Rickie Lambert

Rickie Lambert
Lambert in 2023
Personal information
Full name Rickie Lee Lambert[1]
Date of birth (1982-02-16) 16 February 1982 (age 42)[2]
Place of birth Kirkby, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m)[3]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Wigan Athletic (youth development coach)
Youth career
1992–1997 Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Blackpool 3 (0)
2001–2002 Macclesfield Town 44 (8)
2002–2005 Stockport County 98 (18)
2005–2006 Rochdale 64 (28)
2006–2009 Bristol Rovers 128 (51)
2009–2014 Southampton 207 (106)
2014–2015 Liverpool 25 (2)
2015–2016 West Bromwich Albion 20 (1)
2016–2017 Cardiff City 18 (4)
Total 607 (218)
International career
2013–2014 England 11 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rickie Lee Lambert (born 16 February 1982) is an English former professional footballer who is currently an Academy Youth Development Coach at Wigan Athletic.[4] A striker, Lambert was known for his large stature and physical performances, drawing comparisons with former Southampton player Matt Le Tissier for his ability in front of goal and penalty record.[5]

He began his career at Blackpool, having been previously dropped by Liverpool as a youngster, and played in the Football League with Macclesfield Town, Stockport County, Rochdale, Bristol Rovers before joining Southampton for over £1 million in 2009. Lambert proved a key signing for Southampton, becoming their top scorer as they were promoted to the Championship from League One in 2011 and to the Premier League the following season, scoring 117 goals for the team across all competitions. After a season back at Liverpool, he had a season each at West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City. Lambert announced his retirement in October 2017 after being unable to find a new club following his departure from Cardiff City.[6] He won a number of personal awards during his career, including two league Golden Boots.

On 8 August 2013, Lambert was called up to the England team for the first time,[7][8] scoring on his England debut at Wembley Stadium in a friendly against Scotland with his first touch. On 12 May 2014, he was named in the England squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[9]

  1. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: England" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2020.
  2. ^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ^ "Rickie Lambert". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  4. ^ Hughes, Simon. "Rickie Lambert, conspiracy theories - and why footballers are vulnerable". The Athletic. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  5. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (10 February 2013). "Manchester City players challenged to show they have character to react to defeat". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Rickie Lambert: Ex-England, Southampton, Liverpool & West Brom striker retires". BBC Sport. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Rickie Lambert: England call for Southampton striker". BBC Sport. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  8. ^ "Lambert for England!". Southampton F.C. 8 August 2013. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference worldcup was invoked but never defined (see the help page).