Despite his stints as a DJ in the local nightclub, which reflect a passion for house music, Stewart Downing is refreshingly old-fashioned. From his adventures on the left wing to his love of the FA Cup and his decision to remain in the town where he grew up, the 23-year-old flyer is a throwback to the good old days. He wants success, all right, but he doesn’t want to leave Middlesbrough for it, not unless he has to.

The England international was the subject of a bid by Tottenham last month, but after weeks of speculation, and a heart-to-heart with his manager Gareth Southgate, he opted to stay put. “If you’re happy, why change? I’m sure London is a good place, but to me, you stay where you are happy, and I’ve been happy here,” he says. “What if I got there and didn’t like it? I would have been stuck there on a big contract in a city I’m not really happy in.”

While most prodigies go off in search of success, Downing demands it on his doorstep. “It’s maybe different for me. I’m local,” he says. “I would be gutted if Boro won something and I wasn’t here. I would always be thinking, ‘I should have stayed another year’. Obviously, the results need to improve, but I’m confident they will. That’s why I signed. When I’m older, I want to be able to say I won something with my hometown club.”

It is a realistic ambition. Middlesbrough are one of the bigger fish left in the FA Cup, and will be expected to sink Cardiff City in this afternoon’s quarter-final tie. Downing was in the crowd when they lost to Chelsea in the 1997 final, on the bench when they won the 2004 Carling Cup, and although he played in the 2006 Uefa Cup final, he returned only with a loser’s medal. “I want to play my part in a final we have won,” he says.

Which is roughly what he said to Southgate, and his chairman Steve Gibson, before signing a 5Åfive-and-a-half -year contract last month. When Southgate told him that Spurs’ offer wasn’t big enough, and that the club were rejecting it, Downing didn’t put in a transfer request, or even ask Gibson to reconsider, but instead sought assurances that Middlesbrough could match the Londoners’ ambition. “People probably thought it was about money, but the paying side was sealed straight away. I just wanted to know where the club were heading. What was their aim? I didn’t just want to play for a club who were content with mediocrity, happy to be in the Premier League and taking the money. I think we should aim high.”

Southgate responded with the promise of a major signing, which he has delivered in the shape of Afonso Alves, the Brazilian who cost £12m. He also made it clear to Downing that he needed him to stay. Middlesbrough’s manager hadn’t been so protective of Jonathan Woodgate, the defender sold to Tottenham for £8m.

It is perhaps no coincidence that Downing’s recent form has been his best of the season. For as long as Downing can remember, it has been all about the ball. In the street, at the school and on the training ground — where he arrives early and leaves late — he has been inseparable from it. “In my opinion, he is the best crosser of a ball in England,” says Dave Parnaby, director of the club’s academy. “That doesn’t happen overnight. He has spent hours and hours developing his technique.”

Parnaby admires the player’s enthusiasm, which he says is as boyish now as it was when he joined the club more than a decade ago. On Friday, the two talked about today’s sellout crowd, and the buzz of the FA Cup. For Middlesbrough, who refer parents to his example, Downing’s decision was a major coup. “When you think about the global market, and how easy it is to follow the money, it is refreshing to have someone buck the trend,” says Parnaby. “He is happy with his welfare and his family. That’s more important to him than self-gain.”

Downing is mature for his years. He had a lot of growing up to do after losing his sister, Vicky, to leukaemia when she was four. His father, who might have been a professional player had it not been for the tragedy, has guided Stewart sensibly through the ranks, and was his representative in the recent contract negotiations.

Brought up on the Pallister Park council estate, Downing says he has a responsibility to the community, and is not blinded by the bright lights of the big cities, not yet anyway. “It must be hard for the guys who go there,” he says. “You can see the temptations, the nights out, the money in your pocket. But I like to think I put football first. You can go to as many parties as you want when you retire.”

None of which means that Downing will be with Middlesbrough forever. Desperate though he is to win a trophy there, he will not allow sentiment to compromise his future in the game. If he cannot fulfil his ambitions at the Riverside, it would be remiss of him not to try elsewhere. “I’ve said they need to push on. I have to give it some time, and see how we go, but if we don’t do it, I’ll have to make a decision. My main focus is to win something this season or next.”

And, if he’s being honest, Middlesbrough are not fashionable enough to enhance his international prospects. Downing was in Fabio Capello’s first squad, a provisional selection of 30 players, but excluded from the 23 for last month’s defeat of Switzerland. “I can’t remember Capello watching any of our games. Sven didn’t come to many either. I was quite lucky that Steve McClaren knew me from his time at the club, but on the whole, we don’t get a fair crack at it here.”

Having been a regular in the England squad for two years, Downing was disappointed to have been given no explanation for his recent omission.

At least he has no such problems at the Riverside, where making the players feel wanted is one of Southgate’s strengths. By pledging his immediate future to Middlesbrough, Downing has returned the compliment.