As a player, he was a midfielder, notably playing for Liverpool where he won two First Division titles and a two FA Cups before switching to Aston Villa ahead of the inaugural Premier League season.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Houghton played international football for the Republic of Ireland, for which he qualified through his Irish father.

Houghton is particularly remembered by Irish fans for scoring two of the most important goals in the national team's history, which resulted in 1–0 victories over England in Stuttgart at the 1988 European Championship, and Italy at Giants Stadium at the 1994 World Cup.

Houghton's endeavour failed to make any impact at Upton Park and after 3 years, in which he made just one appearance as substitute, he was on the move.

Malcolm Macdonald had Tony Gale (later a Premier League title winner with Blackburn Rovers), Paul Parker (who went on to win several major trophies with Manchester United), Gerry Peyton (Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper) and Ray Lewington (ex-Chelsea) to form a mixture of youth and experience which ultimately won Fulham promotion to the Second Division at the end of the 1981–82 season.

9 shirt which striker John Aldridge, his former Oxford teammate who had made the Anfield move himself a year earlier, had asked not to wear because of the pressure of replacing Ian Rush.

[citation needed] Houghton was added to the new acquisitions of Aldridge, Peter Beardsley and John Barnes to form one of the most exciting forward lines in the club's history.

[5][6] Houghton did his bit in the run to that season's FA Cup final too, scoring the winner in a fifth round derby at Everton and then clipping home a shot on the turn as Liverpool romped past Manchester City 4–0 in the quarter-finals.

[9] Houghton made his debut on 15 August 1992 in the 1–1 draw with Ipswich Town at Portman Road, Villa's first game in the new FA Premier League.

One of Houghton's best performances for the South London club was on 28 September 1996 in the 6–1 thrashing of Southend United in a Division One fixture at Selhurst Park.

He spent a season at Elm Park and another at Reading's new home, the Madejski Stadium, which saw him rack up 56 appearances in which he scored just once, against Manchester City.

Prior to his career with the Republic of Ireland, Houghton was a member of a Scotland U18 squad under Andy Roxburgh, failing to gain any caps.

[3] Houghton qualified to play international football for the Republic of Ireland through his father, who was born in Buncrana in Inishowen, County Donegal, in Ulster.

[3] He earned his first cap in Jack Charlton's first match as manager, a 1–0 defeat by Wales in a friendly international at Lansdowne Road on 26 March 1986.

In the summer of 1988, Houghton was selected for the Irish squad which had reached its first ever major finals, the European Championships in West Germany.

The first group game on 12 June was against an England team that included Gary Lineker, Bryan Robson and Houghton's Liverpool club mates Peter Beardsley and John Barnes.

They were once again drawn in the same group as England, which included Lineker, Robson, Beardsley and Barnes as well as Paul Gascoigne and Chris Waddle.

Houghton was selected in the Irish squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and was once again the goalscoring hero in a shock victory.