Kieran Richardson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kieran Richardson

Richardson in 2007
Personal information
Date of birth	(1984-10-21) 21 October 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Greenwich, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	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)
National team
2002	England U18	1	(0)
2005–2007	England U21	12	(1)
2005–2006	England	8	(2)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

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

Richardson started his career training at West Ham United. He then played for several big clubs. These included Manchester United, Sunderland, Fulham, Aston Villa, and Cardiff City. He also played eight times for the England national team, scoring two goals.

Kieran Richardson's Football Career

Starting Out in Football

Kieran Richardson was born in Greenwich, London. He went to Riverston School in Lee. Growing up, he watched Arsenal games with his dad, Clyde. His dad had a season ticket.

Kieran started playing football at Parkwood Primary School. His talent was clear even when he was very young. He became captain of his school team. He was also invited to train with Arsenal.

He later moved to West Ham United. There, he began his professional training. But before he played his first game for West Ham, Manchester United signed him in 2001.

Time at Manchester United

In his first season at Manchester United, Richardson became a regular player for their reserve team. He was given squad number 42 for the main team. However, he did not play his first game with them yet.

He made his first appearance for Manchester United on 23 October 2002. He came on as a late substitute in a UEFA Champions League match against Olympiacos. He scored his first goal for United in the League Cup on 5 November 2002 against Leicester City.

Richardson had his first big chance during the 2002–03 season. He played nine times and scored one goal for the first team. He also helped Manchester United's youth team win the 2003 FA Youth Cup.

At the start of the 2003–04 season, he got squad number 23. He only played three times, all in the League Cup and FA Cup.

During the 2004–05 season, he started playing more with the first team. He had already played nine games and scored one goal by January. However, during the January transfer window, manager Alex Ferguson decided to loan him out. This was so he could get more experience playing in first-team games.

Richardson was linked with a loan to Norwich City. But Ferguson said no. Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson, who was manager of West Bromwich Albion, asked to loan Richardson. The deal happened quickly.

At West Brom, Richardson made a big impact. He helped West Brom try to avoid being moved down to a lower league. He played regularly in central midfield. He scored three goals in 12 games. West Bromwich successfully avoided relegation, even though they were at the bottom of the table on the last day of the season.

At the start of the 2005–06 season, Richardson chose not to go on loan to West Brom again. He wanted to earn a regular spot at Old Trafford. He got his chance in Manchester United's first team in September 2005. He played as a left-back because Gabriel Heinze was injured.

He soon moved back to midfield and played well. In October 2005, Richardson turned 21. He celebrated by signing a new four-year contract with United. That season, he played 36 times and scored six goals.

In the 2006–07 season, Richardson's chances to play regularly were limited. He mostly played in the League Cup and FA Cup. He scored one goal in United's 4–1 FA Cup semi-final win against Watford. This win sent them to the final at the new Wembley Stadium.

Playing for Sunderland

Richardson playing for Sunderland in 2011

On 16 July 2007, Richardson joined Sunderland. The transfer fee was about £5.5 million. He signed a four-year contract with Sunderland. His former United captain, Roy Keane, was the manager there.

After a difficult start, it was found that he had a back injury. This kept him out of action for almost four months. He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 29 December 2007 against Bolton Wanderers. Richardson scored two goals in a 2–0 win against Portsmouth on 13 January 2008. He almost scored a third goal for a hat-trick. Later, he had a hamstring injury during training. This injury came back in Sunderland's 3–0 loss to Liverpool.

On 23 August 2008, Richardson scored against Tottenham Hotspur in the 56th minute. Sunderland won that game 2–1. Richardson took a free kick that hit the post three times against Fulham on 18 October. Another free kick was disallowed. On 25 October 2008, Richardson scored the winning goal in the Tyne–Wear derby with a free kick.

Richardson scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against West Ham United. The game ended in a 2–2 draw. Richardson played in many different positions that season. He mostly played in central midfield, but also at left-back.

Before the 2010–11 season, Richardson signed a new three-year contract with Sunderland. Soon after, he became the main left-back for the club. He said he was inspired by Brazilian player Maicon. He said, "I watched the World Cup and saw the way guys like Maicon were bombing forward – and I thought 'I can do that'."

He scored his first goals of the season on 22 January against Blackpool. He scored two goals in the first half. Sunderland manager Steve Bruce praised Richardson's ability to play in different roles. He said, "I must have asked him to play in five or six positions this season." He added, "He was the outstanding player on the pitch. In the first half he was brilliant, his pace was superb." Richardson scored directly from a free kick in Sunderland's next match.

Richardson made his 100th Premier League appearance for Sunderland against Tottenham Hotspur on 12 February. He helped Asamoah Gyan score the first goal in a 2–1 loss.

Richardson's first goal of the 2011–12 season came in a 2–1 loss at Norwich. Richardson scored again in a loss at Wolves. In this match against Wolves on 4 December 2011, Richardson scored the first goal. He celebrated by taking off his shirt, showing a T-shirt with a slogan. He received a yellow card for removing his shirt. Sunderland lost the match 2–1.

Under new manager Martin O'Neill, Richardson played very well. He was moved to his preferred left wing position. He helped his team win 3–2 against Queens Park Rangers on 21 December 2011. He set up two goals from corner kicks. On 18 February 2012, he scored his first FA Cup goal for the club against Arsenal. He scored the first goal in Sunderland's 2–0 win.

Moving to Fulham

Richardson playing for Fulham in 2013

On 31 August 2012, Richardson joined Fulham from Sunderland. The fee was about £2 million. He scored his first goal for Fulham in a 2–2 draw against Southampton on 7 October.

Time at Aston Villa

Richardson playing for Aston Villa in 2014

On 11 July 2014, Richardson signed a two-year contract with Aston Villa. He joined his former manager from Sunderland, Roy Keane, who was Villa's assistant manager. He played his first game in a 1–0 win against Stoke.

Richardson got his first assist in a 2–1 win against Hull City. He sent a low cross to Andreas Weimann, who scored. Richardson received a red card on 13 December 2014. This was for a late challenge during a 1–0 loss to West Brom.

After Villa was moved down from the Premier League, Richardson left the club on 10 June 2016. His contract had ended.

Later Career

On 12 October 2016, Richardson joined Championship club Cardiff City. He signed a contract until January 2017. On 29 December 2016, Richardson was released from his contract.

On 12 April 2017, Richardson had a trial at La Liga club Granada CF. He was hoping to get a contract until the end of the 2016–17 season.

International Career with England

While playing for West Brom, he earned his first cap for the England under-21 team. This was on 8 February 2005 in a friendly match against the Netherlands.

After playing well for West Brom, he was called up to the England senior team. This was for a trip to the United States at the end of the 2004–05 season. He started the match against the United States. He scored two goals on his England debut, including one directly from a free kick. England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson praised Richardson's debut, calling it "fantastic". He also played as a substitute in England's second match in the United States against Colombia.

After playing for the senior team, Richardson also returned to the under-21 squad. He played in both games of the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-off against France. England lost 3–2 on aggregate.

He then made two more substitute appearances for England. These were during the World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Austria. The match against Austria was his first home game for England. However, he was not chosen by Sven-Göran Eriksson for England's 2006 World Cup squad.

In the 2006–07 season, he continued to be selected by the new England manager Steve McClaren. He made several substitute appearances. He also played more games for the England U21 squad. He was able to play for them until the end of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he played three times.

Personal Life

Richardson is married to Natalie. They have two daughters. Natalie helped him become a born again Christian. In 2007, he said, "I just want to praise Jesus Christ and go to heaven. That's all I care about."

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Richardson goal.

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
2					2–0

Honours and Achievements

Manchester United Youth

• FA Youth Cup: 2002–03

Manchester United

• Premier League: 2006–07
• Football League Cup: 2005–06
• FA Community Shield: 2003

Aston Villa

• FA Cup runner-up: 2014–15

See also

In Spanish: Kieran Richardson para niños