Michael Richard Dawson (born 18 November 1983) is an English former professional football player and sports pundit.

Dawson started his career at Nottingham Forest playing alongside veteran defender Des Walker before moving to Tottenham Hotspur with teammate Andy Reid for a fee of £8 million.

Although he initially failed to make the final 23-man squad, an injury to captain Rio Ferdinand saw him drafted in as replacement.

Although relegated with Hull at the end of the 2014–15 season, he helped them return to the Premier League when they beat Sheffield Wednesday in the 2016 Championship play-off final.

[6] He turned professional in November 2000 and made his first-team debut for Forest on 1 April 2002 against Walsall in a 3–2 home defeat.

[9] During the 2002–03 season, Dawson established himself in the team alongside veteran defender Des Walker,[10] as Forest finished sixth in the First Division to enter the play-offs.

Forest also struggled – winning only twice between the end of September and the beginning of February caused Paul Hart to be replaced by Joe Kinnear.

The season was transformed from one battling relegation to a confident mid-table finish with the return of Dawson and David Johnson to the team being one of the reasons for this.

[14] Dawson and one of his Forest teammates, winger Andy Reid, signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on 31 January 2005 deadline day transfer for a fee thought to be worth a combined £8 million.

[21] In the 2007–08 season, Dawson scored his first goal in the UEFA Cup home match against the Cypriot team Anorthosis Famagusta where Tottenham won 6–1.

[31] His form that season led to Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez calling him "the best English defender I have played against" due to his strength.

[32] Dawson missed the rest of the 2011–12 season after rupturing an ankle ligament during Tottenham's 3–1 FA Cup fifth round win over Stevenage on 7 March 2012.

[36] On 26 August 2014, he joined Premier League club Hull City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee understood to be £3.5 million.

[41] The 2015–16 season saw Hull finish fourth in the table[42] and were promoted back to the Premier League via the play-offs, beating Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in the final.

[43] At the start of the 2016–17 season, Dawson picked up an injury in a pre-season friendly against Mansfield Town, which ruled him out for three months.