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 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | 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) |
| National team | |||
| 2006 | England U19 | 3 | (0) |
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Matthew Connolly (born 24 September 1987) is an English professional footballer. He played as a defender for teams like Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers, and Cardiff City.
Matthew started his career 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 big wins for him in just four years! He also won the same league with Reading in 2012 and with Cardiff City in 2013.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Arsenal
Matthew Connolly was born in Barnet, London. He began playing football as a young player at Arsenal. He worked his way up to the reserve team. In September 2006, he became the captain of Arsenal's reserve squad.
Matthew played his first game for Arsenal's main team on 24 October 2006. It was a League Cup match against West Bromwich Albion.
Loans to Other Clubs
To gain more experience, Matthew was loaned to other clubs.
- On 23 November 2006, he joined AFC Bournemouth for a short time. He played seven games there and scored his first goal in a match against Nottingham Forest.
- In January 2007, he returned to Arsenal.
- On 9 July 2007, he was loaned to Colchester United for the whole 2007–08 season. However, Arsenal called him back early in January 2008.
Time at Queens Park Rangers
On the same day he left Colchester, Matthew moved to Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He joined QPR because he wanted more chances to play in the first team.
First Games and Goals
His first game for QPR was on 5 January against Chelsea in the FA Cup. He scored his first goal for QPR on 16 January 2010, against Blackpool. His second goal came on 6 March against West Bromwich Albion.
Winning the Championship
During the 2010–11 season, Matthew was a key player for QPR. He played in 36 games and helped the team win the Championship title.
Loan to Reading
On 31 January 2012, Matthew joined Reading on loan. He played six games for Reading, helping them also win the Championship title and get promoted to the Premier League.
Joining Cardiff City
On 20 August 2012, Matthew moved to Cardiff City. He signed a three-year contract.
Success at Cardiff
He played his first game for Cardiff on 25 August against Bristol City. He scored his first two goals for the club on 29 September against Blackpool. He scored two more goals later that season.
Matthew played in 36 games and scored five goals. He was a very important player as Cardiff won the Championship title. This was his third time winning the Championship in a row!
Cardiff City was promoted to the Premier League. Matthew played as a right-back at the start of the season. After one season, Cardiff was relegated back to the Championship.
Loan to Watford
On 19 March 2015, Matthew joined Watford on loan. Even though he had played 26 games for Cardiff that season, the move was made for business reasons. While at Watford, Matthew helped them get promoted to the Premier League too. This was his fourth promotion to the Premier League with four different clubs! He scored one goal for Watford.
Return to Cardiff and Player of the Year
Matthew returned to Cardiff for the 2015–16 season. He became a regular player alongside Sean Morrison. His great performances made other clubs interested in him. Because of his excellent play, he signed a new contract until 2019 and won the club's Player of the Year award. He left Cardiff at the end of the 2019–20 season.
International Games
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 went to Nicholas Breakspear School in St Albans.
Career Statistics
This table shows how many games Matthew Connolly played and how many goals he scored for different clubs. Updated 28 August 2018
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | Discipline | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |  |
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| Arsenal | 2006–07 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AFC Bournemouth (Loan) | 2006–07 | League Two | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Colchester United (Loan) | 2007–08 | Championship | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Reading (Loan) | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Queens Park Rangers Total | 116 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 125 | 2 | 17 | 3 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2012–13 | Championship | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Championship | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Watford (Loan) | 2014–15 | Championship | 6 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cardiff City | 2015–16 | Championship | 43 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | Championship | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cardiff City Total | 137 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 146 | 7 | 27 | 1 | ||
| Career Total | 280 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 304 | 13 | 49 | 5 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Matthew Connolly has won several awards and titles during his career:
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 (meaning they came in second place)
Individual Award
- Cardiff City Player of the Year: 2015–16
See also
In Spanish: Matthew Connolly para niños
