Samir Badre Carruthers (born 4 April 1993) is a 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

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for National League South side

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

. He has represented the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

at U19 and U21 level. With over 160

football league The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

appearances, his former clubs include

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...

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

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on Ne ...

Club career

Early career

Born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, London, Carruthers was playing football local to his hometown of

Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess of ...

when he was signed by

's under-10 side. He trained frequently with

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, but when Cambridge United abandoned their youth team set-up he signed for Arsenal, the team he supported as a child. He went on to represent Arsenal at under-18 level and captained the club's under-16 side. However, in 2009 Carruthers rejected offers from

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

and Arsenal in favour of a move to

Aston Villa

Carruthers signed for Aston Villa in June 2009, aged 16. He made his name playing for the club's reserve and academy sides as an attacking midfielder and winger. Following a number of injuries to

Alex McLeish Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps for ...

's first team squad in the latter stages of the 2011–12 season, the young midfielder was brought in to train with the first team on a number of occasions. Carruthers made his first-team debut in Villa's 1–1

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

draw at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

on 7 April 2012, replacing

Barry Bannan Barry Ryan Bannan (born 1 December 1989) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Sheffield Wednesday. Bannan began his career at Albion Rovers before moving to the Celtic Academy and later the ...

for the final four minutes. He made two further substitute appearances that month. On 1 April 2013, Carruthers captained Aston Villa's youth squad to the final of the NextGen Series where they beat

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

2–0, at the

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia is a multi-use stadium in Como, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Como 1907. The stadium holds 13,602 people. The stadium was completed in 1927 and was built on precise ...

, in

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

, Italy.

Milton Keynes Dons

Carruthers was sent out on loan to

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

side

on 10 August 2013 on a youth loan until 4 January 2014. He made his debut against Preston North End on 17 August. Coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute, Carruthers won a penalty, which was in turn converted by Shaun Williams, levelling the score at 2–2. A week later he scored within 15 minutes of coming on as a substitute against

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

, hitting a left-footed effort into the top corner to earn another 2–2 draw. On 8 January 2014, he extended his loan spell until 3 April. However, on 18 February, he withdrew from a match against Preston North End with a knee injury in the 13th minute, ending his season. On 6 August 2014, Carruthers signed for Milton Keynes Dons on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal of the season on 13 September in a 5–3 away win against

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

, and on 25 April 2015, he scored a second goal, opening a 3–2 win over

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

Spotland Spotland ( ) is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The Rochdale ward name is Spotland and Falinge. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 10,805. It lies on the River Spodden, and is the home of Spotland Stadium ...

. Eight days later the team earned their first promotion to the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

with a 5–1 home win over

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

on the final day, with Carruthers setting up the first goal from Carl Baker. On 19 September 2015, Carruthers received a straight red card for a foul on

Stuart Dallas Stuart Dallas (born 19 April 1991) is a Northern Irish professional Association football, footballer who plays for Premier League club Leeds United F.C., Leeds United and the Northern Ireland national football team, Northern Ireland national team ...

in a 2–1 home loss to

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

. He scored once in 39 appearances – opening a 3–2 loss at

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

on 27 February 2016 – as Milton Keynes were relegated.

Sheffield United

On 3 January 2017, it was announced that Carruthers had signed for League One leaders

on a three-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee, thought to be worth £250,000. He made his debut four days later in a 4–2 win at

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Mark Duffy but lasting only 15 minutes before withdrawing with injury. He totalled 14 appearances for the Blades, who won the league title with 100 points. Again as Duffy's replacement, Carruthers scored his first goal for the Blades on 21 November 2017 in a 5–4 loss to

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...

. He was transfer-listed by Sheffield United at the end of the 2017–18 season. Carruthers joined

in June 2018, on loan for the 2018–19 season. He suffered a knee injury during the first game of the season, and his recovery was interrupted by a recurrence of the injury later in the autumn that required surgery.

Cambridge United

On 29 August 2019, Carruthers joined

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

on a one-year deal following his release by Sheffield United. He was released by the club at the end of the season.

Non-League

Carruthers dropped down into non-league football with

Hemel Hempstead Town Hemel Hempstead Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Affiliated to the Hertfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the National League South and pl ...

for the start of the 2020–21 season. On 24 March 2022, he joined

on loan. On 9 June 2022, Carruthers joined Dartford on a permanent deal ahead of the 2022–23 season.

International career

Carruthers is of Irish,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and Moroccan descent and is eligible to play for

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and the

, the country of his grandparents. In 2011, he made his debut for the Republic of Ireland U19 team. On 10 September 2012, Carruthers made his debut for the Republic of Ireland U21 team away to

Controversy

On 15 March 2016, whilst attending the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Ra ...

at Cheltenham Racecourse, Carruthers and

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

's James Collins were photographed urinating into a beer glass whilst standing on a balcony. The following day, Carruthers apologised for his behaviour, and following a meeting with MK Dons 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 ...

and chairman Pete Winkleman he was fined two weeks' wages and suspended by the club. He pledged his fine to charities, including one chosen by the racecourse.

Career statistics

Honours

Aston Villa U19 * NextGen Series: 2012–13 Milton Keynes Dons * Football League One runner-up: 2014–15 Sheffield United * EFL League One: 2016–17 Dartford *

Kent Senior Cup The Kent Senior Cup is an English football competition played between senior clubs in the county of Kent. It is administered by the Kent County Football Association. History The Kent Badge preceded the Kent Senior Cup, and was won in its three ...

: 2021–22

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carruthers, Samir 1993 births Living people Footballers from Islington (district) English footballers Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland youth international footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Association football midfielders Aston Villa F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Oxford United F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Hemel Hempstead Town F.C. players Dartford F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players National League (English football) players English people of Italian descent English people of Moroccan descent English sportspeople of African descent English people of Irish descent Irish people of Italian descent Irish people of Moroccan descent Irish sportspeople of African descent