Christopher Cadden (born 19 September 1996) is a Scottish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
for
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
club
Hibernian. Cadden, who is a product of the
Motherwell Academy, made his first full international appearance for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
in May 2018.
Club career
Motherwell
Cadden made his Motherwell debut as a substitute in a 4–1 win against
Hearts on 1 March 2014. On 6 March 2015, Cadden joined
Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was e ...
club
Albion Rovers
Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scotti ...
on loan until the end of the season. Cadden scored his first career goal on 4 April 2015, as Albion Rovers beat
Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, just south of the border with Scotland.
Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite hailing fr ...
2–0, and another in Albion Rovers' league-winning match against
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
. His loan spell concluded with the club being
promoted as divisional winners.
On 30 January 2016, Cadden scored his first goal for Motherwell in a 2–2 draw away to
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
. In March 2016, he signed a new contract with the club to run until the summer of 2018. By now establishing himself in the first team, he also contributed to Motherwell's Under-20s winning the
Scottish Youth Cup The Scottish Youth Cup (also known as the SFA Youth Cup) is an annual Scottish football competition run by the Scottish Football Association for under-18 teams, for the first time.
Cadden signed another contract with Motherwell in November 2016, extending its term by another year. He played in the finals of the
2017–18 League Cup and the
2017–18 Scottish Cup,
both of which resulted in 2–0 defeats for Motherwell at the hands of
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
.
Columbus Crew SC
On 23 July 2019,
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
Cadden signed for
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
side
Columbus Crew SC
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...
; it was announced that he would be immediately loaned to English club
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
and would join the Crew in advance of the 2020 season. Motherwell stated they would negotiate for a training compensation fee, due to no formal arrangement being in place with MLS in respect of clubs which had developed a young player receiving a payment when they left out of contract.
Loan to Oxford United
Cadden made his Oxford debut in a 1–1 draw at
Sunderland on the opening day of the
2019–20 season. During Cadden's loan spell, he made 21 appearances for Oxford and was widely considered one of the best right backs in
EFL League One.
[ Oxford manager ]Karl Robinson
Karl Robinson (born 13 September 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Oxford United.
Playing career
Robinson was born in Rainhill, Merseyside. He played for Caernarfon Town, Bamber Bri ...
looked to make the loan permanent, but had its advances rejected by the Crew.
Return to Columbus
Cadden started the 2020 season as depth at both the wing and wing-back positions, but was widely considered the successor to 33-year-old Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
ian Harrison Afful
Harrison Afful (born 24 July 1986) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a fullback for Charlotte FC and the Ghana national team. He appeared previously for Feyenoord Academy, Espérance de Tunis, Columbus Crew, and Charlotte ...
. Cadden made his debut for the Crew against New York City FC
New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...
in the first game of the season. He came on in the 87th minute for fellow debutante Lucas Zelarayán
Lucas Manuel Zelarayán ( hy, Լուկաս Մանուել Զելարայան; born 20 June 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. Born in Argentina, he represents the ...
. In December 2020 he was part of the squad that won the MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
. In January, it was reported that Cadden would likely leave the club in a bid to gain more playing time; it was noted that his transition to America was made difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Cadden was linked with a return to Great Britain with Hibernian, Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, and Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
.
Hibernian
On 15 January 2021, Cadden returned home to Scotland, signing for Hibernian on a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee. He signed a new contract with Hibs in August 2022, which is due to run until the end of the 2024–25 season. Cadden suffered an achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...
injury during the last game of the 2022–23 season, which is expected to prevent him from playing for several months.
International career
In August 2016, Cadden was named in the Scotland under-21 squad for the first time ahead of the European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Macedonia and Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, receiving the call having initially been left out the squad. He made his debut against Ukraine on 6 September 2016.
On 17 May 2018, Cadden was called up to the Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
squad for the first time ahead of their friendlies against Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
and Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
; he made his full Scotland debut on 29 May, in a 2–0 defeat to Peru.
Personal life
His twin brother, Nicky, is also a professional footballer playing for Barnsley in EFL League One. The brothers attended Our Lady's High School, Motherwell
Our Lady's High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school for 11- to 18-year-olds in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, that is close to Fir Park stadium. The school educates around 675 pupils. The headteacher is Dan Cardle.
History
The school w ...
, one year group ahead of fellow footballer Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney (born 5 June 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back or centre-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Scotland national team.
Tierney came through the Celtic youth system and made his first t ...
. Their father Steve also won a lower division title with Albion Rovers and appeared in a Youth Cup final for Motherwell.[
]
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Albion Rovers
* Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was e ...
(1): 2014–15
Columbus Crew
* MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
(1): 2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cadden, Chris
Living people
1996 births
Scottish twins
Twin sportspeople
Scottish men's footballers
Footballers from Bellshill
People educated at Our Lady's High School, Motherwell
Men's association football fullbacks
Motherwell F.C. players
Albion Rovers F.C. players
Columbus Crew players
Oxford United F.C. players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Scotland men's under-21 international footballers
Scotland men's international footballers
Scottish expatriate men's footballers
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Major League Soccer players
Hibernian F.C. players
English Football League players
Men's association football midfielders