 Houghton in the mid-1990s | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Raymond James Houghton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 January 1962[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow,[1] Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1979 | West Ham United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1982 | West Ham United | 1 | (0) |
| 1982–1985 | Fulham | 129 | (16) |
| 1985–1987 | Oxford United | 83 | (10) |
| 1987–1992 | Liverpool | 153 | (28) |
| 1992–1995 | Aston Villa | 95 | (6) |
| 1995–1997 | Crystal Palace | 73 | (7) |
| 1997–1999 | Reading | 43 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | Stevenage Borough | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 580 | (68) | |
| International career | |||
| 1986–1997 | Republic of Ireland | 73 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Raymond James Houghton (born 9 January 1962) is a former professional footballer and current sports analyst and commentator with RTÉ Sport.
As a player, he was a midfielder, notably playing for Liverpool where he won two First Division titles and a two FA Cups before switching to Aston Villa ahead of the inaugural Premier League season. He also briefly played top flight football for both West Ham United and Crystal Palace with spells in the Football League for Fulham, Oxford United and Reading, before retiring with non-league Stevenage Borough.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Houghton played international football for the Republic of Ireland, for which he qualified through his Irish father. Houghton is particularly remembered by Irish fans for scoring two of the most important goals in the national team's history, which resulted in 1–0 victories over England in Stuttgart at the 1988 European Championship, and Italy at Giants Stadium at the 1994 World Cup.
- ^ a b c "Ray Houghton". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.