Liam Ridgewell facts for kids
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Ridgewell lining up for the Portland Timbers in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Liam Matthew Ridgewell | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Bexleyheath, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Portland Timbers (assistant coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2001 | West Ham United | ||
| 2001–2002 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2007 | Aston Villa | 79 | (7) |
| 2002 | → AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2007–2012 | Birmingham City | 152 | (9) |
| 2012–2014 | West Bromwich Albion | 76 | (2) |
| 2014–2019 | Portland Timbers | 97 | (6) |
| 2015 | → Wigan Athletic (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2016 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | Hull City | 7 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Southend United | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 431 | (24) | |
| National team | |||
| 2002 | England U19 | 1 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | England U21 | 8 | (0) |
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Liam Matthew Ridgewell, born on July 21, 1984, is a former English professional footballer. He mostly played as a defender, usually in the center, but could also play on the left side. Today, he works as an assistant coach for the Portland Timbers.
Liam played for England's Under-21 team eight times. He started his professional journey with Aston Villa. He also played for Birmingham City, where he helped them win the League Cup in 2011. Later, he joined West Bromwich Albion. In 2014, he moved to the Portland Timbers in the USA, leading them to win the MLS Cup in 2015. He also had short loan spells with Wigan Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion. Liam finished his playing career in 2020 after playing for Hull City and Southend United.
Contents
Liam Ridgewell's Football Journey
Starting His Career
Liam Ridgewell was born in Bexleyheath, England. He went to Bexleyheath School. He started his football journey with West Ham United. In 2001, he moved to Aston Villa. He was part of the Aston Villa youth team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2002.
Playing for Aston Villa
In October 2002, Liam played for England's Under-19s. The next day, he joined AFC Bournemouth on loan. He made his first professional league appearance there. His first game for Aston Villa's main team was in January 2003. He played his first Premier League game in December 2003.
On January 15, 2005, Liam scored his first goal as a professional. It was in a 3–0 win against Norwich City. In April, during a game against rivals West Bromwich Albion, he was sent off. In the 2005–06 season, he scored five goals in 32 games. He scored his only goal of the 2006–07 season against his old club, West Ham United.
Time at Birmingham City
Liam joined Birmingham City on August 3, 2007. He was the first player to move between these two rival clubs since 1984.
Liam was given the captain's armband when the regular captain was injured. He felt it was a great honor. Even though some fans were unsure about a player from Aston Villa joining, Liam's good play won them over. He scored his first goal for Birmingham in October. However, he also scored an own goal in the Birmingham derby two weeks later.
In April 2009, Liam broke his leg during a game. But he returned to play surprisingly quickly, just five months later. He played as a left back, which was a new position for him. Birmingham City then had a club-record 12-match unbeaten run in the top league. Liam scored a goal against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2010. This helped Birmingham stay unbeaten at home for months.
Liam continued to score important goals. He scored a late winner against Derby County in the FA Cup. He also scored an equalizing goal against Liverpool in the league.
In June 2010, Liam signed a new contract with Birmingham. He played the full game when Birmingham beat Arsenal 2–1 in the 2011 Football League Cup Final. This win meant they qualified for the Europa League. Liam even played in midfield for a European game, which was unusual for him. In August 2011, he asked to leave the club, but his request was not accepted.
Playing for West Bromwich Albion
Liam signed with West Bromwich Albion on January 31, 2012. He made his debut on February 12 in a 5–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for West Brom on April 7, 2012.
On May 16, 2014, West Bromwich Albion announced that Liam would be leaving the club.
Joining the Portland Timbers
Liam joined the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer on June 25, 2014. He made his first MLS appearance on July 18. Liam was chosen for the 2014 MLS All-Star Game against Bayern Munich. He scored his first goal for the Timbers on August 16, 2014, after a long solo run.
On January 8, 2015, Liam joined Wigan Athletic on a short loan. He played six games for them.
Liam was sent off in a game on June 25, 2015. The Timbers made it to the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs. Liam scored the first goal in a playoff game against FC Dallas on November 22. The team reached the MLS Cup Final. In the final game on December 6, he was the captain as the Timbers won 2–1.
In December 2015, Liam agreed to a short loan with Brighton & Hove Albion. He played five league games for them, winning four of them.
Liam was sent off again on September 30, 2018, in a game against FC Dallas. The Timbers made the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. They won against rivals Seattle Sounders FC in a penalty shootout. The Timbers lost the MLS Cup Final 2–0. This was Liam's last game for the team.
On January 10, 2019, Liam and the Portland Timbers decided to part ways.
Back in England
On January 31, 2019, Liam joined Hull City for the rest of the season. He made his debut on February 9. He was released by Hull City at the end of the season.
On August 9, 2019, Liam signed a one-year deal with Southend United. He made his debut the next day. He left Southend on January 31, 2020. On May 22, 2020, Liam joined an amateur team called Sutton Rangers.
Coaching Career
Liam Ridgewell started his coaching career in December 2020. He joined Dover Athletic as a first-team coach. Liam joined the Portland Timbers coaching staff for the 2023 season. He has a UEFA B Coaching License, which means he is qualified to coach football.
Personal Life
Liam Ridgewell co-owns a swimwear company called Thomas Royall. He owns it with other footballers, Sam Saunders and John Terry.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 2002–03 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ― | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ― | 37 | 5 | ||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ― | 25 | 1 | ||
| Total | 79 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 7 | ||
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 2002–03 | Third Division | 5 | 0 | ― | ― | ― | 5 | 0 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2007–08 | Premier League | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 37 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | Championship | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ― | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 31 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ― | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 36 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ― | 43 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12 | Championship | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Total | 152 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 175 | 11 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2011–12 | Premier League | 13 | 1 | ― | ― | ― | 13 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 33 | 1 | ||
| Total | 76 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 78 | 2 | |||
| Portland Timbers | 2014 | Major League Soccer | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ― | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Major League Soccer | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 5 | 1 | 38 | 1 | ||
| Total | 47 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ― | 6 | 1 | 54 | 3 | |||
| Wigan Athletic (loan) | 2014–15 | Championship | 6 | 0 | ― | ― | ― | 6 | 0 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2015–16 | Championship | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | ― | 6 | 0 | ||
| Hull City | 2018–19 | Championship | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 7 | 0 | ||
| Southend United | 2019–20 | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 378 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 425 | 23 | ||
Honours and Awards
Aston Villa
- FA Youth Cup: 2001–02
Birmingham City
- Football League Cup: 2010–11
Portland Timbers
- MLS Cup: 2015
- Western Conference (playoffs): 2015
Individual Awards
- MLS All-Star: 2014
See also
In Spanish: Liam Ridgewell para niños
