Liam Ridgewell
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Liam Matthew Ridgewell (born 21 July 1984) is an English retired 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 le ...
who played as a defender. He was primarily a centre back but could also play at
left 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 ...
. He is currently a coach for the
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
. Ridgewell, who earned eight caps for England at under-21 level, began his senior career with
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 ...
. He spent time on loan at
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
in 2002, before moving to Villa's local rivals
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in 2007, where he was part of the
2011 Football League Cup Final The 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was conteste ...
-winning team. He played for two and a half seasons with
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
, who released him at the end of 2013–14. He then joined the
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
, whom he captained to victory in
MLS Cup 2015 MLS Cup 2015 was the 20th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS). The soccer match was to determine the champion of MLS' 2015 season. The championship was contested on December 6, 2015 between the Columbus C ...
. During the MLS off-season, he spent time on loan in England with
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
and Brighton & Hove Albion. He ended his career in 2020 after short spells at Hull City and Southend United.


Club career


Early career

Ridgewell was born in
Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
, in the
London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The ...
, and attended
Bexleyheath School Bexleyheath Academy is a mixed secondary school state school in Bexleyheath, in the London Borough of Bexley. Students typically join the school in year 7 or enter into the sixth form. History The school was formed as a result of the merger i ...
. He began his career with West Ham United, but moved to
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 ...
in February 2001. He was part of the team that won the
2002 FA Youth Cup FA Youth Cup Finals from 2000 to 2009. 2008–09: Arsenal vs Liverpool (4–1 and 2–1, 6–2 Aggregate) First leg ---- Second leg ---- ...
final against Everton.


Aston Villa

The day after scoring for England Under-19s in a 2–2 draw against Yugoslavia in October 2002, he was loaned to
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
of the Third Division, for whom he made his debut in the Football League in a 2–1 win over Hartlepool United on 13 October and played five games in his month's loan spell. His debut for Aston Villa's first team came on 4 January 2003, in a 4–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup third round, when he came on as a substitute to replace Rob Edwards after 69 minutes. His first Premier League appearance came on 28 December 2003, as a 62nd-minute replacement for Mark Delaney in a 3–0 win over
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 ...
at Villa Park; he made 11 appearances over the season. On 15 January 2005, Ridgewell scored his first professional goal, heading in
Nolberto Solano Nolberto Albino "Ñol" Solano Todco (born 12 December 1974), commonly known as Nobby Solano, is a retired Peruvian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently the assistant manager of the Peru national football team, as w ...
's cross in the ninth minute to open a 3–0 win over Norwich City. On 10 April, in a 1–1 draw with rivals
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
, he and opponent
Jonathan Greening Jonathan Greening (born 2 January 1979) is an English professional Association football, football coach and former player who is currently the Manager (association football), manager of Scarborough Athletic F.C., Scarborough Athletic of the Nor ...
were sent off for headbutting each other. In the following Premier League campaign, Ridgewell recorded five goals in 32 games, including two in a 3–3 draw at Fulham on 28 December 2005. He scored his only goal of the 2006–07 season against his former club West Ham United on 10 September 2006.


Birmingham City

Ridgewell completed a move to
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
for a fee of £2 million on 3 August 2007, becoming the first player to transfer between the bitter rivals since
Des Bremner Desmond George Bremner (born 7 September 1952) is a Scottish former professional football midfielder. He made more than 600 league appearances for clubs in both Scotland and England, was a member of Aston Villa's European Cup-winning team of ...
in 1984. In the absence through injury of regular
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Damien Johnson Damien Michael Johnson (born 18 November 1978) is a Northern Irish football coach and former international player. Sincce 2019 he has been first team technical coach & head of player development at Blackburn Rovers. He began his career with P ...
, Ridgewell was given the captain's armband. He described his appointment as "a real honour". Though concerns were expressed over how some fans might react to a player signing from Aston Villa, Ridgewell's performances won over the doubters. He scored his first goal for the club in their 3–2 win against
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
at St Andrew's in October, but then scored an own goal in the
Birmingham derby In English football, the Second City derby or Birmingham derby, is the local derby between the two major clubs in the city of Birmingham – Aston Villa and Birmingham City, first contested in 1879. Villa play at Villa Park while Birmingham pla ...
two weeks later, also at St Andrew's. In April 2009, Ridgewell suffered a broken leg after a challenge by
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
midfielder
Jamie Mackie James Charles Mackie (born 22 September 1985) is a British former professional footballer who played as a striker or winger, most notably for Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth Argyle, and Oxford United. Born in England, Mackie played for Scotland. ...
. He made an unexpectedly quick return to the side five months later, playing in the less familiar position of left back. He continued in that role because of the form of preferred centre-backs Roger Johnson and
Scott Dann Scott Dann (born 14 February 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for club Reading. He began his Football League career with Walsall, before moving on to Coventry City and then to Birmingham City in 2009. Af ...
, and played there as Birmingham went on a club-record 12-match unbeaten run in the top division and set a Premier League record by fielding the same starting eleven for nine consecutive games. He scored a 91st-minute equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur on 30 January 2010 which ensured that Birmingham remained unbeaten at home since the previous September. Ridgewell continued his goalscoring form with a stoppage-time winner against Derby County to send Birmingham through to the quarter finals of the FA Cup, had a goal disallowed in the quarter-final match against Portsmouth when the ball had "clearly crossed the line", and scored an equalising goal against Liverpool in the league. In June 2010, Ridgewell signed a new contract with Birmingham, to expire in June 2013. He played the full 90 minutes as Birmingham defeated favourites
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
2–1 in the
2011 Football League Cup Final The 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was conteste ...
, thus earning qualification for the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
. In the absence of several midfielders through injury, Ridgewell played in the play-off round first leg against Portuguese club
Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...
, Birmingham's first participation in major European competition for nearly 50 years, in an unfamiliar holding midfield position. As the August 2011 transfer deadline approached, Ridgewell submitted a transfer request which was rejected by the club, and despite late interest from Premier League clubs including
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, he remained with Birmingham.


West Bromwich Albion

Ridgewell signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Premier League club
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
on 31 January 2012. The transfer fee was undisclosed. On 12 February, he made his debut in a 5–1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. He made his home debut a week later as West Brom beat
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
4–0 at The Hawthorns. He scored his first goal for West Brom on 7 April in a 3–0 home win against Blackburn Rovers. On 16 May 2014, West Bromwich Albion announced that they would not take up the option of extending Ridgewell's contract and he was released from the club.


Portland Timbers

Ridgewell was signed as a Designated Player for the
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
of
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 ...
on 25 June 2014. He made his MLS debut on 18 July, the 62nd consecutive sellout at
Providence Park Providence Park (formerly Jeld-Wen Field; PGE Park; Civic Stadium; originally Multnomah Stadium; and from 1893 until the stadium was built, Multnomah Field) is an outdoor soccer venue located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. ...
, and a comeback 2–1 victory over the visiting Colorado Rapids. Ridgewell was named in the MLS All-Star team for the
2014 MLS All-Star Game The 2014 AT&T Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 19th annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game. It took place on August 6, 2014 at Providence Park, the home of MLS club Portland Timbers. The game was televised live on ESPN2 and UniMás ...
against
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
as a replacement for the injured Kyle Beckerman. He scored his first Timbers goal, the equaliser against the New England Revolution on 16 August 2014, after a solo run. On 8 January 2015, Ridgewell signed for
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
on a six-week loan deal. He made six appearances for the Latics, who ended the season with relegation from the Championship. Ridgewell was sent off on 25 June 2015 in a 5–0 loss at
LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...
, for a kick at Alan Gordon. The Timbers qualified for the
2015 MLS Cup Playoffs The 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs (officially the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the 20th post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 28 with D.C. United defeating ...
, in which Ridgewell opened the scoring in a 3–1 first leg win over Western Conference regular season champions FC Dallas on 22 November, as the team eventually reached
MLS Cup 2015 MLS Cup 2015 was the 20th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS). The soccer match was to determine the champion of MLS' 2015 season. The championship was contested on December 6, 2015 between the Columbus C ...
. In the decisive match on 6 December away to the Columbus Crew at Mapfre Stadium, he captained the Timbers to a 2–1 win. In December 2015, Ridgewell agreed a short-term loan with Championship team Brighton & Hove Albion, to begin when the transfer window opened on 2 January 2016 and end in time for the second half of the Timbers' preseason. He finished his spell with four wins from five league appearances. Ridgewell was sent off on 30 September 2018 at the end of a goalless draw at home to FC Dallas for a foul on Roland Lamah. The Timbers made the
2018 MLS Cup Playoffs The 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the 2018 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) began on October 31 and ended on December 8 with MLS Cup 2018, the 23rd league championship match for MLS. This was the 23rd version of the MLS Cup Pl ...
; in the Western Conference semi-finals they defeated rivals
Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
on penalties. The Timbers lost the MLS Cup 2018 2–0 at Atlanta United FC in Ridgewell's final game. On 10 January 2019, Ridgewell and Portland mutually agreed to part ways.


Return to England

On 31 January 2019, Ridgewell joined Hull City for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. He made his debut on 9 February in a 2–0 loss at Derby County, as a 75th-minute substitute for
Stephen Kingsley Stephen Iain Kingsley (born 23 July 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian and the Scottish national team. He has previously played for Falkirk, Swansea City, and Hull City, a ...
. He was released by Hull City at the end of the 2018–19 season. On 9 August 2019, Ridgewell signed a one-year deal with
EFL 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 ...
club Southend United, with the option of a second. He made his debut the next day in the season opener, a 3–1 home loss to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, starting on the left of a three-man defence and being replaced by
Layton Ndukwu Layton Julius Ndukwu (born 7 September 1998) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a winger for Coalville Town FC. Early life Ndukwu was educated at City of Leicester College. Club career Ndukwu is a product of the Leicest ...
after 52 minutes. Manager Kevin Bond said his decision may have been "unfair" to start Ridgewell after he had not played any friendlies in the summer. He left Southend on 31 January 2020, having played no further part.


Coaching career

Ridgewell took on his first coaching job in December 2020, when he joined National League club
Dover Athletic Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
in the role of a first-team coach, assisting the manager
Andy Hessenthaler Andrew Hessenthaler (born 17 August 1965) is an English football manager and former player who is head of recruitment at club Gillingham. He began his career in non-league football and did not turn professional until he joined Watford at ...
. Ridgewell joined the Portland Timbers coaching staff for the 2023 season. He holds a UEFA B Coaching License.


Personal life

In October 2016, Ridgewell and Portland Timbers teammate
Jake Gleeson Jacob Christopher Gleeson (born 26 June 1990) is a former New Zealand professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for American club Portland Timbers. Club career Early career Gleeson began his career playing for Western Suburbs FC ...
were arrested and charged with driving under the influence and refusing breathalyzer tests in
Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was ...
. The case against Ridgewell was dropped in January 2017 when a judge ruled that the police had insufficient cause to stop and test him, while Gleeson pleaded no contest to his charges. Ridgewell co-owns custom swimwear company Thomas Royall with fellow footballers Sam Saunders and John Terry.


Career statistics


Honours

Aston Villa *
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
: 2001–02 Birmingham City *
Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Portland Timbers * MLS Cup:
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
* Western Conference (playoffs):
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
Individual *MLS All-Star:
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...


References


External links


Player Profile
on Portland Timbers FC website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridgewell, Liam 1984 births Living people Footballers from Bexleyheath English footballers England youth international footballers England under-21 international footballers Association football defenders West Ham United F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players AFC Bournemouth players Birmingham City F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Portland Timbers players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players Southend United F.C. players English Football League players Major League Soccer players Premier League players English expatriate footballers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States Designated Players (MLS) Major League Soccer All-Stars