Wayne Bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wayne Bridge

Wayne Bridge with Chelsea in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Wayne Michael Bridge
Date of birth	(1980-08-05) 5 August 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth	Southampton, England
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	Left back
Youth career
	Olivers Battery
1996–1998	Southampton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2003	Southampton	151	(2)
2003–2009	Chelsea	87	(1)
2006	→ Fulham (loan)	12	(0)
2009–2013	Manchester City	42	(0)
2011	→ West Ham United (loan)	15	(0)
2012	→ Sunderland (loan)	8	(0)
2012–2013	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	37	(3)
2013–2014	Reading	12	(0)
Total		364	(6)
National team
1998–1999	England U18	3	(0)
1999–2001	England U21	8	(0)
2002–2009	England	36	(1)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Wayne Michael Bridge (born 5 August 1980) is a former English professional footballer. He played as a left back, a defender who plays on the left side of the field.

Wayne Bridge started his football journey at the Southampton academy. He made his first team debut in 1998. He played over 150 league games for Southampton before moving to Chelsea. At Chelsea, he won major domestic trophies during his six years there.

He also played for Manchester City for four seasons. During this time, he went on loan to West Ham and Sunderland. He also played for Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Championship. Wayne Bridge retired from football in 2014 after playing for Reading.

Bridge also played 36 games for the England national team. He represented his country between 2002 and 2009. He was chosen for two FIFA World Cup teams and UEFA Euro 2004.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Southampton

Wayne Bridge was born in Southampton. He moved to Stanmore, Winchester when he was young. He played for a local team called Olivers Battery F.C. There, he was noticed by Micky Adams. Southampton signed him as a trainee in July 1996.

He first played for Southampton's reserve team in August 1997. He became a professional player in January 1998. Wayne made his first team debut on 16 August 1998. He came on as a substitute for an injured player.

Bridge played many games in his first season. Southampton avoided relegation from the Premier League. In the 1999–2000 season, he started playing as a left-back. He quickly became a regular player in the team. He scored his first goal on 14 May 2000 against Wimbledon.

In the 2000–01 season, Bridge played every game at left-back. Southampton finished tenth in the Premier League. He was voted Southampton Player of the Year for that season.

Bridge was known for being fast, determined, and skillful. His runs forward were exciting for fans. He played every match until 18 January 2003. This ended a run of 113 straight appearances. This was a Premier League record for an outfield player at the time.

Bigger clubs became interested in Bridge. He joined Chelsea in 2003 for £7 million. His last game for Southampton was the 2003 FA Cup Final. Southampton lost to Arsenal. He played 173 games for Southampton, scoring two league goals.

Time at Chelsea

2003–04 Season Success

After five years with Southampton, Bridge moved to Chelsea in July 2003. He quickly became a regular player. One of his most famous moments was in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. He scored the winning goal against Arsenal in the 88th minute. This sent Chelsea into the semi-finals. This goal was later voted goal of the season. Bridge also scored against Beşiktaş and Portsmouth that season.

Winning the Premier League

Bridge started the 2004–05 season playing regularly under new manager José Mourinho. However, he got a serious ankle injury in an FA Cup game in February 2005. This injury ended his season. Chelsea went on to win the Premier League. Bridge had played enough games (15) to receive a winner's medal.

Loan to Fulham

For the 2005–06 season, Chelsea signed another left-back, Asier del Horno. Bridge had limited chances to play. He joined Fulham on loan in January 2006. This move helped him secure his place in the 2006 World Cup squad for England. Chelsea won the Premier League again, but Bridge did not get a medal this time.

Cup Final Wins

Bridge's main competition at Chelsea became fellow England player Ashley Cole. Bridge played well at the start of the 2006–07 Premier League season. However, Ashley Cole was often preferred. When Cole got injured, Bridge became Chelsea's main left-back.

Bridge played in two cup finals for Chelsea in the 2006–07 season. He played in the League Cup Final against Arsenal, which Chelsea won 2–1. He also played in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United, which Chelsea won 1–0. He earned two winner's medals that season.

2008 League Cup Final

Bridge played in his third cup final for Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup Final. Chelsea lost 2–1 to Tottenham Hotspur. Bridge was involved in a penalty decision that led to Tottenham's goal.

Captaincy Moment

In the 2008–09 season, Bridge wore the captain's armband for Chelsea. This was during a League Cup game against Burnley. Chelsea lost the match on penalties.

Moving to Manchester City

Joining Manchester City

On 2 January 2009, Wayne Bridge joined Manchester City. The transfer fee was reported to be around £10 million. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. Bridge made his debut for Manchester City two weeks later. He played in a 1–0 win against Wigan Athletic.

Bridge refuses to shake John Terry's hand at the start of Manchester City's game against Chelsea on 27 February 2010.

His position as left-back at Manchester City became less certain. This was because the club signed new left-backs. Roberto Mancini, the manager, signed Aleksandar Kolarov in 2010 and Gaël Clichy in 2011. This meant Bridge was no longer a key player for City.

Loan Spells

Bridge playing for West Ham.

On 12 January 2011, Bridge joined West Ham United on loan. He stayed there until the end of the season. He played 18 games for West Ham.

On 31 January 2012, Bridge moved to Sunderland on loan. He played eight league games for them. He made his first start for Sunderland in a 1–0 win against Liverpool.

On 6 July 2012, Bridge joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal for Brighton on 25 August 2012. This was his first league goal since 2003. Bridge played 37 league games for Brighton, scoring three goals. He helped them reach the play-offs for promotion. At the end of the season, Bridge thanked Brighton's manager, Gus Poyet. He said Brighton had "revitalised my love for football."

Final Season and Retirement

In June 2013, Bridge signed a one-year contract with Reading. Reading had just been relegated to the Football League Championship. Bridge chose Reading over offers from other clubs.

On 6 May 2014, Reading released Bridge after he played 12 games for them. He then announced his retirement from professional football.

International Career

While playing for Southampton, Wayne Bridge was expected to play for England. He regularly played for the England under-21 team. He earned his first full cap for England on 13 February 2002. This was in a game against the Netherlands.

He played twice as a substitute in the 2002 World Cup. However, he did not play in UEFA Euro 2004. Ashley Cole was preferred for that tournament.

During qualification for the 2006 World Cup, Bridge played in midfield. He later returned to left-back for England. He played in a friendly against Argentina in November 2005.

Bridge's last game for England was against Brazil on 14 November 2009. On 25 February 2010, Bridge announced he would no longer play for England. This decision was made following personal issues.

Boxing

On 23 March 2018, Wayne Bridge took part in an exhibition boxing match. This was part of BBC's Sport Relief programme. He fought against TV personality Spencer Matthews. Bridge won the match by a unanimous decision.

In January 2025, it was reported that Bridge might fight internet personality KSI in a professional boxing match. During a live broadcast, KSI and Bridge had a face-off. Bridge later withdrew from the fight due to comments made by KSI.

Personal Life

Bridge with his son Jaydon

Wayne Bridge has two sons. His first son, Jaydon Jean Claude Bridge, was born on 21 November 2006.

On 8 April 2013, the Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford announced her engagement to Wayne Bridge. They got married on 19 July 2014. Their second son, Parker Bridge, was born on 18 October 2013. In January 2015, they announced they were expecting another child. Their third son, Carter Bridge, was born on 15 August 2015.

Bridge was a contestant in the 2016 series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. He was voted out on 2 December. In 2019, he won the first celebrity series of Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins. This involved trekking a glacier in Chile.

Wayne Bridge enjoys playing poker. He plays in live events and describes his style as 'kamikaze'.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bridge goal.

List of international goals scored by Wayne Bridge

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	5 June 2004	City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, England	17	Iceland	5–1	6–1	2004 FA Summer Tournament

Honours

Southampton

• FA Cup: 2002-2003 runner up

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2004–05
• FA Cup: 2006–07
• Football League Cup: 2006–07; runner-up: 2007–08

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2001–02 Premier League, 2012–13 Championship

See also

In Spanish: Wayne Bridge para niños