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James Ward-Prowse is an England international who plays in midfield for Premier League side West Ham, and is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest.
Until August 2023, Ward-Prowse spent his entire career at Southampton, progressing through the youth ranks, debuting in 2011, to playing his 400th game in 2023.
Ward-Prowse made his England debut in 2017 and scored his first goal for the national side in a 5-0 win over San Marino in 2021.
He made 410 appearances for Saints and was captain as they were relegated from the Premier League in the 2022/23 season.
Ward-Prowse has made a swift return to the top flight after joining West Ham for a reported fee of £30million on August 14, 2023. He created two assists for the Irons on his debut against Chelsea, and then scored his first goal for the club a week later against Brighton.
But he found himself out of favour with new West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui and joined Nottingham Forest on a loan deal until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Southampton academy days
Ward-Prowse joined the Southampton academy in 2003 aged eight, where he would continue all the way through the ranks to the first team.
The Englishman featured in every match for the U-18 team in 2010/11, before earning a place in the first team squad for the 2011/12 season.
Premier League dreams
In 2011, Ward-Prowse made his debut for the Saints aged 16 against Crystal Palace in a League Cup match, before starting again in the FA Cup third round, scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win over Coventry.
Southampton had reached the top flight for the 2012/13 season, with Ward-Prowse being one of the only youth players to be offered a professional contract with the club.
In the 2012/13 campaign, he made his Premier League debut for the Saints in a 3-2 loss to Manchester City, where he performed admirably. Ward-Prowse continued to gather praise in his third match against Manchester United.
His terrific performances earned him a five-year contract extension with the club shortly after his 18th birthday.
In his first season, Ward-Prowse picked up his only assist on the last day against Sunderland. In his first professional season, the midfielder picked up Scholar of the Season for his efforts.
On Mauricio Pochettino's arrival, he became a favourite of the manager for the 2013/14 season, playing in 34 of the 38 Premier League games.
Captain of the Saints
In 2015, James Ward-Prowse signed a five-year deal with Southampton, committing his future to his boyhood club.
In the 2014/15 season, the midfielder scored his first Premier League goal for the Saints in a 2-0 win over Hull City.
In the following season, Ward-Prowse would make his 100th appearance for Southampton, making him the fourth youngest to do so aged 20. He would later achieve his 200th in April 2018.
After Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg departure from Southampton in June 2020, Ward-Prowse took over as captain, signing a new contract keeping him until 2025.
In January 2021, Ward-Prowse made his 300th appearance for Southampton.
Ward-Prowse continued to star for Southampton as they survived relegation in the 2020/2021 and 21/22 season. But the 2022/23 season was a step to far, and they dropped down into the Championship after finishing bottom of the table.
Southampton's relegation meant Ward-Prowse became hot property, and soon he was lured back to the Premier League by West Ham. He ended his Southampton career with 410 appearances and 55 goals under his belt.
He also scored 17 Premier League free-kicks for the Saints, just one behind the competition's highest tally set by former England skipper David Beckham in his Manchester United days.
Move to West Ham
On August 14, 2023 West Ham announced the signing of the 28-year-old Ward-Prowse for a reported fee of £30million.
Ward-Prowse hit the ground running at the London Stadium, setting up two assists on his West Ham debut in a 3-1 win against rivals Chelsea.
He then scored his first goal for the club a week later in a 3-1 win against a high-flying Brighton side.
After an impressive first-half of the season, Ward-Prowse's performances started to dip and he found himself on the bench on several occassions. He ended the season with seven goals from 51 appearances across all competitions.
New West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui arrived in the summer and began rebuilding the squad, and in August 2024, Ward-Prowse joined Nottingham Forest on a loan deal until the end of the 2024/25 season.
International career
Ward-Prowse has represented England at many youth levels, starting as a part of the England U-17s, gaining seven caps between 2010 and 2011.
In 2012, he made the step up to the U-19 team, for whom he played four times, and in 2013 joined the U-20s for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup
In 2013, Ward-Prowse was called up for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification. He scored his first U-21 goal against Lithuania, a free-kick from 20 yards.
In 2016, he captained England U-21s to their first Toulon Tournament victory since 1994, by beating hosts France 2-1.
After years of England youth football, Ward-Prowse was finally called up to the England senior squad in 2017 for a friendly against Germany and a World Cup qualifying match against Lithuania, where he would make his senior debuts.
James Ward-Prowse has scored his first international goal 🏌️♂️ pic.twitter.com/IPBxSguNH0
— Goal (@goal) March 25, 2021
In March 2021, he scored his first international goal in a 5-0 win over San Marino.
As well as World Cup qualifiers, he returned for the European Championship qualifiers in 2019, and was named in the Euro 2020 provisional squad. However, he did not make the cut for the 26-man squad when it was announced on June 1, 2021.
He also missed out on England's 2022 World Cup and 2024 European Championship squads.
Personal life
Ward-Prowse was born in Portsmouth and is son to John Ward-Prowse. Ward-Prowse and his partner, Olivia, have one son named Oscar born in 2018.
Net worth
James Ward-Prowse's net worth is believed to be £14million.
