Marc Albrighton

Not to be confused with Mark Albrighton.
Marc Albrighton

Albrighton playing for Aston Villa in 2012
Personal information
Full name Marc Kevin Albrighton
Date of birth (1989-11-18) 18 November 1989
Place of birth Tamworth, England[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current team
Leicester City
Number 11
Youth career
1998–2009 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2014 Aston Villa 86 (7)
2013Wigan Athletic (loan) 4 (0)
2014– Leicester City 64 (4)
National team
2009 England U20 2 (0)
2010–2011 England U21 8 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:49, 29 October 2016 (UTC).


Marc Kevin Albrighton (born 18 November 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Leicester City.

He joined Aston Villa at the age of eight, and made his professional debut for them in 2009. he totalled nine goals in 101 professional appearances for Villa, also spending a loan spell at Wigan Athletic in 2013. After being released in 2014, he signed for Leicester City where he won the Premier League in 2015-16, playing in every league game of the season.

Albrighton represented the England U21 and U20 sides.

Club career

Aston Villa

Early career

Born in Tamworth, Staffordshire, Albrighton started his career at hometown club Mile Oak Monarchs,[3] before he was offered a trial at Villa's local rivals West Bromwich Albion. He was rejected by Albion, then subsequently signed for Villa at the age of eight.[4]

After impressing in the under-18 squad and playing in the reserves,[5] Albrighton's first taste of senior action came on 10 July 2008, playing 17 minutes as a substitute in the 6–0 pre-season friendly victory over Wil.[6] He made his competitive debut in the UEFA Cup game away at CSKA Moscow on 26 February 2009, a 2–0 loss (3–1 aggregate).[4][7]

During the 2009–10 pre-season, Albrighton was included in the squad which played in the pre-season friendly tournament, the 2009 Peace Cup, in which he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over Atlante.[8] He played in the Peace Cup final in which Villa beat Italians Juventus 4–3 in a penalty shootout.[9]

First team

Albrighton made his Premier League debut on 15 August 2009, the opening day of the 2009–10 season against Wigan Athletic at Villa Park, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Habib Beye in a 0–2 loss.[10] On 24 September, he extended his contract with Villa by three years.[11] In December, manager Martin O'Neill admitted that Albrighton along with fellow youngsters Nathan Delfouneso and Ciaran Clark were the subject of many loan offers, but went on to state his belief that the trio were good enough to learn their trade in the fringes of the Aston Villa side.[12]

After a good pre-season, Albrighton made his first Premier League start in the first game of the 2010–11 season against West Ham United on 14 August 2010, assisting two goals in Villa's 3–0 win. He scored his first goal for Villa against Tottenham Hotspur on 2 October. He was sent off against Burnley in the League Cup on 27 October, therefore missing a chance to play in the following game against local rivals Birmingham City. On 5 November, Albrighton signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2014. On 23 November, Albrighton was ruled out of action for three to four weeks after having his appendix removed, but made his return ahead of schedule in a 3–0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on 6 December, playing 65 minutes before being replaced by Robert Pirès.[13] Albrighton then set up both goals for the home side in the 2–1 defeat of local rivals West Bromwich Albion in December 2010.

On 21 December 2011, he scored the Premier League's 20,000th goal at home against Arsenal, winning a £20,000 cheque from league sponsors Barclays, donated to his chosen charity, Acorns Children's Hospice.[14] He then scored the opening goal in a 3–1 win against Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground in the FA Cup.[15]

A throat operation restricted Albrighton to a single outing, in the League Cup, up to October 2013. He joined Wigan Athletic on a 28-day loan on 30 October 2013.[16] He made four appearances for Wigan before returning to his parent club on 27 November 2013.[17]Albrighton was released by Villa on 20 May 2014.[18]

Leicester City

2014-15 Season

On 23 May 2014, Albrighton joined Leicester City on a four-year contract, following their return to the Premier League for the first time in a decade.[19] He made his debut for the Foxes on 23 August, replacing Riyad Mahrez for the final 22 minutes of a 2–0 loss at Chelsea. The following 29 April, in the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium, he scored his first Leicester goal, putting Leicester ahead just before half time in an eventual 3–1 loss.[20] Albrighton totalled 18 league appearances in his first season at his new club, adding a second goal in the last game of the season, a 5–1 win against Queens Park Rangers on 24 May.[21] Albrighton struggled to break into the first team squad at the start of the season, but nearer the end of the year was used as a wing-back by manager Nigel Pearson in a new formation that brought Leicester success. He played an instrumental role in helping complete Leicester's 'great escape' as the team won 7 out of their last 9 matches to finish 14th,

2015-16 Season

Albrighton played more regularly under new manager Claudio Ranieri, featuring in every league game in the campaign. Albrighton scored his first goal of the season in the opening 4-2 victory over Sunderland, which set the tone for a remarkable season. He partnered N'Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater in a regular 4-man midfield as the club won their first ever top-flight title.[22] Albrighton played on the left of midfield for the majority of the campaign, and was noted for his "diligent work defensively and when going forward, as well as his high-class crossing from open play and set pieces."[23] with manager Ranieri claiming "Albrighton embodies the spirit of Leicester" for his "unmistakable sense of sacrifice."[24] Whilst playing every game, Albrighton scored 2 goals, with his second coming in Leicester's crucial 4-0 win over Swansea on 24th April.[25]

International career

On 2 April 2009, Albrighton made his debut for the England under 20s.[26] He made his debut for U21 team in September 2010 during their Euro 2011 qualifying play-offs and scored just fifteen minutes after coming on as a substitute.[27]

Personal life

Albrighton confirmed to the Birmingham Mail that his dreams came true in playing for Aston Villa, the team he has supported since a young age.[28] He named former Villa players David Ginola, Benito Carbone and Robert Pirès as some of his footballing role models,[29] along with England legend David Beckham to whom he has been compared due to crossing ability and technique.[30]

Albrighton became a father for the first time on 19 February 2012 when his partner Chloe Fulford gave birth to a baby daughter, Matilda Beau, in Sutton Coldfield.[31] Fulford's mother, Sue Davey, was killed in the Tunisian terror attacks in June 2015.[32]

Career statistics

As of match played 28 October 2016.[33]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 2008–09 000000100010
2009–10 301010100060
2010–11 29521101000336
2011–12 26211200000293
2012–13 9010100000110
2013–14 19010100000210
Total 867626030001019
Wigan Athletic (loan) 2013–14 400000000040
Total 400000000040
Leicester City 2014–15 18220000000202
2015–16 38220200000422
2016–17 800000311[lower-alpha 1]0121
Total 64440203110745
Career total 1541110380611017814

Honours

Leicester City

References

  1. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 422. ISBN 978-0-7553-6356-8.
  2. "Barclays Premier League Player Profile Marc Albrighton". web page. Premier League. 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  3. "From Mile Oak to Moscow for Aston Villa star Marc". thisistamworth.co.uk. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Player Profiles". Aston Villa F.C. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  5. "Marc Albrighton Bio". ESPN. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  6. "FC Wil 1900 0–6 VILLA". Aston Villa. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  7. "Albrighton grateful to MacDonald". BBC Sport. 8 September 2010.
  8. "Aston Villa See Off Atlante To Progress In Peace Cup". Goal. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  9. "Aston Villa win Peace Cup after beating Juventus". The Guardian. London. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  10. "Aston Villa 0–2 Wigan: Match Facts". Sky Sports. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  11. "Albrighton signs new Villa deal". Sky Sports. 24 September 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  12. http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2096821,00.html
  13. "Match report: Liverpool 3–0 Villa | Aston Villa". Avfc.co.uk.
  14. "Football premier-league: Albrighton: To get 20,000th Premier League goal is special | Radio talkSPORT". Talksport.co.uk.
  15. "Bristol Rovers 1–3 Aston Villa" BBC Sport. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  16. "Marc Albrighton: Aston Villa winger joins Wigan Athletic on loan". BBC Sport. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  17. "Aston Villa recall Marc Albrighton from loan spell at Wigan Athletic". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  18. "Mark Albrighton and Nathan Delfouneso released from Villa". Aston Villa Official Website. 20 May 2014.
  19. "City Seal Deal For Albrighton". Leicester City F.C. 23 May 2014.
  20. McNulty, Phil (29 April 2015). "Leicester 1-3 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  21. "Five-star City end season in style". Leicester Mercury. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  22. Laurence, Martin (8 December 2015). "Why Riyad Mahrez, and not Jamie Vardy, has been the player of the season so far". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  23. Doyle, Paul (4 May 2016). "From Schmeichel to Vardy: Leicester's title winners rated". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  24. "Leicester's title-chasers rated player-b-player - by their own manager Claudio Ranieri". The Mirror. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  25. McNulty, Phil (24 April 2016). "Leicester City vs Swansea City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  26. "Villa winger Albrighton stars in England victory over Italy". tribalfootball.com. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  27. "England U21 3–0 Lithuania U21". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 September 2010.
  28. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/boyhood-aston-villa-fan-marc-146530
  29. "Albrighton determined to keep thrilling the claret and blue faithful". avfc.co.uk.
  30. "Role model Beckham an inspiration for wing wonder Albrighton | Aston Villa". Avfc.co.uk.
  31. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/aston-villa-star-marc-albrighton-179704
  32. "Mother of Leicester winger Marc Albrighton's partner killed in Tunisia massacre". The Guardian. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  33. Marc Albrighton career statistics at Soccerbase
  34. "M. Albrighton". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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