Ritchie De Laet facts for kids
De Laet with Manchester United in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ritchie Ria Alfons De Laet | ||
| Date of birth | 28 November 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1998 | KSK Hoboken | ||
| 1998–1999 | Mechelen | ||
| 1999–2004 | KSK Hoboken | ||
| 2004–2005 | KFCO Wilrijk | ||
| 2005–2006 | Royal Antwerp | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Royal Antwerp | 4 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Stoke City | 0 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Wrexham (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Manchester United | 3 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Sheffield United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Preston North End (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 22 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Norwich City (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2012–2016 | Leicester City | 115 | (4) |
| 2016 | → Middlesbrough (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2016–2019 | Aston Villa | 8 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Royal Antwerp (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Melbourne City (loan) | 25 | (7) |
| 2019–2024 | Royal Antwerp | 150 | (2) |
| Total | 363 | (14) | |
| International career | |||
| 2009 | Belgium U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2009 | Belgium | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ritchie Ria Alfons De Laet (born on November 28, 1988) is a former professional footballer from Belgium. He played as a defender, which means his main job was to stop the other team from scoring goals.
Ritchie started playing football in different youth teams. He then joined the youth academy of Royal Antwerp. In 2007, he moved to Stoke City. Two years later, he was signed by Premier League champions Manchester United. While at Manchester United, he mostly played for their reserve team and was sent on loan to other clubs.
In 2012, Ritchie joined Leicester City. He played much more often there and was part of the amazing team that won the 2015–16 Premier League title. After Leicester, he spent three years with Aston Villa. In 2019, he returned to his first club, Royal Antwerp, where he helped them win both the league and the cup.
Ritchie also played for his country, Belgium. He made his first international appearance in 2009 and played two games for the national team.
Ritchie De Laet's Football Journey
Starting at Stoke City
Ritchie De Laet was born in Antwerp, Belgium. He began his football career at the Belgian club Royal Antwerp. On August 17, 2007, he signed a three-year contract with Championship team Stoke City. The initial fee for him was £100,000.
In July 2008, Ritchie had a trial with AFC Bournemouth. He played in a friendly game against Portsmouth. Later that year, in October 2008, he joined Wrexham on a one-month loan. A loan means a player temporarily moves to another club. He played three games for Wrexham before needing an operation.
Time at Manchester United
On January 8, 2009, Ritchie De Laet signed a three-year contract with Premier League champions Manchester United. At first, he mainly played for Manchester United's reserve team. These are players who are not yet in the main team but are training to be.
Ritchie played his first game for Manchester United's main team on May 24, 2009. This was in the last game of the 2008–09 Premier League season against Hull City. He played as a left-back.
During the 2009–10 season, Ritchie played in the League Cup. He also played two league games for Manchester United that season. In May 2010, he was named the "Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year." This award is given to the best player in the reserve team.
Loan Spells from Manchester United
In September 2010, Ritchie joined Sheffield United on a short loan. He played six games for them. Later that year, in November 2010, he went on another loan to Preston North End. He played five games there.
In January 2011, Ritchie joined Portsmouth on loan until the end of the season. He played 22 games for Portsmouth.
Playing for Norwich City
On June 17, 2011, Ritchie joined Norwich City on loan for the whole 2011–12 season. Norwich City had just been promoted to the Premier League. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic.
On August 21, he scored his first ever goal in a senior game for Norwich against his old club, Stoke City. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. Ritchie had a back injury while at Norwich, which kept him from playing for a while. He returned to Manchester United in January 2012.
Success with Leicester City
On May 14, 2012, Ritchie De Laet signed a three-year deal with Leicester City. He scored his first goal for Leicester on January 1, 2013, in a big 6–1 win against Huddersfield Town. He scored again just four days later in an FA Cup game.
In his first season with Leicester, Ritchie played 46 games and scored two goals. He helped Leicester reach the play-offs for promotion. In the 2013–14 season, he played regularly again and helped Leicester get promoted to the top league, the Premier League.
In the 2015–16 season, Ritchie started the first seven games for Leicester. He scored his last goal for the club on September 13, 2015, in a 3–2 win against Aston Villa. He later lost his regular spot in the team.
Loan to Middlesbrough
On February 1, 2016, Ritchie joined Middlesbrough on loan for the rest of the 2015–16 season. He helped Middlesbrough get promoted to the Premier League on the very last day of the season.
This was a very special achievement for Ritchie. He played enough games for Leicester City (12 league appearances) to also be part of their team that won the 2015–16 Premier League title that same season. This means he helped two different clubs get promoted or win the league in the same season!
Time at Aston Villa
On August 23, 2016, Ritchie signed a three-year deal with Aston Villa, a Championship club. However, he got injured in a game against Brentford on September 14, 2016. Scans showed it was a serious injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.
Loan Back to Royal Antwerp
On January 23, 2018, Ritchie went back to Royal Antwerp on loan for the rest of the season. This was the club where he started his career.
Loan to Melbourne City
In September 2018, Ritchie moved on loan to Melbourne City in Australia. He scored a goal in his very first game for them, which was a big derby match.
In early 2019, his coach at Melbourne City, Warren Joyce, decided to play Ritchie as a centre-forward instead of a defender. Ritchie scored two goals in this new position on January 22, 2019. One of these goals set a new club record for the fastest goal ever in the A-League, scored in just 30 seconds! Ritchie later said that playing as a striker wasn't new to him, as his coach used to play him there when he was younger in the Manchester United reserves.
Aston Villa released him from his contract at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Return to Royal Antwerp
On June 29, 2019, after leaving Aston Villa, Ritchie officially signed a permanent contract with Royal Antwerp. This was a return to his first club, where his professional journey began.
During the 2022–23 season, Ritchie was a key part of the Royal Antwerp team that won both the Belgian league title and the Belgian Cup. It was the club's first league title in 66 years, which was a huge achievement!
Playing for Belgium
Just a few days after his first game for Manchester United, Ritchie was called up to play for the Belgium national team. He made his debut for Belgium on May 29, 2009. He also played regularly for Belgium's under-21 team in their qualifying games for the 2011 European Championship.
Honours and Achievements
Leicester City
- Premier League Champion: 2015–16
- Football League Championship Champion: 2013–14
Middlesbrough
- Football League Championship Runner-up: 2015–16
Royal Antwerp
- Belgian Pro League Champion: 2022–23
- Belgian Cup Winner: 2019–20, 2022–23
- Belgian Super Cup Winner: 2023
Individual Awards
- Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year: 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Ritchie De Laet para niños
