Mark Alexander David Oxlade-Chamberlain, an English professional footballer who was born on August 15, 1993, is a midfielder for Premier League team Liverpool.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, at 17 years old, gained recognition with Southampton during the 2010–11 season before signing for Arsenal in August 2011. Oxlade-Chamberlain became the youngest English goal scorer in UEFA Champions League history after scoring twice in his first three games for the club. He also earned a regular spot in the England under-21 team. He played 198 games and scored 20 goals while spending six seasons at the Emirates Stadium, winning the FA Cup three times. He joined Liverpool in August 2017 and won the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and 2020, consecutively.
On May 26, 2012, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his international debut for England in a 1-0 friendly victory against Norway. After that, he unexpectedly gained a call-up to the England team for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, passing Wayne Rooney to become the second-youngest player to ever represent England in the European Championships. Jude Bellingham would subsequently surpass him. He received a call-up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well. In 35 appearances for the national team, the most recent in 2019, he has scored seven goals.
Early and Personal Life
The son of Mark Chamberlain, a former player for Stoke City, Portsmouth, and England, Oxlade-Chamberlain was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He and his younger brother Christian are both professional football players, as was their uncle Neville Chamberlain.
Oxlade-Chamberlain attended Southsea, Portsmouth’s independent St. John’s College. He was an Arsenal fan growing up. He participated in rugby union as a scrum half or full back, and when he was given the chance to try out for London Irish, he almost went with rugby instead of football. With South East Hampshire, he also participated in cricket as a wicketkeeper, bowler, and opening batsman. He turned down Hampshire’s offers of trials as a wicketkeeper-batsman because it would have interfered with his commitments to his junior football team.
Oxlade-relationship Chamberlain’s with Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards was officially confirmed in February 2017. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Edwards welcomed their son, their first child together, in August 2021. The couple confirmed their engagement in June 2022.
Club Career
Southampton
At the age of seven, Oxlade-Chamberlain enrolled at Southampton Academy. At 16 years 199 days, he made his first-team Southampton debut on March 2, 2010, coming off the bench in a 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town, becoming the club’s second-youngest player to make an appearance after Theo Walcott. On May 8, 2010, during the season’s final game against Southend United, Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced Jason Puncheon in the 82nd minute. On August 10, 2010, against AFC Bournemouth in the League Cup’s opening round, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first competitive start of the 2010–11 season. He scored his first senior goal during the game, the second goal in Southampton’s 2-0 win.
Soon after turning 17 years old, on August 20, 2010, Oxlade-Chamberlain signed a three-year professional contract. On September 4, 2010, he made his debut league appearance in a 2-0 loss to Rochdale at home. On October 23, 2010, the team defeated Oldham Athletic 2-1, and his first league goal served as the game-winning score. On November 2, 2010, the team defeated Dagenham & Redbridge 4-0, and he added two more goals and an assist, earning him the first league Man of the Match title.
As Southampton was promoted to the Championship, Oxlade-Chamberlain ended the season with nine goals, earning a spot in the PFA League One Team of the Year for the 2010–11 season. Later, he became the subject of transfer rumours, and in June, Mark Chamberlain, his father, expressed his desire for his son to join Arsenal as soon as possible to continue his growth.
Arsenal
Oxlade-Chamberlain joined the Premier League team Arsenal on August 8, 2011. Although neither team involved disclosed specifics of the contract, news sources claimed that the sum was an initial payment of £12 million with the potential for add-ons to bring the total to £15 million.
As a 62nd-minute replacement for Francis Coquelin in the 8-2 loss at Manchester United on August 28, 2011, he made his debut for Arsenal, becoming the club’s 150th Premier League player. In the 58th minute of a League Cup game against Shrewsbury Town on September 20, 2011, he scored his first goal for Arsenal with a strike from 25 yards. Arsenal won 3-1.
Liverpool
On August 31, 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain committed to a five-year deal worth £35 million with Liverpool, a Premier League rival of Arsenal. In a 5-0 loss to Manchester City on September 9, 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his Liverpool debut. He entered the game as a substitute. On October 17, he scored his first goal for the team, coming off the bench to score in a 7-0 Champions League victory over Maribor, the greatest away win by an English club and the joint-highest away win in competition history. He scored his first league goal for Liverpool on November 4, 2017, in a 4-1 win over West Ham.
International Career
Young Team
On November 16, 2010, at Adams Park, Oxlade-Chamberlain was called up to the England Under-18 team for the match against Poland. Oxlade-Chamberlain played the first 45 minutes of England’s 3-0 victory before being replaced.
Under 21 Team
On 8 February 2011, he was selected for the England Under-19 squad to play Germany, but on 2 February, he was moved up to the England Under-21 team for a friendly game against Italy. He entered the game in the 60th minute to take Henri Lansbury’s place. Italians scored a penalty kick with two minutes remaining to give them a 1-0 victory over England.
Senior Team
Oxlade-Chamberlain was added to the 23-man senior England team on May 16 in preparation for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine. In a 1-0 warm-up victory over Norway on May 26, 2012, he made his senior England squad debut, replacing Ashley Young midway through the second half.
2014 World Cup Qualifiers
In a 5-0 victory over San Marino on October 12, 2012, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first goal at the senior level for his country. On March 22, 2013, England played San Marino again, winning 8-0. He scored again.
In the 2-2 match that marked the formal opening of the reconstructed Maracana Stadium on June 2, 2013, he scored against Brazil. He entered the game as a second-half substitution and equalized the score with a half-volley.
He was left out of Gareth Southgate’s 23-man England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on May 16 because of an injury.
