In 2009, after Boro's relegation, he joined Aston Villa for an initial £10 million, then moved on to Liverpool for twice that amount two years later, again winning the League Cup in 2012.

[2] His debut came on 24 April 2002 in a Premier League match away to Ipswich Town, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 loss at Portman Road.

[6][7] His first senior goal came on 1 October 2002 in a 4–1 League Cup second round away victory over Brentford, coming on as a substitute to conclude the scoring at Griffin Park.

[9] He scored three goals in seven matches for Mick McCarthy's Black Cats team, starting on 4 November when he equalised in a 3–1 win at Gillingham, also assisting John Oster.

[11] He was a regular for the remainder of the season, but was an unused substitute on 29 February 2004, when they won the 2004 League Cup Final against Bolton Wanderers.

[14] A knee injury saw Downing sidelined for five months at the end of 2005,[15] though he returned to play his part in the run to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, including three assists in the 4–2 (4–3 agg) victory over Steaua București in the semi-final second leg.

[24] On 7 November 2009, O'Neill announced that Downing had returned to full training following his injury against Villa while playing for Middlesbrough during 2008–09.

[citation needed] Downing made his Aston Villa debut on as a 69th-minute substitute for Steve Sidwell in the away match against Burnley.

[25] He scored his first goal for Villa in the League Cup fourth round tie against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 1 December 2009.

[citation needed] Downing played in Villa's first win at Old Trafford against Manchester United since 1983 on 12 December 2009 in their 1–0 victory over the Red Devils.

[34] On 13 August 2011, Downing made his debut in Liverpool's first match of the 2011–12 Premier League, in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland at Anfield, playing the full 90 minutes.

[35] On 6 January 2012, Downing scored his first goal for Liverpool against Oldham Athletic at Anfield in the third round of the FA Cup.

[36] On 26 February he won the League Cup with Liverpool, scoring his penalty in the shoot-out and winning the Alan Hardaker Trophy as Man of the Match.

[45] On 13 August 2013, Downing signed a four-year contract with West Ham United for an undisclosed fee which was reported to be in the region of £5m.

[46][47] He made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute for Matt Jarvis in the 2–0 home win against Cardiff City at Upton Park on the opening day of the 2013–14 season on 17 August 2013.

[59] Downing faced competition ahead of the club's first season return in the top flight with the signings of Gastón Ramírez,[60] Viktor Fischer and Adama Traoré.

[71] He scored his first goal for Blackburn in an EFL Cup second round tie against Oldham Athletic on 13 August, a 3–2 home win.

[citation needed] With seven under-21 caps to his name, Downing made his England debut on 9 February 2005 in a home friendly, played at Villa Park against the Netherlands, replacing Shaun Wright-Phillips in the second half.

[78] Downing's international career took a setback in May 2005 when he was injured during a training session with England on their tour of the United States, keeping him out of action until 2006.

[83] He was also called up (alongside Middlesbrough teammate David Wheater) for Capello's friendlies against United States and Trinidad and Tobago, where he received the nod ahead of Ashley Young.

His performance justified his selection by contributing with the first two goals and won praise from the press who had previously slated his inclusion in the squad.

He supports the nationwide No Messin' campaign, along with freestyler Colin Nell and boxer Amir Khan, warning youngsters against playing on railway lines.

Downing held a charity dinner with special guest boxer Ricky Hatton to raise funds for the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne in February 2008.