 October 2010 away against Newcastle United, his former club, at
St James Park in a 2–2 draw as Newcastle United came from 2–0 down to gain a point. However, he found himself placed on the substitute bench for most of the season. At times, Caldwell was called up to the starting line–up following Wigan's defensive crisis. For the first time in their professional club career, the Caldwell brothers played together in a centre–back against Arsenal on 22 January 2011, in a 3–0 loss. They later played together on two occasions, coming against West Bromwich Albion and
Bolton Wanderers. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he went on to make fifteen appearances in all competitions. Following this, Caldwell was released when his contract expired at the end of the season.
Birmingham City supporters at
St Andrew's in 2011 On 7 July 2011, Caldwell signed a two-year contract with
Birmingham City, newly relegated to the
Championship. He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the
2011–12 Football League Championship season, playing the whole of a 2–1 defeat at
Derby County. He came close to opening the scoring in the
Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club
Nacional, the first time that Birmingham had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years, when his placed header struck the foot of the post. In the return, Caldwell helped the club beat Nacional 3–0 advance to the
Group Stage. Since making his debut for Birmingham City, he quickly became a first team regular, forming a centre–back partnership with
Curtis Davies. Caldwell then helped the club keep four consecutive clean sheets between 16 October 2011 and 29 October 2011. His performance was praised by Manager
Chris Hughton for his dedication and commitment to the team. In return, he praised his philosophy, comparing it to his former manager
Owen Coyle and even going far as to say "the best sort of manager to play for". Caldwell also captained Birmingham City's matches in the
UEFA Europa League group stage, as they were eliminated. He successfully predicted that if the club failed to qualify for
the Europa League knockout stage, it would be a disappointment. Once again, Caldwell helped the club keep four consecutive clean sheets between 14 January 2012 and 28 January 2012. In the absence of
Stephen Carr and
Liam Ridgewell, he captained Birmingham City for the rest of the 2011–12 season. Caldwell stated on two occasions that the club can win the promotion back to the Premier League. However in a match against Ipswich Town on 17 April 2012, he suffered a groin injury and was substituted in the 35th minute, as Birmingham City drew 1–1. After the match, it was announced that Caldwell was sidelined for the rest of the 2011–12 season. He previously missed a match against
Watford on 28 August 2011. However in his absence, Birmingham City lost 3–2 against Blackpool in
the semi–finals of the Championship play–offs. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Caldwell went on to make fifty–two appearances in all competitions. , 2011 Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Caldwell made his return from injury for Birmingham City and featured in a first half
friendly match against
Borussia Mönchengladbach on 21 July 2012, as the club drew 2–2. He continued to go to the rehabilitation to recover from his groin injury, with Manager
Lee Clark saying the situation is monitoring carefully. At the start of the 2012–13 season, Caldwell scored his first goal for Birmingham City on 14 August 2012 in a 5–1 win over
Barnet in the League Cup. Since then, he continued to regain his first team place, forming a centre–back partnership with Davies, as well as, resuming his duties as captain. However, Caldwell was dropped to the substitute bench for the next two matches between 27 November 2012 and 30 November 2012. But he returned to the starting line–up against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 8 December 2012, as the club lost 1–0. Caldwell then started in the first team for the next fifteen matches, as well as, resuming his captain duties. On 19 January 2013 he scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against
Brighton & Hove Albion. However in a match against Hull City on 2 March 2013, Caldwell suffered an illness that saw him substituted in the 37th minute, as Birmingham City lost 5–2. However since returning from the illness, he found himself placed on the substitute bench, with
Paul Robinson preferred for the rest of the 2012–13 season. Despite this, Caldwell went on to make thirty–eight appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
Toronto FC In May 2013, Birmingham confirmed that they would not be taking up their option to extend Caldwell's contract, and he signed for Canadian club
Toronto FC of
Major League Soccer on loan for the remaining few weeks of that contract. Caldwell made his debut for the club on 18 May 2013, in the starting eleven at home to the
Columbus Crew, and was "bitterly disappointed" by the 1–0 defeat. After his contract expired with Birmingham, he signed a two-and-a-half-season contract with Toronto FC, after helping improve the team's goals-against average from 1.5 to 1.0 goals a game. Caldwell scored his first goal with the club on 3 July 2013 in a 3–3 home draw to Canadian
rivals,
Montreal Impact. On 13 July 2013, he became Toronto FC's sixth
team captain in the franchise's history after incumbent captain
Darren O'Dea was transferred to another club. Since joining the club, Caldwell became a first team regular for the rest of the 2013 season. However in a match against
Sporting Kansas City on 21 September 2013, he received a straight red card in the 86th minute for a foul on
Josh Garner, as Toronto lost 2–1. Despite this, Caldwell went on to make twenty–three appearances and scoring once in all competitions. In December 2013, readers of "Waking the Red", a Toronto news site, voted him as the team's best player of the 2013 season. He was given a similar honour by the
Red Patch Boys. At the start of the 2014 season, Caldwell continued to be in the first team regular, playing in the centre–back position, as well as, resuming his captain duties for Toronto. He then played in 2014 Canadian Championship#Final both legs of the Canadian Championship finals against Montreal Impact, as the club lost 2–1 on aggregate. However along the way, Caldwell faced two suspensions, including being sent–off against Sporting Kansas City on 24 May 2014. By mid–July, however, he suffered a quad tear that saw him sidelined for a month. On 24 August 2014 Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against
Chicago Fire, only to suffer an injury and substituted in the 22nd minute, as Toronto drew 2–2. Following the match, it was announced that he was sidelined for several weeks, having failed to recover from a quad injury. On 21 September 2014 Caldwell returned to the starting line–up against
Chivas USA and helped the club keep a clean sheet, winning 3–0. Following his return, he started in the remaining six matches of the 2014 season for Toronto. At the end of the 2014 season, Caldwell went on to make twenty–four appearances in all competitions. Reflecting in the season, he tweeted his frustration but determined to help the club get back on track
next season. Ahead of the 2015 season, Caldwell was demoted from team captain following the promotion to captain of designated player and American national team mainstay
Michael Bradley. He made two appearances for Toronto before suffering an achilles tendon problems during a match against
Columbus Crew on 14 March 2015. As a result, Caldwell was sidelined for a month. As a result of his injury, Caldwell announced his retirement from professional football on 14 July 2015. He retired four months after his brother, Gary. ==International career==