Matthew Connolly facts for kids
Connolly playing for Cardiff City in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Thomas Martin Connolly | ||
| Date of birth | 24 September 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Barnet, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2006 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → Colchester United (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2008–2012 | Queens Park Rangers | 116 | (2) |
| 2012 | → Reading (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2020 | Cardiff City | 137 | (7) |
| 2015 | → Watford (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2006 | England U19 | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:42, 6 March 2018 (UTC) | |||
Matthew Thomas Martin Connolly, born on September 24, 1987, is an English professional footballer. He played as a defender, and his last club was Cardiff City.
Matthew started his football journey at Arsenal. He later moved to Queens Park Rangers and helped them win the Football League Championship in 2011. This was the first of three Championship titles he won in four years. He also won the league while on loan at Reading in 2012 and with Cardiff City in 2013. He joined Cardiff permanently a year before their win.
Contents
Matthew Connolly's Football Journey
Starting at Arsenal
Matthew Connolly was born in Barnet, London. He began his youth career at Arsenal, a famous football club. He worked his way up to play for their reserve team. In September 2006, he became the captain of Arsenal's reserve squad.
His first game for Arsenal's main team was on October 24, 2006. He started in a League Cup match against West Bromwich Albion.
Loan to AFC Bournemouth
On November 23, 2006, Arsenal sent Matthew on loan to AFC Bournemouth. He stayed there until January 2, 2007. During his time at Bournemouth, he played seven games. He scored his first goal as a professional player in a 2–0 win against Nottingham Forest on December 5, 2006. He returned to Arsenal in January 2007. He then played as a substitute in a League Cup Quarter-final game against Liverpool.
Loan to Colchester United
On July 9, 2007, Arsenal announced that Matthew would spend the entire 2007–08 season on loan. He joined Colchester United. However, Arsenal called him back early on January 2, 2008.
Time at Queens Park Rangers
On the same day he left Colchester, Matthew moved to Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He made this move because he wasn't getting enough chances to play for Arsenal's first team. His first game for QPR was on January 5, 2008, in an FA Cup match against Chelsea.
He scored his first goal for QPR against Blackpool on January 16, 2010. In November, he was also called up to the England Under-21 squad. His second goal for QPR came on March 6, 2010, in a 3–1 win against West Bromwich Albion.
Winning the Championship with QPR
During the 2010–11 season, Matthew played a big part in QPR winning the Championship title. He played in 36 out of 43 games that season.
Loan to Reading
On January 31, 2012, Matthew joined Reading on loan. He stayed with them until the end of the 2011–12 season. He played his first game for Reading on February 11, 2012, in a 2–0 win against Coventry City. He played only six games, but Reading went on to win the Championship title that season.
Joining Cardiff City
On August 20, 2012, QPR accepted an offer from Cardiff City for Matthew. The deal was completed on August 22, and Matthew signed a three-year contract with Cardiff. He made his debut for Cardiff on August 25 in a game against Bristol City.
He scored his first two goals for Cardiff in a 3–0 win against Blackpool on September 29. His third goal came a month later against Burnley. He later scored his fourth goal against Middlesbrough. Matthew played 36 games and scored five goals. He was a very important player as Cardiff won the Championship title. This was the third time in a row that Matthew had won this league title with different clubs.
Cardiff City was promoted to the Premier League. Matthew started the season playing at right-back. However, a new player, Kevin Theophile-Catherine, soon took over that position. Cardiff was relegated back to the Championship after just one season in the top league. Matthew then returned to the starting team, playing alongside Mark Hudson.
Loan to Watford
On March 19, 2015, Matthew joined another Championship team, Watford, on loan. This was until the end of the 2014–15 season. He had already played 26 games for Cardiff that season. Matthew was surprised by the move, but it was a business decision for the club. While at Watford, Matthew achieved promotion to the Premier League for the fourth time. He had now done this with four different clubs: QPR, Reading, Cardiff, and Watford. He scored one goal for Watford in a 3–1 win against Nottingham Forest.
Returning to Cardiff
Matthew rejoined the Cardiff squad for the 2015–16 season. He earned a regular spot in the team, playing alongside Sean Morrison. Other clubs were interested in him because of his great performances that season. Because of this, he signed a new contract until 2019. He also won the club's Player of the Year award. Cardiff released him at the end of the 2019–20 season.
International Career
Matthew Connolly played three games for the England Under-19 team in 2006. These games were part of the qualification matches for the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.
Personal Life
Matthew attended Nicholas Breakspear School in St Albans.
Honours
Queens Park Rangers
- Football League Championship: 2010–11
Reading
- Football League Championship: 2011–12
Cardiff City
- Football League Championship: 2012–13
Watford
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2014–15
Individual
- Cardiff City Player of the Year: 2015–16
Images for kids
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Connolly playing for Cardiff City in 2016
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Connolly playing for Cardiff City in 2012
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Connolly playing for Cardiff City in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Matthew Connolly para niños
