 Richardson in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kieran Edward Richardson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-10-21)21 October 1984 (age 41)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Greenwich, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger,left-back,central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2001 | West Ham United | ||
| 2001–2002 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2007 | Manchester United | 41 | (2) |
| 2005 | →West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2007–2012 | Sunderland | 134 | (14) |
| 2012–2014 | Fulham | 45 | (5) |
| 2014–2016 | Aston Villa | 33 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Cardiff City | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 271 | (24) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002 | England U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | England U21 | 12 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | England | 8 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kieran Edward Richardson (born 21 October 1984) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as awinger,left-back, orcentral midfielder.
Richardson began his career as a trainee atWest Ham United, going on to play senior football atManchester United,Sunderland,Fulham,Aston Villa andCardiff City. He was capped eight times forEngland, scoring twice.
Richardson was born inGreenwich, London[2] and was schooled at the private and non-selective Riverston School inLee, London.[3] Growing up he would watchArsenal with his father Clyde who was a season ticket holder.[4] He began playing football at Parkwood Primary School and his talent was very apparent at this young age, he was made captain of his school team and was invited to train withArsenal.[5]
He then moved toWest Ham United where he would begin training professionally. However, before he made his debut for the Londoners, he was signed byManchester United in 2001.[5]
During his first season at Manchester United, Richardson established his place as a regular onUnited's reserve team.[citation needed] He was given squad number 42 for the first team, but he failed to make his debut with them.[citation needed]
He made his first appearance for Manchester United on 23 October 2002 when coming on as a late substitute in a match againstOlympiacos in theUEFA Champions League.[6] He then scored his first goal for United in theLeague Cup on 5 November 2002 againstLeicester City.[7] Richardson enjoyed his first breakthrough during the2002–03 season appearing nine times and scoring a goal for the first team.[8] He also played a role in Manchester United's youth team's win of the 2003FA Youth Cup.[9]
At the start2003–04, he was given squad number 23 and only appeared three times, all of them in League Cup andFA Cup.[10]
During2004–05, he started to become more involved with the first team. He had already made nine appearances and scored one goal during the first half of the season.[11] However, during the Januarytransfer window,Alex Ferguson decided to loan him out in order for him to gain more first team experience. Richardson was linked with a loan move toNorwich City, but Ferguson said there was no chance as other players had gone on loan.[12] Former Manchester United captainBryan Robson, manager ofWest Bromwich Albion, enquired about loaning Richardson, the deal was done straight away.[13] Under Robson, Richardson made an instant impact on West Brom's quest to escape relegation. He was a regular in West Brom's first eleven, playing in central midfield. He scored three goals from 12 appearances[11] as West Bromwich successfully avoided relegation, despite starting the final day of the season on the bottom of the table.[14]
At the start2005–06, Richardson declined a further loan spell at West Brom in an attempt to win a regular place at Old Trafford.[15] He made his break in Manchester United's first eleven in September 2005, when he appeared as an emergency left back, in place of the injuredGabriel Heinze.[citation needed] He soon returned to midfield however, where he made several good performances.[citation needed] In October 2005, Richardson celebrated his 21st birthday by signing a new four-year contract with United.[16] He went on to appear 36 times and score six goals that season.[17]
In2006–07, Richardson's chances to establish himself in the first team were limited, mainly playing in the League Cup and the FA Cup.[18] However, Richardson felt Alex Ferguson's wrath as the youngster shouldered some of the blame for United's below-par performance againstCrewe Alexandra in the League Cup.[citation needed] Ferguson publicly declared that Richardson and others would benefit from spending some time in United's reserve team.[citation needed] He scored one of United's goals in the 4–1 FA Cup semi-final win overWatford, that put them into thefinal at the newWembley Stadium.[19]
On 16 July 2007, Richardson joinedSunderland for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £5.5 million.[20] He signed a four-year contract with Sunderland,[21] under the management of his former United captainRoy Keane.[22] After an indifferent start, it was discovered that he had astress fracture of the spine. This led to him being out of action for almost four months.[23] He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 29 December 2007 againstBolton Wanderers.[24] Richardson scored two goals in the 2–0 win againstPortsmouth at theStadium of Light on 13 January 2008, also striking the bar to miss out on hishat-trick.[25] Since then he suffered a hamstring injury in training then this injury recurred in Sunderland's 3–0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.[citation needed]
On 23 August 2008, Richardson scored againstTottenham Hotspur in the 56th minute, in a 2–1 win atWhite Hart Lane.[citation needed] Richardson took a free kick that hit the post three times atFulham on 18 October, and later had another free kick disallowed asPascal Chimbonda was adjudged to be pushing in the wall.[26] On 25 October 2008, Richardson scored the winning goal in theTyne–Wear derby, with a free kick.[27] Richardson attracted interest from Bolton Wanderers in the 2009 January transfer window, but managerRicky Sbragia insisted that he was not for sale.[28]
Richardson scored his first goal of2009–10 with an equaliser against West Ham United, which ended 2–2.[29] Richardson was used in several positions throughout the season, whilst predominantly featuring in central midfield he also played at left back – his performances there led to many touting him as a surpriseWorld Cup inclusion.[30]
In the buildup to2010–11, Richardson committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year contract.[31] Soon after, he became first-choice left back at the club citing Brazilian full-backMaicon as inspiration for taking up his new position, saying "I watched the World Cup and saw the way guys like Maicon were bombing forward – and I thought "I can do that".[32] He opened his scoring account for the season on 22 January away toBlackpool scoring two goals in the first half.[33] After deploying him in an attacking role, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce hailed Richardson's versatility saying "I must have asked him to play in five or six positions this season and certainly in that position he enjoys it, it's something he revels in". He then added "He was the outstanding player on the pitch. In the first half he was brilliant, his pace was superb."[34] Richardson scored directly from a free kick in Sunderland's next match, a 4–2 home defeat toChelsea.[citation needed] Richardson made his 100th Premier League appearance for Sunderland at home to Tottenham Hotspur on 12 February, assistingAsamoah Gyan's opener in a 2–1 defeat.[citation needed]
Richardson's first goal of2011–12 came in a 2–1 defeat at Norwich.[citation needed] Richardson was on target again in a defeat at Wolves under caretaker manager Eric Black, following Steve Bruce's departure. In this match against Wolves on 4 December 2011, Richardson scored the opening goal, a long range shot from the left, and celebrated by removing his shirt, revealing a T-shirt with the slogan "I belong to Jesus".[35] He was booked for removing his shirt. Sunderland went on to lose the match 2–1.Under new managerMartin O'Neill, Richardson began to make impressive progress after being shifted into his preferred left wing position, making another contribution in his team's 3–2 victory away toQueens Park Rangers on 21 December 2011 after setting up two goals from corner kicks.[citation needed] On 18 February 2012, he scored his first FA Cup goal for the club against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light in the fifth round in which he scored the first goal in Sunderland's 2–0 win.[citation needed]
On 31 August 2012, Richardson signed for Fulham from Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, reported to be approximately £2 million.[36] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw againstSouthampton on 7 October.[37]
On 11 July 2014, Richardson signed forAston Villa on a two-year contract and was reunited with his former manager at Sunderland, Roy Keane, who was Villa's assistant manager at the time.[38] He made his debut in a 1–0 victory against Stoke.[citation needed] Richardson got his first assist in a 2–1 victory againstHull City atVilla Park, sliding in a low cross whichAndreas Weimann slotted home from 10 yards.[citation needed] Richardson received a straight red card on 13 December 2014 for a late challenge onStéphane Sessègnon during a 1–0 away defeat to West Brom.[39]
After Villa's relegation from the Premier League, on 10 June 2016, it was announced that Richardson would leave Villa on the expiry of his contract.[40]
On 12 October 2016, Richardson joinedChampionship clubCardiff City on a contract until January 2017.[41] On 29 December 2016, Richardson was released from his contract.[42]
On 12 April 2017, Richardson trialled atLa Liga clubGranada CF with a view to a contract until the end of2016–17.[43]
During his stay at West Brom, he won his first cap for theEngland under-21 team on 8 February 2005 in a friendly match against theNetherlands.[citation needed] After a series of convincing performances for West Brom, he won a late call-up forEngland's trip to the United States at the end of 2004–05.[citation needed] He started the match against theUnited States and scored twice on his England debut, including one directly from a free kick. He earned praise from England managerSven-Göran Eriksson, who described Richardson's debut as "fantastic".[44] He also appeared as a substitute on England's second match in the United States againstColombia.[45]
After earning senior caps, Richardson also returned to the under-21 squad, playing in both legs of the2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-off againstFrance, which they lost 3–2 onaggregate. The decisive goal came in the 85th minute of the second leg, when Richardson brought downLassana Diarra in the box and the resulting penalty was converted.[46]
He then made two further substitute appearances during England'sWorld Cup qualifiers againstWales inCardiff andAustria atOld Trafford.[47][48] The latter was his home England debut.[citation needed] However, he was not selected by Sven-Göran Eriksson in England's2006 World Cup squad.[49]
In 2006–07, he continued to be selected by newly appointed England managerSteve McClaren and made several substitute appearances.[citation needed] He went on to make further appearances for the England U21 squad, for whom he was eligible to play until the end of the2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he made three appearances.[citation needed] However, he has neither started nor scored for the England senior team since his debut.[citation needed]
Richardson is married to Natalie with whom he has two daughters, and who was the catalyst for him becoming a born again Christian.[4] In 2007 he said, "I just want to praise Jesus Christ and go to heaven. That's all I care about".[50]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2002–03[8] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5[a] | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| 2003–04[10] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2004–05[11] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2005–06[17] | Premier League | 22 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5[a] | 1 | — | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07[18] | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| Total | 41 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 81 | 11 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 2004–05[11] | Premier League | 12 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 3 | ||||
| Sunderland | 2007–08[51] | Premier League | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2008–09[52] | Premier League | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 4 | |||
| 2009–10[53] | Premier League | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11[54] | Premier League | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 4 | |||
| 2011–12[55] | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 3 | |||
| 2012–13[56] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 134 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 149 | 15 | ||||
| Fulham | 2012–13[56] | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2013–14[57] | Premier League | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| Total | 45 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 48 | 6 | ||||
| Aston Villa | 2014–15[58] | Premier League | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16[59] | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | ||||
| Cardiff City | 2016–17[60] | Championship | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 271 | 24 | 26 | 6 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 337 | 35 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2005 | 4 | 2 |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 May 2005 | Soldier Field, Chicago, United States | 1 |  United States | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | [63] |
| 2 | 2–0 |
Manchester United Youth
Manchester United
Aston Villa
After initially training with Arsenal during his schooldays at Riverston Independent Day School, the Greenwich-born midfielder became an important member of West Ham's Academy squad.
