John Aldridge facts for kids
Aldridge in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 September 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1979 | South Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1979–1984 | Newport County | 170 | (69) |
| 1984–1987 | Oxford United | 114 | (72) |
| 1987–1989 | Liverpool | 83 | (50) |
| 1989–1991 | Real Sociedad | 63 | (33) |
| 1991–1998 | Tranmere Rovers | 243 | (138) |
| Total | 673 | (362) | |
| National team | |||
| 1986–1996 | Republic of Ireland | 69 | (19) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1996–2001 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
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| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
John William Aldridge (born on September 18, 1958) is a famous former football player and manager. People often called him "Aldo". He was an amazing striker who scored many goals. He scored 329 goals in the English Football League, which is the sixth-highest total ever in English football history.
John Aldridge started his career in the lower football leagues. He slowly worked his way up to the top. He played for many teams, including Liverpool, where he won the league title and the FA Cup. He also played for Real Sociedad in Spain. He was the first non-Basque player to join that club in a very long time.
After playing in Spain, he came back to England. He joined Tranmere Rovers in 1991. Later, he became their player-manager. He stopped playing football in 1998 and left his manager role in 2001.
Even though he was born in Liverpool, England, he played for the Republic of Ireland. This was because his great-grandmother was from Ireland. He played for Ireland during their most successful time in international football. He even played in two World Cups.
John Aldridge's Club Career
Starting Out: South Liverpool and Newport County
John Aldridge took a while to reach the highest level of English football. He started playing in the mid-1970s for a non-league team called South Liverpool.
When he was 20, he became a professional player. He signed with Newport County in the Fourth Division on May 2, 1979. Newport County paid £3,500 for him.
At Newport County, he played 198 games and scored 87 goals. This means he scored about one goal every two games! He helped Newport get promoted from the Fourth Division. In his first season, they also won the Welsh Cup.
In his second season, Newport County reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. This was a big achievement for the club. He continued to score many goals for Newport County.
Playing for Oxford United
On March 21, 1984, Aldridge moved to Oxford United. The team was trying to get promoted from the Third Division. He played his first game for Oxford on April 7, 1984. He scored his first goal on April 20, 1984, in a big 5–0 win.
The next season, he became the first player in 19 years to score 30 goals in the Second Division. He scored 34 goals in total that season (30 in the league). This broke the club's record for most goals in a single season. Oxford United won the Second Division title and got promoted to the top league, the First Division, for the first time ever.
In the First Division, Aldridge was one of the top scorers. He also scored six goals in Oxford's League Cup run in 1986. They won the final 3–0 against Queens Park Rangers at Wembley Stadium. This is still Oxford's only major trophy. His goals helped Oxford avoid being relegated.
Aldridge played 141 games for Oxford and scored 90 goals. He scored four goals in one game against Gillingham in the League Cup. He also scored three hat-tricks (three goals in one game). One of his goals helped Oxford beat Manchester United in Alex Ferguson's first game as their manager.
Joining Liverpool F.C.
In early 1987, Liverpool needed a new striker. Their star player, Ian Rush, was leaving for Italy. So, Liverpool signed John Aldridge on January 27, 1987, for £750,000. He had already scored 15 goals for Oxford that season.
Aldridge made his debut for Liverpool on February 21, 1987. His first goal for Liverpool came a week later, on February 28. It was the only goal in a 1–0 win against Southampton.
In the 1987–88 season, Aldridge scored 26 goals. He scored in the first nine league games of the season! He played alongside new signings Peter Beardsley and John Barnes. Liverpool lost only two league games that season. They won the league title in 1988 with a nine-point lead.
In the FA Cup final against Wimbledon, Liverpool were losing 1–0. Aldridge won a penalty kick and took it. He had scored all 11 of his penalties that season. But the Wimbledon goalkeeper, Dave Beasant, saved it. This was Aldridge's first penalty miss for Liverpool. Liverpool lost the final 1–0.
The next season, Ian Rush came back to Liverpool. Aldridge and Rush often played together. In the Charity Shield match, Aldridge scored both goals in a 2–1 win. He also scored a hat-trick in the first league game of the season. He finished the season as Liverpool's top scorer with 34 goals in all competitions.
In the 1989 FA Cup final against Everton, Aldridge scored after only four minutes. Liverpool won the game 3–2 in extra time. Liverpool almost won both the league and the FA Cup that season. But they lost the league title in the very last game against Arsenal.
Aldridge played 104 games for Liverpool and scored 63 goals.
Playing in Spain: Real Sociedad
In September 1989, Liverpool accepted an offer of £1 million from La Liga team Real Sociedad in Spain. Aldridge moved to Spain. This was a big deal because he was the first non-Basque player to sign for Sociedad in many decades. The club had changed its policy of only signing Basque players.
Aldridge scored 40 goals in 75 games for Real Sociedad over two seasons. Even though he was successful, some fans at first didn't like that he wasn't Basque. His family also found it hard to get used to life in Spain. So, in 1991, Aldridge asked to be transferred back to England.
Returning to Tranmere Rovers
On July 11, 1991, Aldridge came back to Merseyside. He joined Tranmere Rovers in a £250,000 deal. In his first season at Tranmere, he scored a club record 40 goals. Tranmere was playing in the Second Division for the first time in over 50 years.
He played his first game for Tranmere on August 17, 1991, scoring two goals in a 2–0 win. In his seven years as a Tranmere player, he played 294 games and scored 174 goals. This means he scored about one goal every 1.7 games. He retired from playing at the end of the 1997–98 season. In his final game, he scored two goals.
Aldridge's goals helped Tranmere reach their highest league positions ever. They finished in the top six of the second tier in 1993, 1994, and 1995. This meant they could try to get promoted through playoffs, but they lost in the semi-finals each time. He also almost won another major trophy with Tranmere. They reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in 1994.
On March 12, 1996, Aldridge became the player-manager of Tranmere. He stopped playing completely two years later to focus on managing. Under Aldridge, Tranmere reached the League Cup final in 2000, but they lost to Leicester City. They also reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2000 and 2001. Tranmere was relegated to the third tier of English football in 2001. Aldridge resigned as manager in March 2001.
John Aldridge's International Career
John Aldridge was chosen to play for the Republic of Ireland. He qualified to play for them because his great-grandmother was from Ireland. He made his debut on March 26, 1986, against Wales. This was the first game under the new manager, Jack Charlton.
In 1988, Aldridge played for Ireland in Euro 88 in West Germany. This was Ireland's first big international tournament. They beat England 1–0 and drew with the Soviet Union. But they were knocked out after losing to the Netherlands. It took Aldridge 20 games to score his first international goal, which happened in October 1988.
Aldridge played a very important part in Ireland reaching the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. He scored two goals against Malta to help Ireland qualify for the World Cup. Even though he didn't score at the World Cup itself, Ireland made it to the last eight teams.
Ireland didn't qualify for Euro 92, but Aldridge helped them qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He scored six goals in the qualifying games, including three goals in a 4–0 win against Latvia.
At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Aldridge had a famous moment. In a game against Mexico, Ireland was losing 2–0. The manager, Jack Charlton, wanted to send Aldridge on as a substitute. But there was a delay with the officials. Both Aldridge and Charlton got very angry. When Aldridge finally got on the field, he scored a goal. This goal was very important because it helped Ireland qualify for the next round.
Aldridge continued to play for Ireland in the qualifying games for Euro 96. He scored two goals in a 3–0 win against Latvia and another goal against Northern Ireland. He scored two more goals against Latvia in a 2–1 win. Ireland didn't qualify for Euro 96 after losing a playoff game.
Aldridge retired from international football in 1996 to focus on managing Tranmere Rovers. He played 69 games for Ireland and scored 19 goals. Eight of his goals were against Latvia.
Life After Playing Football
Today, John Aldridge works as a football expert for different media groups. He often talks about Liverpool games on Radio City 96.7. He also still plays for the Liverpool veterans' team. In 1998, he wrote his autobiography called John Aldridge: My Story.
In 2006, he became well-known in Ireland for appearing on a TV show called Charity You're A Star. Even though he wasn't a natural singer, he won the competition. He raised money for a children's hospital called Temple Street Children's Hospital.
John Aldridge was very popular with fans wherever he played, especially in Liverpool. In 2006, the official Liverpool F.C. website asked fans to name their favorite players. John Aldridge was voted the 26th favorite player of all time by 110,000 fans worldwide.
In March 2008, Aldridge shared more about his career in an audio CD series. He talked about his football journey and signed many copies of the CD to support a charity.
Honours and Awards
As a Player
Newport County
- Welsh Cup: 1979–80
Oxford United
- Football League Second Division: 1984–85
- Football League Third Division: 1983–84
- League Cup: 1985–86
Liverpool
- Football League First Division: 1987–88
- FA Cup: 1988–89
- FA Charity Shield: 1988, 1989
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 1991–92 (Second Division), 1992–93 (First Division), 1994–95 (First Division)
- English Second Division top scorer: 1984–85
- First Division top scorer: 1987–88; 1994–95, 1995–96
- BBC Goal of the Season: 1987–88, 1988–89
- FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 1992
As a Manager
Tranmere Rovers
- Football League Cup runner-up: 1999–2000
See also
- List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland
- List of footballers in England by number of league goals
- List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals
