Zak Whitbread facts for kids
Whitbread training with Norwich City in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Zak Benjamin Whitbread | ||
| Date of birth | January 10, 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Houston, Texas, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Center-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992−2003 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003−2006 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| 2005−2006 | → Millwall (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2006−2010 | Millwall | 78 | (3) |
| 2010−2012 | Norwich City | 44 | (1) |
| 2012−2014 | Leicester City | 16 | (1) |
| 2013−2014 | → Derby County (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2014−2015 | Derby County | 9 | (0) |
| 2015−2016 | Shrewsbury Town | 22 | (1) |
| Total | 198 | (7) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | United States U20 | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Zak Benjamin Whitbread, born on January 10, 1984, is a retired American soccer player. He played as a defender during his career.
Contents
Zak's Early Life and Where He Grew Up
Zak Whitbread was born in Houston, Texas, USA. However, he spent most of his life in England and Singapore. He lived in Runcorn, England, for many years. For five years, he lived in Singapore. This was when his father, Barry Whitbread, coached the Singapore national football team. While in Singapore, Zak went to St Stephen's School. He also attended the United World College of South East Asia.
Zak's Club Soccer Journey
Zak Whitbread played for several soccer clubs during his career. He started his journey at a young age.
Starting at Liverpool F.C.
Even though Zak was a fan of Manchester United when he was young, he joined Liverpool's special training center at age eight. He worked his way up through their youth teams. He joined the reserve team in 2003.
Zak played his first game for Liverpool in 2003. It was an exhibition match against Thailand. He came into the game in the second half. He made his official first team debut in the 2004–05 season. He played in some games for Liverpool's 2005–06 UEFA Champions League qualification. During this season, he also spent time playing for Millwall on a loan.
Playing for Millwall F.C.
In June 2006, Zak signed a permanent contract with Millwall. He played often for the team. He started 18 games in the 2006–07 season. Unfortunately, he got injured in September 2006. This injury kept him from playing for the rest of that season.
In the 2008–09 season, Whitbread played in 44 games. This included the League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium. Millwall lost that game 3–2 to Scunthorpe United.
Time at Norwich City F.C.
Zak joined Norwich City on January 8, 2010. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. He played his first game for Norwich on January 16. It was a 5–0 win against Colchester United. He came on as a substitute in that game. However, he played very little after that due to another injury.
For the 2010–11 season, Zak was given the number 6 jersey. He had been number 31 before. He played three pre-season games in 2010–11. Then, he got another injury. This injury kept him out of the start of the new league season. He was expected to return to training in September. However, another problem kept him out until the new year. Zak returned to full training around Christmas 2010.
He finally returned to play on December 28, 2010. It was a 4–2 win against Sheffield United. He came on as a substitute late in the game. He made his first start of the season in a 1–0 win against Queens Park Rangers. This helped Norwich keep a clean sheet for the first time in 10 games. Because of an injury to another player, Zak formed a strong partnership with Elliott Ward in defense. He scored his first goal for Norwich on March 19, 2011. It was in a 1–1 draw against Hull City.
Zak started Norwich's first game back in the Premier League. He played alongside Ritchie De Laet in a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic. But he got a knee injury in this match. This meant he missed the next game. He returned for a League Cup match. He also started against Chelsea. However, he had to leave that game early with a suspected hamstring injury. Zak returned to training in November. He was back in the squad in early December.
He returned to the Norwich squad on December 3 against Manchester City. He was a substitute but did not play. In the next game against Newcastle United, Zak started. Norwich won that game 4–2. He played well in defense with Russell Martin. From New Year's Eve, he played with Daniel Ayala. This partnership helped Norwich win two away matches and three games in a row in 2012. Zak had to leave a game early against Bolton Wanderers due to a tight hamstring. He quickly got his place back when he was fit again. He then suffered a small calf injury. This caused his manager to remove him from the squad before a game against Everton. He was released by the club at the end of the season.
Playing for Leicester City F.C.
On July 24, 2012, Zak signed a two-year contract with Championship team Leicester City. He joined them for free after his contract with Norwich ended. He played his first game for Leicester on August 28, 2012. It was against Burton Albion in the League Cup. Zak scored his first goal for Leicester City on December 1, 2012. It was during a 4–1 win against Derby County. After this, he was named in the Championship Team of the Week. Leicester released him on May 9, 2014.
Time at Derby County F.C.
On September 29, 2013, Derby County announced that Zak had joined them on a three-month loan. He scored in his first game for Derby. It was a 4–4 draw at home against Ipswich Town.
After the 2013–14 season, Zak was released by Leicester City. On June 25, 2014, Zak agreed to a one-year deal to join Derby County permanently.
Playing for Shrewsbury Town F.C.
After leaving Derby, Zak joined Shrewsbury Town in League One in October 2015. He had thought about moving to the United States. He first signed a short contract until January 2016. He played his first game for Shrewsbury in a new position, midfield. He came on as a substitute in a 2−1 loss against Scunthorpe United. A week later, he started his first game for the club. He played the whole game in a 2−0 win against Bury. His contract was later extended until the end of the season. After that, he was released by the club.
Zak's International Career
Zak Whitbread had his first chance to play for the national team of his birth country, the USA, in August 2003. He was called up to the U.S. under-20s squad. He traveled to Spain for a tournament. He started three of the five games played there. He was also chosen for the 2003 World Youth Championships in December. He started every game and scored his first goal for the U.S. This helped the team reach the Quarter Finals.
His good play led to him being included in the U.S. under-23 squad. This team tried to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics. He could only play in one game for the under-23 team because of an injury he got during training.
On March 16, 2011, Zak was called to the United States senior team's training camp. This was for friendly games against Argentina and Paraguay. However, he could not play because he got an injury while playing for his club team.
See also
In Spanish: Zak Whitbread para niños
