Carlos Edwards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Carlos Edwards
CM

Edwards playing for Ipswich Town in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Akenhaton Carlos Edwards
Date of birth	(1978-10-24) 24 October 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Winger, right-back
Team information
Current team	Hadleigh United (player)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1996–1998	Patna United
1998	Queen's Park CC
1999–2000	Defence Force
2000–2005	Wrexham	166	(23)
2005–2007	Luton Town	68	(8)
2007–2009	Sunderland	50	(5)
2008	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	6	(0)
2009–2014	Ipswich Town	176	(9)
2014	→ Millwall (loan)	8	(1)
2014–2016	Millwall	23	(0)
2016–2017	Ma Pau Stars
2017	Central FC	0	(0)
2017–2020	Woodbridge Town
2020–2023	Bury Town	44	(2)
2023-	Hadleigh United	0	(0)
International career‡
1999–2017	Trinidad and Tobago	92	(4)
Managerial career
2019–2020	Woodbridge Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:42, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:32, 2 February 2020 (UTC)

Akenhaton Carlos Edwards (born on October 24, 1978) is a former professional footballer from Trinidad and Tobago. He played as a winger (a player who attacks from the sides of the field) or a right-back (a defender on the right side). He currently plays for Hadleigh United.

Carlos started his football journey in Trinidad and Tobago. He then moved to Wrexham in 2000, playing over 150 games for them. He also played for other well-known clubs like Luton Town, Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town, and Millwall.

Edwards also proudly represented the Trinidad and Tobago national football team over 90 times, scoring four goals. He was part of the team that played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. For this achievement, he received the Chaconia Medal (Gold Class). This is the second highest award given by the country of Trinidad and Tobago.

Carlos Edwards' Club Career

Carlos Edwards began his professional football career at Defence Force in his home country, Trinidad and Tobago. He went to the same school as his future teammate, Kenwyne Jones.

Playing for Wrexham

In 2000, Wrexham signed Edwards for £250,000 after he had a trial with them. Two other players, Dennis Lawrence and Hector Sam, also joined Wrexham at the same time.

Edwards helped Wrexham get promoted to the Football League Second Division in the 2002–03 season. He scored 10 goals that season. He was also named Wrexham's Player of the Year and was chosen for the PFA Third Division Team of the Year. The PFA Team of the Year is a special team made up of the best players in the league. The next season, he scored five more goals and was again selected for the PFA Team of the Year.

However, Edwards got a knee injury in 2004 while playing for his country. This meant he missed most of the 2004–05 season. Wrexham was relegated that season, meaning they moved down to a lower league. But Edwards did win his first trophy in English football, the 2005 Football League Trophy.

Joining Luton Town

After his contract with Wrexham ended, Edwards joined Championship team Luton Town in 2005. He signed a three-year deal as a Bosman transfer. This means he could move to a new club for free because his contract had finished. Fans at Luton Town really liked him because of his exciting style of play. In his first season, he won the Young Members Player of the Season award.

Moving to Sunderland

Edwards' great performances caught the eye of Sunderland. They offered £1.5 million for him, and he joined them on January 2, 2007. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. Edwards started well at Sunderland, scoring five goals in the rest of that season. His winning goal against Burnley in the 80th minute helped Sunderland get promoted to the Premier League, which is the top football league in England.

His first season in the Premier League was tough because of injuries. He hurt his hamstring in only his second game. After coming back, he fractured his leg, which put him out of action again. He managed to return for the last few months of the season, helping Sunderland stay in the Premier League.

After Sunderland signed many new players, Edwards found it harder to get a place in the team. So, on October 2, 2008, he joined Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-month loan. A loan means a player temporarily plays for another team. However, Sunderland called him back early on November 20 after he played six games for Wolves.

Time at Ipswich Town

On September 1, 2009, Edwards and Grant Leadbitter both joined Ipswich Town for a total fee of £4 million. Edwards scored his first goal for Ipswich in a 1–0 win against Sheffield Wednesday on February 20, 2010. He quickly became a very important player for Ipswich, playing 30 games in his first season.

He scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season on August 21, which was the winning goal in a 2–1 away game against Crystal Palace. Edwards played only as a right winger under manager Roy Keane. But when Paul Jewell became manager in January 2011, Edwards switched to playing as a right-back. He scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Doncaster Rovers on January 22. He missed only one league game during the 2010–11 season. He also played a big part in Ipswich reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup. He started in the 1–0 win against Arsenal at Portman Road. He also played in the second game at the Emirates Stadium, where Ipswich lost 3–0 and were knocked out of the cup.

He continued to be a regular player in the 2011–12 season. Edwards became Ipswich's captain in March 2012. He started almost every league game that season. His great performances earned him the Players' Player of the Year award for the 2011–12 season.

He remained captain the next season, playing a key role in the team during the 2012–13 season. Ipswich had a bad start to the season, which led to manager Paul Jewell being replaced. But the team improved in the second half of the season with new manager Mick McCarthy. Edwards scored late winning goals in 1–0 victories against Bolton Wanderers and Derby County. He played 46 games in all competitions that season.

Edwards played less often during the 2013–14 season, scoring once in 18 games up until January.

Playing for Millwall

On March 27, 2014, Edwards joined fellow Championship team Millwall on loan until May 3, 2014. He scored his first goal for Millwall on April 8, which was the winning goal in a 1–0 away game against Wigan Athletic. He played 8 games during his loan spell at Millwall.

On May 21, 2014, Edwards joined Millwall permanently for free, signing a contract until June 2015. He started the 2014–15 season as a regular player. However, on September 22, 2014, he suffered a serious knee injury during Millwall's 0–0 draw against Nottingham Forest. This injury meant he could not play for the rest of the 2014–2015 season.

On August 24, 2015, Edwards rejoined Millwall on a short-term deal until January 2016, after he had been released by the club earlier. He played 22 games that season, helping Millwall reach the 2016 Football League One play-off final. He started as a right-back in the final, but Millwall lost 1–3 to Barnsley.

Later Career Clubs

In October 2016, Edwards joined Ma Pau Stars.

Edwards then joined Central FC in May 2017 for the Caribbean Cup. He signed a three-week contract with them.

In December 2017, Edwards returned to Suffolk to play for a non-League club called Woodbridge Town. Non-League clubs play outside the main professional football leagues. In April 2019, he was appointed joint manager of the club. In January 2020, he also signed a special agreement with Bury Town. This allowed him to play for Bury when Woodbridge was not playing.

In September 2020, it was announced that Edwards had joined Bury Town full-time for the 2020–21 season. He left his managing position at Woodbridge Town.

In June 2023, it was announced that Carlos Edwards would be the first new player for Hadleigh United that summer. He joined them after leaving Bury Town. He helps Hadleigh United compete in a lower league in English football.

Carlos Edwards' International Career

Edwards played his first international game for the Trinidad and Tobago national football team on June 5, 1999. This was against Grenada in the 1999 Caribbean Cup. He had never played for his country at any youth level before this.

After winning that tournament, Edwards became a regular player for his country. He was part of the team that reached the World Cup Finals for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago's history. He was chosen for the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He played every minute of their games in the competition, against Sweden, England, and Paraguay.

Carlos Edwards' Personal Life

Carlos Edwards' full name, Akenhaton, is also the name of an ancient Egyptian ruler from the Eighteenth Dynasty.

Carlos Edwards' Career Statistics

Here are tables showing Carlos Edwards' appearances and goals for his clubs and national team throughout his career.

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Trinidad and Tobago's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Edwards goal.

List of international goals scored by Carlos Edwards

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	26 March 2005	Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala	Guatemala	1–2	1–5	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	3 September 2008	Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Guyana	1–0	3–0	Friendly
3	11 February 2009	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	1–0	2–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	6 June 2009	Dwight Yorke Stadium, Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago	Costa Rica	1–0	2–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Carlos Edwards' Awards and Honours

Carlos Edwards has won several awards and honours throughout his football career:

Wrexham

• FAW Premier Cup: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04
• Football League Third Division promoted: 2002–03 (This means his team moved up to a higher league)
• Football League Trophy: 2004–05

Sunderland

• Football League Championship: 2006–07 (His team won this league title)

Trinidad and Tobago

• Caribbean Cup: 1999, 2001 (His national team won this tournament)

Individual Awards

• Wrexham Player of the Year: 2002–03 (He was chosen as the best player for his club)
• PFA Team of the Year: 2002–03 Third Division, 2003–04 Second Division, 2006–07 Championship (He was selected as one of the best players in his league for these seasons)
• Ipswich Town Players' Player of the Year: 2011–12 (His teammates voted him as their best player)

Medals

• Chaconia Medal Gold Class: 2006 (A high national award from Trinidad and Tobago)

See also

In Spanish: Carlos Edwards para niños