Wikipedia

Kieran Richardson

For the Hollyoaks actor, see Kieron Richardson.

Kieran Edward Richardson (born 21 October 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger, left-back, or central midfielder.

Kieran Richardson
Richardson in 2007
Personal information
Full name Kieran Edward Richardson[1]
Date of birth (1984-10-21) 21 October 1984 (age 40)[2]
Place of birth Greenwich, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Position(s) Winger, left-back, central midfielder
Youth career
0000–2001 West Ham United
2001–2002 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2007 Manchester United 41 (2)
2005 → West Bromwich Albion (loan) 12 (3)
2007–2012 Sunderland 134 (14)
2012–2014 Fulham 45 (5)
2014–2016 Aston Villa 33 (0)
2016–2017 Cardiff City 6 (0)
Total 271 (24)
International career
2002 England U18 1 (0)
2005–2007 England U21 12 (1)
2005–2006 England 8 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Richardson began his career as a trainee at West Ham United, going on to play senior football at Manchester United, Sunderland, Fulham, Aston Villa and Cardiff City. He was capped eight times for England, scoring twice.

Club career

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Early career

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Richardson was born in Greenwich, London[2] and was schooled at the private and non-selective Riverston School in Lee, London.[3] Growing up he would watch Arsenal with his father Clyde who was a season ticket holder.[4] He began playing football at Parkwood Primary School and his talent was very apparent at this young age, he was made captain of his school team and was invited to train with Arsenal.[5]

He then moved to West Ham United where he would begin training professionally. However, before he made his debut for the Londoners, he was signed by Manchester United in 2001.[5]

Manchester United

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During his first season at Manchester United, Richardson established his place as a regular on United's reserve team.[citation needed] He was given squad number 42 for the first team, but he failed to make his debut with them.[citation needed]

He made his first appearance for Manchester United on 23 October 2002 when coming on as a late substitute in a match against Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League.[6] He then scored his first goal for United in the League Cup on 5 November 2002 against Leicester City.[7] Richardson enjoyed his first breakthrough during the 2002–03 season appearing nine times and scoring a goal for the first team.[8] He also played a role in Manchester United's youth team's win of the 2003 FA Youth Cup.[9]

At the start 2003–04, he was given squad number 23 and only appeared three times, all of them in League Cup and FA Cup.[10]

During 2004–05, he started to become more involved with the first team. He had already made nine appearances and scored one goal during the first half of the season.[11] However, during the January transfer window, Alex Ferguson decided to loan him out in order for him to gain more first team experience. Richardson was linked with a loan move to Norwich City, but Ferguson said there was no chance as other players had gone on loan.[12] Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson, manager of West Bromwich Albion, enquired about loaning Richardson, the deal was done straight away.[13] Under Robson, Richardson made an instant impact on West Brom's quest to escape relegation. He was a regular in West Brom's first eleven, playing in central midfield. He scored three goals from 12 appearances[11] as West Bromwich successfully avoided relegation, despite starting the final day of the season on the bottom of the table.[14]

At the start 2005–06, Richardson declined a further loan spell at West Brom in an attempt to win a regular place at Old Trafford.[15] He made his break in Manchester United's first eleven in September 2005, when he appeared as an emergency left back, in place of the injured Gabriel Heinze.[citation needed] He soon returned to midfield however, where he made several good performances.[citation needed] In October 2005, Richardson celebrated his 21st birthday by signing a new four-year contract with United.[16] He went on to appear 36 times and score six goals that season.[17]

In 2006–07, Richardson's chances to establish himself in the first team were limited, mainly playing in the League Cup and the FA Cup.[18] However, Richardson felt Alex Ferguson's wrath as the youngster shouldered some of the blame for United's below-par performance against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup.[citation needed] Ferguson publicly declared that Richardson and others would benefit from spending some time in United's reserve team.[citation needed] He scored one of United's goals in the 4–1 FA Cup semi-final win over Watford, that put them into the final at the new Wembley Stadium.[19]

Sunderland

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Richardson playing for Sunderland in 2011

On 16 July 2007, Richardson joined Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £5.5 million.[20] He signed a four-year contract with Sunderland,[21] under the management of his former United captain Roy Keane.[22] After an indifferent start, it was discovered that he had a stress fracture of the spine. This led to him being out of action for almost four months.[23] He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 29 December 2007 against Bolton Wanderers.[24] Richardson scored two goals in the 2–0 win against Portsmouth at the Stadium of Light on 13 January 2008, also striking the bar to miss out on his hat-trick.[25] Since then he suffered a hamstring injury in training then this injury recurred in Sunderland's 3–0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.[citation needed]

On 23 August 2008, Richardson scored against Tottenham Hotspur in the 56th minute, in a 2–1 win at White Hart Lane.[citation needed] Richardson took a free kick that hit the post three times at Fulham on 18 October, and later had another free kick disallowed as Pascal Chimbonda was adjudged to be pushing in the wall.[26] On 25 October 2008, Richardson scored the winning goal in the Tyne–Wear derby, with a free kick.[27] Richardson attracted interest from Bolton Wanderers in the 2009 January transfer window, but manager Ricky Sbragia insisted that he was not for sale.[28]

Richardson scored his first goal of 2009–10 with an equaliser against West Ham United, which ended 2–2.[29] Richardson was used in several positions throughout the season, whilst predominantly featuring in central midfield he also played at left back – his performances there led to many touting him as a surprise World Cup inclusion.[30]

In the buildup to 2010–11, Richardson committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year contract.[31] Soon after, he became first-choice left back at the club citing Brazilian full-back Maicon as inspiration for taking up his new position, saying "I watched the World Cup and saw the way guys like Maicon were bombing forward – and I thought "I can do that".[32] He opened his scoring account for the season on 22 January away to Blackpool scoring two goals in the first half.[33] After deploying him in an attacking role, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce hailed Richardson's versatility saying "I must have asked him to play in five or six positions this season and certainly in that position he enjoys it, it's something he revels in". He then added "He was the outstanding player on the pitch. In the first half he was brilliant, his pace was superb."[34] Richardson scored directly from a free kick in Sunderland's next match, a 4–2 home defeat to Chelsea.[citation needed] Richardson made his 100th Premier League appearance for Sunderland at home to Tottenham Hotspur on 12 February, assisting Asamoah Gyan's opener in a 2–1 defeat.[citation needed]

Richardson's first goal of 2011–12 came in a 2–1 defeat at Norwich.[citation needed] Richardson was on target again in a defeat at Wolves under caretaker manager Eric Black, following Steve Bruce's departure. In this match against Wolves on 4 December 2011, Richardson scored the opening goal, a long range shot from the left, and celebrated by removing his shirt, revealing a T-shirt with the slogan "I belong to Jesus".[35] He was booked for removing his shirt. Sunderland went on to lose the match 2–1.Under new manager Martin O'Neill, Richardson began to make impressive progress after being shifted into his preferred left wing position, making another contribution in his team's 3–2 victory away to Queens Park Rangers on 21 December 2011 after setting up two goals from corner kicks.[citation needed] On 18 February 2012, he scored his first FA Cup goal for the club against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light in the fifth round in which he scored the first goal in Sunderland's 2–0 win.[citation needed]

Fulham

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Richardson playing for Fulham in 2013

On 31 August 2012, Richardson signed for Fulham from Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, reported to be approximately £2 million.[36] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against Southampton on 7 October.[37]

Aston Villa

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Richardson playing for Aston Villa in 2014

On 11 July 2014, Richardson signed for Aston Villa on a two-year contract and was reunited with his former manager at Sunderland, Roy Keane, who was Villa's assistant manager at the time.[38] He made his debut in a 1–0 victory against Stoke.[citation needed] Richardson got his first assist in a 2–1 victory against Hull City at Villa Park, sliding in a low cross which Andreas Weimann slotted home from 10 yards.[citation needed] Richardson received a straight red card on 13 December 2014 for a late challenge on Stéphane Sessègnon during a 1–0 away defeat to West Brom.[39]

After Villa's relegation from the Premier League, on 10 June 2016, it was announced that Richardson would leave Villa on the expiry of his contract.[40]

Later career

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On 12 October 2016, Richardson joined Championship club Cardiff City on a contract until January 2017.[41] On 29 December 2016, Richardson was released from his contract.[42]

On 12 April 2017, Richardson trialled at La Liga club Granada CF with a view to a contract until the end of 2016–17.[43]

International career

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During his stay at West Brom, he won his first cap for the England under-21 team on 8 February 2005 in a friendly match against the Netherlands.[citation needed] After a series of convincing performances for West Brom, he won a late call-up for England's trip to the United States at the end of 2004–05.[citation needed] He started the match against the United States and scored twice on his England debut, including one directly from a free kick. He earned praise from England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who described Richardson's debut as "fantastic".[44] He also appeared as a substitute on England's second match in the United States against Colombia.[45]

After earning senior caps, Richardson also returned to the under-21 squad, playing in both legs of the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-off against France, which they lost 3–2 on aggregate. The decisive goal came in the 85th minute of the second leg, when Richardson brought down Lassana Diarra in the box and the resulting penalty was converted.[46]

He then made two further substitute appearances during England's World Cup qualifiers against Wales in Cardiff and Austria at Old Trafford.[47][48] The latter was his home England debut.[citation needed] However, he was not selected by Sven-Göran Eriksson in England's 2006 World Cup squad.[49]

In 2006–07, he continued to be selected by newly appointed England manager Steve McClaren and made several substitute appearances.[citation needed] He went on to make further appearances for the England U21 squad, for whom he was eligible to play until the end of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he made three appearances.[citation needed] However, he has neither started nor scored for the England senior team since his debut.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Richardson is married to Natalie with whom he has two daughters, and who was the catalyst for him becoming a born again Christian.[4] In 2007 he said, "I just want to praise Jesus Christ and go to heaven. That's all I care about".[50]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester United 2002–03[8] Premier League 2 0 1 0 1 1 5[a] 0 — 9 1
2003–04[10] Premier League 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2004–05[11] Premier League 2 0 1 0 3 1 2[a] 0 1[b] 0 9 1
2005–06[17] Premier League 22 1 4 3 5 1 5[a] 1 — 36 6
2006–07[18] Premier League 15 1 3 1 2 0 4[a] 1 — 24 3
Total 41 2 10 4 13 3 16 2 1 0 81 11
West Bromwich Albion (loan) 2004–05[11] Premier League 12 3 — — — — 12 3
Sunderland 2007–08[51] Premier League 17 3 1 0 0 0 — — 18 3
2008–09[52] Premier League 32 4 1 0 2 0 — — 35 4
2009–10[53] Premier League 29 1 1 0 2 0 — — 32 1
2010–11[54] Premier League 26 4 1 0 2 0 — — 29 4
2011–12[55] Premier League 29 2 4 1 1 0 — — 34 3
2012–13[56] Premier League 1 0 — 0 0 — — 1 0
Total 134 14 8 1 7 0 — — 149 15
Fulham 2012–13[56] Premier League 14 1 2 1 — — — 16 2
2013–14[57] Premier League 31 4 1 0 0 0 — — 32 4
Total 45 5 3 1 0 0 — — 48 6
Aston Villa 2014–15[58] Premier League 22 0 3 0 1 0 — — 26 0
2015–16[59] Premier League 11 0 2 0 2 0 — — 15 0
Total 33 0 5 0 3 0 — — 41 0
Cardiff City 2016–17[60] Championship 6 0 — — — — 6 0
Career total 271 24 26 6 23 3 16 2 1 0 337 35
  1. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[61]
National team Year Apps Goals
England 2005 4 2
2006 4 0
Total 8 2
Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Richardson goal.[62]
List of international goals scored by Kieran Richardson
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 28 May 2005 Soldier Field, Chicago, United States 1   United States 1–0 2–1 Friendly [63]
2 2–0

Honours

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Manchester United Youth

Manchester United

Aston Villa

References

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  1. ^ "UCL Booking List 2006/2007" (PDF). UEFA. 12 April 2007. p. 2. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 351. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ^ Fraser, Paul (2 April 2009). "Family honour at stake". The Northern Echo. Darlington. p. 39. After initially training with Arsenal during his schooldays at Riverston Independent Day School, the Greenwich-born midfielder became an important member of West Ham's Academy squad.
  4. ^ a b James, Stuart (19 September 2014). "Aston Villa's Kieran Richardson: after football I want to do things for God". The Guardian. England. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b Mann, Mantej (15 February 2017). "Kieran Richardson: Everything you need to know about former England international". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  6. ^ Glendenning, Barry (23 October 2002). "Olympiakos 2–3 Man United". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  7. ^ "Beckham denies bold Leicester". BBC Sport. 5 November 2002. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  8. ^ a b "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  9. ^ a b Wallace, Sam (26 April 2003). "FA Youth Cup Final: United's slick new breed". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Richardson Canaries loan denied". BBC Sport. 21 January 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  13. ^ "Man Utd winger signs for Baggies". BBC Sport. 29 January 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  14. ^ "West Brom survive on dramatic day". BBC Sport. 15 May 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  15. ^ "Richardson opts for Man Utd stay". BBC Sport. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  16. ^ "Richardson signs new Man Utd deal". BBC Sport. 21 October 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  17. ^ a b "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  19. ^ McNulty, Phil (14 April 2007). "Watford 1–4 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  20. ^ "Sunderland sign winger Richardson". BBC Sport. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  21. ^ Coppack, Nick (16 July 2007). "Sunderland sign Richardson". Manchester United F.C. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  22. ^ Alexander, Nick (16 July 2007). "Keane signs Richardson". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  23. ^ "Richardson blow for Black Cats". Metro. London. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  24. ^ "Sunderland vs Bolton match report". Sunderland A.F.C. 29 December 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  25. ^ "Sunderland vs Portsmouth match report". Sunderland A.F.C. 13 January 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  26. ^ Ornstein, David (18 October 2008). "Fulham 0–0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  27. ^ Phillips, Owen (25 October 2008). "Sunderland 2–1 Newcastle". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  28. ^ Ball, Elliot (3 January 2009). "Sbragia plans major cull". Sky Sports. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  29. ^ Dawkes, Phil (31 October 2009). "Sunderland 2–2 West Ham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  30. ^ Witty, Jonathan (17 April 2010). "Richardson eyes England return". Sky Sports. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  31. ^ "Kieran Richardson signs three-year Sunderland contract". BBC Sport. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  32. ^ "Sunderland fullback Richardson: Maicon now my role model". Tribal Football. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  33. ^ Phillips, Owen (22 January 2011). "Blackpool 1–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  34. ^ Fordham, Mark (22 January 2011). "Sunderland manager Steve Bruce praises 'outstanding' Kieran Richardson after Blackpool brace". Goal.com. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  35. ^ "Wolves give O'Neill a taste of the task ahead". The Independent. London. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  36. ^ "Kieran Richardson: Fulham sign Sunderland midfielder for £2m". BBC Sport. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  37. ^ "Southampton 2–2 Fulham". BBC Sport. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  38. ^ "Kieran Richardson: Aston Villa sign Fulham utility player". BBC Sport. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  39. ^ "Paul Lambert: No complaints over Kieran Richardson red card". ESPN. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  40. ^ "Retained and released lists submitted by Premier League clubs". Premier League. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016.
  41. ^ "Kieran Richardson: Cardiff City sign ex-England international". BBC Sport. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  42. ^ "Cardiff City release Kieran Richardson and Marouane Chamakh". BBC Sport. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  43. ^ "Richardson & Reo-Coker join Granada CF on trial". Granada CF. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  44. ^ "Eriksson joy at Richardson debut". BBC Sport. 29 May 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  45. ^ "England 3 – Columbia 2". Englandstats.com. Davey Naylor. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  46. ^ "England Under 21 European Championships 2006". UK Online. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  47. ^ "Wales 0 – England 1". Englandstats.com. Davey Naylor. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  48. ^ "England 1 – Austria 0". Englandstats.com. Davey Naylor. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  49. ^ "Walcott & Lennon in England squad". BBC Sport. 8 May 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  50. ^ Thomasos, Christine (7 May 2012). "Kieran Richardson Giving Up Fame to Follow Jesus Christ". The Christian Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  51. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  52. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  53. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  54. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  55. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  56. ^ a b "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  57. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  58. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  59. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  60. ^ "Games played by Kieran Richardson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  61. ^ "Richardson, Kieran". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  62. ^ Naylor, Davey. "Kieran Richardson". Englandstats.com. Retrieved 20 September 2016.  
  63. ^ "USA 1–2 England". BBC Sport. 28 May 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  64. ^ "Kieran Richardson: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  65. ^ "Man Utd ease to Carling Cup glory". BBC Sport. 26 February 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  66. ^ "Man Utd win Community Shield". BBC Sport. 10 August 2003. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  67. ^ McNulty, Phil (30 May 2015). "Arsenal 4–0 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
 
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