Lee Wallace facts for kids
.jpg)
Wallace with Rangers in 2015
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Wallace | ||
| Date of birth | 1 August 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Salvesen Boys Club | |||
| 2003–2004 | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2011 | Heart of Midlothian | 139 | (3) |
| 2011–2019 | Rangers | 191 | (21) |
| 2019–2022 | Queens Park Rangers | 57 | (1) |
| Total | 387 | (25) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006 | Scotland U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2007 | Scotland U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Scotland U21 | 10 | (0) |
| 2009–2017 | Scotland | 10 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Lee Wallace (born 1 August 1987) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He played as a left-back for several clubs and also represented the Scotland national team.
Wallace started his career at Heart of Midlothian when he was 17 years old. He later joined Rangers in 2011. He stayed with Rangers even when the club faced financial difficulties in 2012. In 2015, he became the team captain. After leaving Rangers, he joined Queens Park Rangers in 2019. Lee Wallace also played for Scotland at both youth and senior levels.
Contents
Lee Wallace's Football Journey
Starting His Career at Heart of Midlothian
Lee Wallace joined Heart of Midlothian, often called Hearts, in July 2004. He had been part of their youth team before becoming a professional player. He played his first game for Hearts in February 2005, in a Scottish Cup match against Kilmarnock. He quickly became a regular player in the first team.
Wallace scored his first goal in a replay match against Kilmarnock. In 2006, he signed a five-year contract with Hearts, showing his commitment to the club. At the start of the 2010–11 season, he was made the team's vice-captain. However, he suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Scotland, which kept him out for a long time. He only played a few games that season because of his injury.
Becoming a Star at Rangers
In June 2011, Rangers tried to sign Wallace from Hearts. After a few offers, Hearts finally accepted a bid of £1.5 million from Rangers. Wallace then signed a five-year deal with Rangers. He made his debut for Rangers in a Champions League qualifying match in July 2011.
Wallace scored his first goal for Rangers on Christmas Eve 2011. He scored again in March 2012 against their rivals, Celtic, helping Rangers win 3–2.
When Rangers faced financial problems and had to restart in a lower league, Wallace chose to stay with the club. This showed his loyalty. He was made vice-captain at the start of the 2012–13 season. In September 2012, he signed another five-year contract with Rangers.
Wallace became the official club captain in August 2015. He started the 2015–16 season by scoring two goals in Rangers' 3–1 win against St Mirren. On 5 April 2016, Wallace led Rangers to win the Scottish Championship. This meant they were promoted back to the top league in Scottish football. He also captained the team in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final.
In June 2016, Wallace signed a new contract with Rangers until 2019. He said he wanted to finish his playing career at the club. In September 2017, he got another injury, a double hernia, which kept him out for the rest of the 2017–18 season. When he returned in June 2018, James Tavernier became the new club captain. Wallace played three more games for Rangers in the 2018–19 season and received a warm welcome from the fans.
Moving to Queens Park Rangers
On 14 June 2019, after his contract with Rangers ended, Wallace joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR), an English team. He made his debut for QPR in a match against Leeds United. He scored his first goal for QPR in an FA Cup game in January 2020. His first season at QPR was affected by injuries.
During the 2020–21 season, Wallace became a very important player for QPR. He helped the team finish ninth in the league. In March, he was named Player of the Month. He helped the team keep two clean sheets (meaning the other team didn't score) and provided assists for goals. On 6 March 2021, Wallace captained QPR for the first time. He went on to captain them in nine more games that season. In May 2021, he signed a new one-year contract to stay at QPR until 2022.
Playing for Scotland
Lee Wallace was a key player for the Scotland under-19 team. They reached the final of the 2006 European Championships, where they lost to Spain. Wallace played in every match as a left-back.
He made his first appearance for the senior Scotland in October 2009, in a friendly game against Japan. He continued to play for Scotland under manager Craig Levein. In a Euro 2012 qualifying match, he suffered a serious knee injury.
Even when Rangers were in a lower league, Wallace was still considered for the Scotland squad. In August 2013, his Rangers teammate David Templeton was surprised that Wallace was not picked for a special match against England. However, Wallace was later called up for World Cup qualifiers against Belgium and Macedonia.
After more than two years away from the national team, Wallace was called up again in May 2016 for friendly matches. He also played in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against England in November 2016.
Coaching Career
In March 2015, Lee Wallace started coaching at East of Scotland Football League side Tynecastle. He planned to combine his playing career with coaching. He later became an assistant coach for the under-18 team at Heart of Midlothian, where he began his playing career.
Honours
Rangers
- Scottish Championship: 2015–16
- Scottish Challenge Cup: 2015–16
- Scottish League One: 2013–14
- Scottish Third Division: 2012–13
Individual
- Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Month: February 2009
- Heart of Midlothian Players' Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10
- Rangers Player of the Year: 2013–14, 2015–16
- Rangers Players' Player of the Year: 2012–13, 2013–14
- John Greig Special Achievement Award: 2015–16
- PFA Scotland Third Division Player of the Year: 2012–13
- PFA Scotland Third Division Team of the Year: 2012–13
- PFA Scotland League One Player of the Year: 2013–14
- PFA Scotland League One Team of the Year: 2013–14
- PFA Scotland Championship Player of the Year: 2015–16
- PFA Scotland Championship Team of the Year: 2015–16
See also
In Spanish: Lee Wallace para niños
