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| Full name | Kristian John Radlinski[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1976-04-09)9 April 1976 (age 49) Wigan,Greater Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 14 st 2 lb (90 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback, Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kristian John RadlinskiMBE (born 9 April 1976) is an English former professionalrugby league footballer who played mainly as afullback. He is currentlyCEO ofWigan Warriors whom he played his entire professional career for, making over 300 appearances between 1993 and 2006, and also representedEngland andGreat Britain at international level.
Radlinski was born inWigan,Greater Manchester, England. His family originated in Poland and have lived in Wigan since World War II.
Radlinski signed for his hometown club in 1993, aged 17, and went on to play his entire professional career for them after having played forWigan St Judes andWigan St Patricks at amateur level. He debuted for the first team as a substitute in October 1993 againstCastleford.[5]
He made his first start during the following year, scoring a try in a 30–6 win againstFeatherstone Rovers in November 1994. He spent most of the1994–95 season playing on thewing, deputising forJason Robinson orMartin Offiah whenever they were injured.[6] In May 1995, at age 19, he scored a hat-trick in the1995 Premiership final againstLeeds, becoming the first player to do so in aPremiership final, and was also the youngest ever winner of theHarry Sunderland Trophy for man-of-the-match in Wigan's victory.[7]
Radlinski played atcentre and scored atry inWigan's 25–16 victory overSt Helens in the1995–96 Regal Trophy Final during the1995–96 season atAlfred McAlpine Stadium,Huddersfield on Saturday 13 January 1996.[8]
Radlinski was aPremiership winner with Wigan, playingfullback inWigan's 44–14 victory overSt Helens in the Rugby League Premiership Final duringSuper League I atOld Trafford,Manchester on Sunday 8 September 1996.[9]
Radlinski was named in theSuper League Dream Team of 1998. He also appeared forWigan Warriors at fullback in their1998 Super League Grand Final victory overLeeds Rhinos. Radlinski played for Wigan at centre in their2000 Super League Grand Final defeat bySt Helens.
Radlinski played atfullback in Wigan's2001 Super League Grand Final loss against theBradford Bulls.In the 2002Challenge Cup Final atMurrayfield Stadium Radlinski won theLance Todd Trophy for man of the match. Kris competed in this match despite being in hospital all week prior to Wigan's 21–12 victory over St Helens with a serious foot infection,.
Radlinski played for Wigan atfullback in the2003 Super League Grand Final defeat byBradford Bulls.
He was given a testimonial year in 2005 for his loyal service to Wigan Warriors. Radlinski made only 15 appearances for the team during a season that was interrupted by multiple injuries.[10][11] His testimonial match was played at theJJB Stadium on 2 February 2006 against theHuddersfield Giants.[12] Wigan won this match 38–22.[13]
Radlinski announced his retirement from the sport prematurely on 2 March 2006 due to persistent injuries.[14] He had made over 300 appearances for Wigan, scoring 183 tries.[15] This brought down the curtain on a successful career during which the player was a loyal servant to his club.
In June 2006 Radlinski came out of retirement and returned to Wigan for the remainder of 2006'sSuper League XI, playing for "no fee" to aid the team during their personnel struggles that year.[16] He helped the club avoid relegation, making six appearances before retiring a second time in August 2006.[17]
Radlinski was selected to play forEngland in the1995 World Cup Final atfullback in their defeat byAustralia.
He won his first cap forGreat Britain on the1996 Lions tour. In the 1997 post season, Radlinski was selected to play for Great Britain at centre in all three matches of theSuper League Test series againstAustralia.
Internationally he was capped 20 times by Great Britain, and won 10 England caps. The pinnacle of his international career, in which he was a main stay in the international setup, saw him captain the team against New Zealand 'A'. He scored three tries in this match.
Durin the 2009 season, Radlinski returned to Wigan, taking up a scholarship coaching role. He was given a place on the England coaching staff for the2009 Four Nations tournament. On 1 December 2009, Radlinski was appointed Rugby General Manager at Wigan, working alongside new head coachMichael Maguire.[18]
In 2014, Radlinski was appointed as an Executive Director of Wigan Warriors before being promoted to CEO on New Years Day 2023.[19] Radlinski was a key figure in securing Wigan's place at the 2025Rugby League Las Vegas event.[20][21]
Radlinski published his autobiography entitledSimply Rad in 2009.[22]
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