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PLAYER PROFILE

IAN HARTE
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  • IAN HARTE
  • DEFENDER

UPDATED 06:36 17th July 2012

Experienced defender who has enjoyed a glittering career that has taken in Premier League, La Liga, Champions League and World Cup. 

Harte's career began as a left back at Leeds United, when he left his Irish roots to sign for Howard Wilkinson's Elland Road outfit in 1995. Before long he became a regular and soon earned himself a taste of European football with a fifth placed Premier League finish in 1997/8. 

Harte's second season in the UEFA Cup saw him play in a semi-final against Galatasaray and, finishing third in the top flight that same season, Leeds earned Champions League qualification. In that memorable campaign, Harte scored against 1860 Munich, before helping Leeds hold Barcelona and AC Milan in the opening group stage. Real Madrid and Lazio followed and Harte scored home and away against Anderlecht before bagging in the quarter-final win over Deportivo La Coruna weeks later. Leeds were eventually defeated by Valencia in the semi-finals. 

Top five league finishes continued as did UEFA Cup football, and Harte was also making a big impression on the international scene - featuring in all four of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup 2002 fixtures against Cameroon, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Spain. He has racked up more than 60 international caps in total. 

In 2004, Harte left English football to sign for top flight Spanish side Levante - scoring on debut at Real Sociedad. Following three years in Spain, he returned to England with Roy Keane's Sunderland but after brief spells at the Stadium of Light and then Blackpool, the left-footed set piece specialist joined Carlisle United in March 2009. 

Harte ended the season as the Cumbrians' top scorer with an astonishing 18 goals from centre back and also appeared at Wembley - beating former club Leeds en route to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final. 

On deadline day in August 2010 he signed a two-year deal at Madejski Stadium. Went on to play a huge role in his first season with the club, contributing 11 goals as Brian McDermott's men won through to a play-off final clash with Swansea at Wembley Stadium.

The evergreen defender recorded another successful season in 2011/12 as the Royals clinched promotion to the top flight – where Harte has spent much of his career.

Towards the end of the season, he enjoyed some goalscoring form that a striker would be proud of after scoring three goals in four games! After the season, Harte penned a new one-year deal at the Madejski.