Darren Randolph facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Darren Randolph

Randolph with West Ham United in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Darren Edward Andrew Randolph
Date of birth	(1987-05-12) 12 May 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Bray, Ireland
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1998–2003	Ardmore Rovers
2003–2004	Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2010	Charlton Athletic	14	(0)
2004	→ Welling United (loan)	4	(0)
2005	→ Accrington Stanley (loan)	14	(0)
2006	→ Gillingham (loan)	3	(0)
2008	→ Bury (loan)	14	(0)
2008	→ Hereford United (loan)	13	(0)
2010–2013	Motherwell	111	(0)
2013–2015	Birmingham City	91	(0)
2015–2017	West Ham United	28	(0)
2017–2020	Middlesbrough	106	(0)
2020–2023	West Ham United	5	(0)
2023–2024	AFC Bournemouth	0	(0)
Total		403	(0)
International career
2003	Republic of Ireland U17	3	(0)
2004–2006	Republic of Ireland U19	15	(0)
2006–2008	Republic of Ireland U21	8	(0)
2006	Republic of Ireland B	1	(0)
2012–2020	Republic of Ireland	50	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Darren Edward Andrew Randolph (born May 12, 1987) is an Irish professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper. He is currently a free agent, meaning he is not signed to any club. Darren also played for the Republic of Ireland national football team. What's cool is that he also played basketball for Ireland!

Darren started his youth career at Ardmore Rovers. Then he joined the Premier League club Charlton Athletic in 2003. He became a professional player with Charlton in 2004. During his time there, he went on loan to several clubs. These included Welling United, Accrington Stanley, and Gillingham.

He made his first game for Charlton in 2007. Even though Charlton was relegated, he didn't get a regular starting spot. He had two more loan spells in 2008. These were with Bury and Hereford United. After playing only 20 games for Charlton in six years, he moved to Scottish Premier League side Motherwell in July 2010.

Darren played regularly for Motherwell for three years. After that, he returned to England. He joined Birmingham City, where he played almost every game for two seasons. In 2015, he signed with West Ham United. Two years later, he moved to Middlesbrough.

He played for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team in 2006. He also played one game for the Republic of Ireland B team. Darren made his first full international game for the Republic of Ireland in September 2012. This was a 4–1 win against Oman. He also played for Ireland at UEFA Euro 2016.

Darren's Football Journey

Starting at Charlton Athletic

Darren Randolph was born in Bray, Ireland. He played school football with a team called Ardmore Rovers. He joined Charlton Athletic in 2003. This happened because of a connection between Irish and English football clubs. Ardmore Rovers even put Darren in their Hall of Fame when he left!

As a young player, Darren spent a month on loan at Welling United in 2004. This club was in the Conference South. He played four league games and one FA Cup match there. In 2005, he went on loan to Accrington Stanley. They were in the Conference National. At the end of that season, he signed a new contract with Charlton until 2009. In August 2006, he joined Gillingham on a one-month loan. Gillingham was in League One.

Randolph warming up for Charlton Athletic in 2009

Darren played his first game for Charlton's main team in 2007. This was in their last match of the 2006–07 Premier League season. Charlton had already been relegated. He played against Liverpool and did well. He only let in two goals, and one was a penalty. The game ended in a 2–2 draw.

In 2008, Darren joined Bury in League Two on loan. He played 14 games there. Charlton then called him back because their main goalkeeper was sent off. Darren started Charlton's next game. In that match, he accidentally dropped the ball into his own net. This was a very unusual own goal!

Darren went on another loan to Hereford United in July 2008. He played 14 of their first 17 games. He had a great game against Leeds United. He only let in one goal even though Leeds had 19 shots on target.

Later in 2008, Darren had a disagreement with Hereford United. He refused to play in an FA Cup match. He was fined and didn't play for Hereford again. He returned to Charlton in January 2009.

In his second game back at Charlton, he let in four goals. This was against Sheffield Wednesday. This was his last game of that season. However, he still signed a new one-year contract. He was the second-choice goalkeeper. In November, he played in an FA Cup game against Northwich Victoria. Even though he made "stunning saves," Charlton lost 1–0. This was a very embarrassing defeat for the club. Darren got his starting spot back in March 2010. He kept it for the rest of the season.

Playing for Motherwell

Charlton offered Darren a new contract, but he decided to join Scottish Premier League club Motherwell. He moved there on July 1, 2010, for free. He signed a three-year contract. Darren played his first game for Motherwell in the Europa League. They won 1–0 against an Icelandic team. Motherwell was later knocked out of the competition.

Darren became Motherwell's main goalkeeper. In his first season, he set a new club record. He had 15 clean sheets, meaning he didn't let in any goals in those games. He helped Motherwell reach the 2011 Scottish Cup Final. However, they lost 3–0 to Celtic.

In the 2011–12 season, Darren started with four clean sheets. He played in every single game that season. He was the only Motherwell player chosen for the PFA Scotland Team of the Year.

Motherwell finished third in the league in 2011–12. This meant they got to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time! Darren played his first Champions League game against Panathinaikos. Motherwell lost and were knocked out. But they then entered the Europa League. Darren played against a Spanish team, Levante, but his team was eliminated again.

In November 2012, Darren was involved in a challenge during a game. He kicked an opposing player's head by accident. He was given a two-match ban. Motherwell tried to appeal, but the ban stayed. Darren was named in the 2012–13 PFA Scotland Team of the Year again. Motherwell finished second in the league that season.

Time at Birmingham City

Randolph warming up for Birmingham City in 2013

Darren's contract with Motherwell was ending. His manager said it was unlikely he would stay. On May 14, 2013, Birmingham City announced that Darren would join them. He signed a two-year contract. He became the starting goalkeeper right away. He played his first game for Birmingham on August 3, 2013. He played in almost every league game for two seasons.

His unbroken run of games continued into the next season. But then he was sent off in a game in October 2014. This meant he was suspended for the next match. He played in all the remaining league games that season. He also played his first cup game for Birmingham. The club confirmed in May 2015 that he would leave. He rejected a new contract offer and became a free agent.

Playing for West Ham United

Randolph warming up for West Ham United in 2016

On May 30, 2015, West Ham United announced that Darren would join them. He started playing for them on July 1. He made his first game for West Ham on July 2. This was a 3–0 win in a Europa League qualifying match. Darren played his first league game for West Ham in August 2015. They lost 4–3 at home.

He continued as goalkeeper and kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 win against Liverpool. This was West Ham's first league win at Anfield since 1963! Darren played in West Ham's last three games of the 2015–16 season. This included their final match at the Boleyn Ground, which they won 3–2. He played in 15 games that season.

In July 2016, Darren signed a new four-year contract with West Ham. He became West Ham's regular goalkeeper in November 2016.

Time at Middlesbrough

On July 22, 2017, Darren signed a four-year contract with Championship club Middlesbrough. The transfer fee was reported to be £5 million. He played his first game for Middlesbrough on July 29, 2017. This was a friendly game they won 2–1. He was reunited with his former West Ham teammate, Ashley Fletcher, there. Darren wore the number 25 shirt for the 2017–18 season.

He made his league debut for Middlesbrough on August 5, 2017. They lost 1–0. He got his first clean sheet the next week. His team won 1–0 against Sheffield United. He had a second clean sheet in their next game, a 2–0 win. In March 2019, he was chosen for the 2018–19 Championship Team of the Season.

Back to West Ham United

On January 15, 2020, it was announced that Darren was returning to West Ham. The transfer fee was reported as £4 million. He played 5 league games during his three years back at the club.

Playing for AFC Bournemouth

On January 26, 2023, Darren joined Bournemouth. He signed an 18-month contract. On June 5, 2024, the club announced he would leave in the summer. Darren did not play in any official games for Bournemouth during his time there.

Playing for Ireland

Darren has played for the Republic of Ireland at many different age levels. These include U15, U16, U17, U18, U19, U21, B, and the senior team. He was first called up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad in March 2011. This was for a game against Macedonia. He was called up again in May but did not play.

Darren made his first full international game on September 11, 2012. This was a friendly game against Oman. He came on as a substitute in a 4–1 win. His second game for Ireland was against Spain in June 2013. He made a "brilliant fingertip save" in that game.

On October 8, 2015, Darren came on as a substitute against Germany. This was a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2016. He made a long pass that led to Shane Long scoring the winning goal! Ireland won the game 1–0. Darren played in every game for Ireland at Euro 2016. They played against Sweden, Belgium, and Italy. They were eventually defeated by France.

Darren's Life Outside Football

Darren's father, Ed Randolph, was a basketball player. He played for UCD Marian and was one of the first American players in the Irish Basketball League. Darren's mother, Anne Randolph, is a folk singer. She is from Kiltimagh, County Mayo.

Darren went to St. Cronan's Boys National School and Presentation College, Bray. He used to be in a relationship with Rochelle Wiseman from the girl group The Saturdays.

Darren and singer Alexandra Burke started a relationship in 2021. Their first child was born in July 2022. They got engaged in September 2024.

Darren also runs the Darren Randolph Academy. This is a goalkeeping academy. Its goal is to help young goalkeepers in Ireland improve their skills. The academy also has its own line of sportswear.

Career Statistics

Here are Darren Randolph's career statistics, showing how many games he played for each club and national team.

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Awards and Achievements

Darren Randolph has won several awards and honors during his football career:

Accrington Stanley

• Conference National: 2005–06 (This means his team won the league title that season.)

Motherwell

• Scottish Cup runner-up: 2010–11 (His team reached the final but didn't win the cup.)

Individual Awards

• PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2011–12, 2012–13 (He was chosen as one of the best players in the Scottish league.)
• PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 Championship (He was chosen as one of the best players in the Championship league.)
• Middlesbrough Player of the Year: 2019 (He was voted the best player for Middlesbrough in 2019.)

See also

In Spanish: Darren Randolph para niños