Ritchie De Laet facts for kids
De Laet with Manchester United in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 November 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 2009 | Belgium U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2009 | Belgium | 2 | (0) |
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Ritchie Ria Alfons De Laet (born on 28 November 1988) is a former professional footballer from Belgium. He played as a defender.
De Laet started his football journey in youth teams before joining the Royal Antwerp academy. He later moved to Stoke City in 2007. Two years later, he signed with Premier League champions Manchester United. While at United, he mostly played for the reserve team and went on several loan spells.
In 2012, Ritchie joined Leicester City. Here, he played more often and was part of the amazing team that won the 2015–16 Premier League title. After Leicester, he spent three years with Aston Villa. He then returned to Royal Antwerp in 2019, where he helped the team win both the league and cup in Belgium. De Laet also played two games for the Belgian national team in 2009.
Contents
Ritchie De Laet's Club Career
Ritchie De Laet began his football career in his home country, Belgium. He started at Royal Antwerp.
Playing for Stoke City
On 17 August 2007, Ritchie signed a three-year contract with Championship team Stoke City. He then went on a one-month loan to Wrexham in October 2008. He played three games there before needing an operation.
Time at Manchester United
On 8 January 2009, De Laet joined Premier League champions Manchester United. He signed a three-year contract with the famous club. When he first joined United, Ritchie mainly played for the club's reserve team.
He made his first appearance for the Manchester United first team on 24 May 2009. This was in the last game of the 2008–09 Premier League season against Hull City. In the 2009–10 season, De Laet played in the League Cup. He also played two league games that season. In May 2010, he won the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award. This award is given to the best player in Manchester United's reserve team.
Loan Spells from Manchester United
While at Manchester United, Ritchie De Laet went on several loan moves to gain more experience.
- Sheffield United: In September 2010, he joined Sheffield United in the Championship for a month. He played six games for them.
- Preston North End: On 17 November 2010, De Laet moved to Preston North End on a 28-day loan.
- Portsmouth: In January 2011, he joined Portsmouth on loan until the end of the season. He played 22 games for them.
Norwich City Loan
On 17 June 2011, De Laet joined Norwich City, a team that had just been promoted to the Premier League. He was on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic. On 21 August, he scored his first goal for Norwich against his old club, Stoke City. This was also Ritchie's first goal in a senior game. He later had a back injury while at Norwich. He returned to Manchester United in January 2012.
Moving to Leicester City
On 14 May 2012, De Laet signed a three-year deal with Leicester City. He scored his first goal for Leicester on 1 January 2013, in a big 6–1 win against Huddersfield Town. He scored again just four days later in an FA Cup match.
In his first season with Leicester, Ritchie played 46 games and scored two goals. He helped the team reach the Championship play-offs. In the 2013–14 season, he played regularly and helped Leicester get promoted back to the top league, the Premier League. He played 35 times and scored two goals that season.
In the 2015–16 season, De Laet started the first seven games for Leicester. He scored his last goal for the club on 13 September 2015, in a 3–2 win against Aston Villa. He later lost his regular starting spot to Danny Simpson.
Middlesbrough Loan and Premier League Title
On 1 February 2016, De Laet joined Middlesbrough on loan for the rest of the 2015–16 season. He helped Middlesbrough get promoted to the Premier League on the last day of the season.
This meant Ritchie De Laet achieved something very special. He played for a club that won promotion from the Championship (Middlesbrough) and also won the Premier League title (with Leicester City). He played 12 league games for Leicester in that same season, which qualified him for the Premier League winner's medal.
Joining Aston Villa
On 23 August 2016, De Laet signed a three-year deal with Championship club Aston Villa. However, on 14 September 2016, he got injured during a game against Brentford. Scans showed it was a serious injury that would keep him out for the rest of the season.
Loan to Royal Antwerp
On 23 January 2018, De Laet went back to Royal Antwerp on loan for the rest of the season.
Loan to Melbourne City
In September 2018, De Laet moved on loan to Melbourne City in Australia's A-League. He scored in his very first game, which was a big derby match.
In early 2019, his coach at Melbourne City, Warren Joyce, started playing De Laet as a forward instead of a defender. Ritchie scored two goals in this new position on 22 January 2019. His first goal in that match set a new club record for the fastest goal ever in the A-League, scoring in just 30 seconds! He later said that playing as a striker was not new to him, as his coach at Manchester United's reserves used to play him there. Aston Villa released him at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Return to Royal Antwerp
On 29 June 2019, Ritchie De Laet signed permanently with Royal Antwerp. This was the club where his career first began.
During the 2022–23 season, De Laet was part of the team that won both the Belgian league title and the Belgian Cup. This was Royal Antwerp's first league title in 66 years!
International Career
A few days after his Manchester United debut, Ritchie De Laet was called up to play for the Belgian national team. He made his debut for Belgium on 29 May 2009, in a match against Chile. He played two games for the senior national team. De Laet also played regularly for Belgium's under-21 team.
Honours and Achievements
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2008-09
Leicester City
Middlesbrough
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2015–16
Royal Antwerp
- Belgian Pro League: 2022–23
- Belgian Cup: 2019–20, 2022–23
- Belgian Super Cup: 2023
Individual Awards
- Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year: 2009–10
Images for kids
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De Laet playing for Portsmouth against Cardiff City in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Ritchie De Laet para niños
