# James Collins (footballer, born 1983)
**James Collins** (James Michael Collins, born 1983 in [Newport, Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/newport-wales)) is a Welsh retired footballer who played as a center-back, most prominently for Cardiff City, West Ham United, and Aston Villa, and won 51 caps for Wales between 2004 and 2016.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691) He retired from playing on 17 October 2020, having made the most club appearances of his career for West Ham.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | James Michael Collins, 1983, Newport, Wales[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691) |
| Position | Defender, center-back; right-footed; 1.88 m tall[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691) |
| Clubs | Cardiff City (2001–05), West Ham United (2005–09), Aston Villa (2009–12), West Ham again (2012–18), Ipswich Town (2019–20)[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) |
| International career | Wales, 51 caps and 3 goals; debut era 2004, final caps 2016[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691) • [3](https://support.arraynetworks.net/prx/000/https/commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category%3AJames_Collins_%28footballer_born_1983%29) |
| Major transfer | West Ham to Aston Villa, 1 September 2009, £5.0 million[4](https://www.skysports.com/james-collins) |
| Tournament football | Wales squad at UEFA Euro 2016; one substitute appearance, 66 minutes[5](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/TechnicalReport/competitions/EURO/02/40/26/69/2402669_DOWNLOAD.pdf) |
## Club career
**Cardiff City.** Collins emerged as one of several promising youngsters at Cardiff City in 2000–01, making his senior debut as a substitute for Robbie Earnshaw in the closing minutes of an [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) first-round tie against Bristol Rovers, which Cardiff won 5–1 on 19 November 2000.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) He was capped by Wales at Under-17 and Under-18 levels during that season, and while still a teenager he was also switched to play as a striker.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) His contract at Cardiff was extended to June 2008 in January 2005, and he became a regular in the Championship, making 32 league appearances with 1 goal in 2004–05.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/)
**West Ham United, first spell.** In July 2005 he joined West Ham United together with his Cardiff colleague Danny Gabbidon for a combined fee of £3 million.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) He made 13 Premier League appearances in his first season at Upton Park and remained with the club through 2009, though his league involvement varied, including only 2 Premier League appearances in 2007–08.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/)
**Aston Villa.** Collins moved to Aston Villa on 1 September 2009 for a fee of £5.0 million.[4](https://www.skysports.com/james-collins) He was a mainstay there, with 26 Premier League appearances in 2009–10 and 31 in each of the next two seasons, scoring 3 league goals in 2010–11.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) He played in the 2010 League Cup final for Villa.[6](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/james-collins/225141)
**Return to West Ham.** He rejoined West Ham on 1 August 2012 and stayed until 30 June 2018, the longest continuous spell of his career.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) His contract was extended to June 2018 in December 2015.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) Across the six seasons he made between 12 and 29 Premier League appearances a year, with 29 in the 2012–13 promotion-season campaign and 12 in his final 2017–18 season.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/)
**Ipswich Town and retirement.** Transfermarkt records him as retired since 17 October 2020, with Ipswich as his last club and West Ham as the club he played most games for.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691)
## International career
Collins made his senior debut for Wales in 2004, in a friendly against Norway.[7](https://dragonsoccer.co.uk/matches/walessquad-15.pdf) He went on to win 51 caps and score 3 goals for his country between 2004 and 2016.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691) • [3](https://support.arraynetworks.net/prx/000/https/commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category%3AJames_Collins_%28footballer_born_1983%29) A French profile of his career credits him with 50 selections and 3 goals, a small discrepancy with the 51 caps recorded elsewhere.[6](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/james-collins/225141)
At [UEFA Euro 2016](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-euro-2016), Wales's first major tournament since 1958, Collins was included in manager Chris Coleman's 29-man preliminary squad in May 2016 as a West Ham player and made the final squad, wearing shirt number 19.[8](https://as.com/futbol/2016/05/09/primera/1462807045_857675.html) • [5](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/TechnicalReport/competitions/EURO/02/40/26/69/2402669_DOWNLOAD.pdf) The UEFA technical report records one substitute appearance totalling 66 minutes in the tournament, in which Wales reached the semi-finals.[5](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/TechnicalReport/competitions/EURO/02/40/26/69/2402669_DOWNLOAD.pdf) • [9](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/7810/James_Collins.html)
## Playing style and recognition
Contemporary scouting descriptions of Collins at Cardiff called him a strong central defender.[2](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/) A 2013 head-to-head feature in The Independent, comparing him with Everton's Phil Jagielka ahead of a West Ham–Everton league meeting, treated him as one of the established Premier League center-backs of that period.[10](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/premier-league/james-collins-v-phil-jagielka-headtohead-analysis-ahead-of-the-clash-between-west-ham-and-everton-8827558.html)
## Personal life
Collins is the brother of Josh Collins, also a retired footballer.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691) His player agent was CAA Stellar.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691)
## References
1. [James Collins – Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-collins/profil/spieler/12691)
2. [James M Collins Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-m-collins-11236/)
3. [Category:James Collins (footballer born 1983), Wikimedia Commons](https://support.arraynetworks.net/prx/000/https/commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category%3AJames_Collins_%28footballer_born_1983%29)
4. [James Collins – Wales, Player Profile, Sky Sports Football](https://www.skysports.com/james-collins)
5. [UEFA EURO 2016 technical report, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/TechnicalReport/competitions/EURO/02/40/26/69/2402669_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
6. [James Collins – joueur de football, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/james-collins/225141)
7. [Wales 'A' squad document, Dragonsoccer](https://dragonsoccer.co.uk/matches/walessquad-15.pdf)
8. [Gales se preparará para la Eurocopa... sin Gareth Bale, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2016/05/09/primera/1462807045_857675.html)
9. [James Collins (Player), National Football Teams](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/7810/James_Collins.html)
10. [James Collins v Phil Jagielka: Head-to-head analysis, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/premier-league/james-collins-v-phil-jagielka-headtohead-analysis-ahead-of-the-clash-between-west-ham-and-everton-8827558.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › Welsh footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license