Nathan Redmond
Encyclopedia
Nathan Daniel Jerome Redmond (born 6 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays for Birmingham City
. He made his first-team debut for Birmingham in the Football League Cup
second-round tie against Rochdale
in August 2010, becoming the club's second-youngest player ever at the age of 16 years and 173 days. He has represented England at levels up to under-18
. He plays as a wide midfielder.
, where he attended the Oval Primary School in Yardley
and then Sheldon Heath Community Arts College. According to the player's Facebook
page, he was first noticed by Birmingham City F.C.
's Academy scouts
as an eight-year-old while playing alongside older boys, and scored a hat-trick
in his first match for the club's under-10 team.
He scored three goals as Birmingham's under-15 team reached the semifinal of the Nike Premier Cup for the first time in April 2009, and in the same season played in the club's under-18 Academy side.
In the 2009–10 season
, despite being still a schoolboy, Redmond made 15 appearances, scoring 3 times, for the Academy under-18s. He also made a few substitute appearances for the reserves, including a "lively late performance" against Aston Villa
's reserve team in early March 2010. Redmond was given a first-team squad number
and named on standby for the Premier League match at home to Everton
a couple of days later, but did not make the 18-man squad. He was an unused substitute for Birmingham's final home match of the 2009–10 season, aged 16 years and 56 days. Had he taken the field, he would have become the club's youngest first-team player and also the youngest ever Premier League player, at nine days younger than the record set by Fulham
's Matthew Briggs
in 2007.
Academy manager Terry Westley
described him in June 2010 as "one of those wingers like an Aaron Lennon
or Ashley Young. He has got pace and can run the ball past defenders and has the creativity to go with it", and confirmed that other clubs had shown an interest in him. He signed a scholarship contract with Birmingham City in July 2010.
Redmond made his first-team debut for Birmingham in the Football League Cup
second-round tie against Rochdale
on 26 August 2010, replacing Spanish midfielder Enric Vallès
in the 78th minute. At 16 years and 173 days – 34 days older than Trevor Francis
was on his debut – he became the club's second-youngest player ever. Manager Alex McLeish
was highly complimentary about his brief appearance:
To gain first-team experience, Redmond joined League Two
club Burton Albion
in January 2011 on a month's Football League youth loan. This arrangement allows the player to appear in non-first-team matches for Birmingham when not required by the loaning club. However the loan was cancelled a few days later when the Football League, who had initially ratified the loan, realised that the rules forbade a first-year scholar from signing on loan for a League club. He signed a three-year professional contract as soon as he turned 17, in March 2011.
, Redmond started Birmingham's first pre-season friendly match, a 1–0 defeat of Cork City
. New manager Chris Hughton
suggested he had done well, given his youth: "In particular I thought Nathan Redmond did very well. We have to remember he's only 17 years of age. He showed some good touches although the final bit let him down a little." In the absence of fellow midfielders Keith Fahey
, Morgaro Gomis
and Jordon Mutch
, Redmond played the whole of the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, the first time he had completed 90 minutes in a senior match and the first time his club had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years. His driven shot from outside the penalty area was pushed aside by goalkeeper Elisson
and led to Chris Wood
heading against the crossbar. He made his League debut three days later, again playing the whole match, in a 3–1 defeat at Middlesbrough
. In the second leg against Nacional, Redmond opened the scoring with a low drive from 20 yards (18.3 m) and later hit the post with a curled shot in a man-of-the-match performance as Birmingham won 3–0 to progress to the group stage.
on 15 October 2009. He was involved in the build-up for the only goal of the game, as England under-16 beat their Wales counterparts in their opening game of the 2009 Victory Shield
, a tournament which they went on to win. In 2010, he played in all four games, and scored his first international goal, as the under-16s reached the final of the Montaigu Tournament
.
He made his debut for England under-17s
on 3 August 2010 in the Nordic Tournament in a 5–0 win against Finland under-17s
, and scored the opening goal against Denmark under-17s
, as England went on to defeat Sweden under-17s
in the final. Redmond was part of the England under-17 squad that qualified for the 2011 European under-17 championships
. Needing to beat Spain
to finish top of their elite round group, Redmond opened the scoring from a Raheem Sterling
cross as England went on to win 2–1. In the final stages, he started the first two group games, a draw with France
and a defeat against Denmark, and was a substitute in the remaining group game, a 3–0 victory against Serbia
which took England through to the semifinal and confirmed their qualification for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup
. Redmond was a second-half substitute in the semifinal match, which England lost to the Netherlands
.
Together with many of his under-17 teammates, Redmond moved up to the England under-18s
, a non-competitive age group at international level, in 2011. He made a positive debut in a 1–1 draw away to Slovakia
in November.
England under-17
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. He made his first-team debut for Birmingham in the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
second-round tie against Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
in August 2010, becoming the club's second-youngest player ever at the age of 16 years and 173 days. He has represented England at levels up to under-18
England national under-18 football team
-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Slovakia.-Recent call-ups:The following players have also been called up to the England under-18 squad and remain eligible.-References:...
. He plays as a wide midfielder.
Early life and career
Redmond was born in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, where he attended the Oval Primary School in Yardley
Yardley, Birmingham
Yardley is an area in east Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee.Birmingham Yardley is a constituency and its Member of Parliament is John Hemming.-Features:...
and then Sheldon Heath Community Arts College. According to the player's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, he was first noticed by Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
's Academy scouts
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
as an eight-year-old while playing alongside older boys, and scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in his first match for the club's under-10 team.
He scored three goals as Birmingham's under-15 team reached the semifinal of the Nike Premier Cup for the first time in April 2009, and in the same season played in the club's under-18 Academy side.
In the 2009–10 season
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
, despite being still a schoolboy, Redmond made 15 appearances, scoring 3 times, for the Academy under-18s. He also made a few substitute appearances for the reserves, including a "lively late performance" against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
's reserve team in early March 2010. Redmond was given a first-team squad number
Squad number
In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms...
and named on standby for the Premier League match at home to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
a couple of days later, but did not make the 18-man squad. He was an unused substitute for Birmingham's final home match of the 2009–10 season, aged 16 years and 56 days. Had he taken the field, he would have become the club's youngest first-team player and also the youngest ever Premier League player, at nine days younger than the record set by Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
's Matthew Briggs
Matthew Briggs
Matthew Anthony Briggs is an English footballer who plays for Fulham as a defender.-Club career:After being scouted by Fulham at the age of eight after a performance for his Sunday league side, Briggs signed for Fulham. He attracted interest from Premier League teams such as Arsenal, Tottenham...
in 2007.
Academy manager Terry Westley
Terry Westley
Terry Westley is an association football coach and manager. Until 2011 he was the Academy Director at Birmingham City.Westley previously worked at Rushden & Diamonds, Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic, Luton Town and Derby County. At these clubs he was responsible for developing young players, who...
described him in June 2010 as "one of those wingers like an Aaron Lennon
Aaron Lennon
Aaron Justin Lennon is an English footballer who plays as a right winger for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and the England national team.-Early life:...
or Ashley Young. He has got pace and can run the ball past defenders and has the creativity to go with it", and confirmed that other clubs had shown an interest in him. He signed a scholarship contract with Birmingham City in July 2010.
Redmond made his first-team debut for Birmingham in the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
second-round tie against Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
on 26 August 2010, replacing Spanish midfielder Enric Vallès
Enric Vallès
Enric Vallès Prat is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City. He plays as a midfielder. He began his career in the youth system of FC Barcelona before playing in the Dutch Eredivisie for NAC Breda....
in the 78th minute. At 16 years and 173 days – 34 days older than Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
was on his debut – he became the club's second-youngest player ever. Manager Alex McLeish
Alex McLeish
Alexander "Alex" McLeish , is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, who is currently managing English Premier League club Aston Villa...
was highly complimentary about his brief appearance:
To gain first-team experience, Redmond joined League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
in January 2011 on a month's Football League youth loan. This arrangement allows the player to appear in non-first-team matches for Birmingham when not required by the loaning club. However the loan was cancelled a few days later when the Football League, who had initially ratified the loan, realised that the rules forbade a first-year scholar from signing on loan for a League club. He signed a three-year professional contract as soon as he turned 17, in March 2011.
2011–12 season
On his return from the U-17 World Cup2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fourteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the eleventh played since the change in age limits from under 16s to Under 17s in 1991. It was held in Mexico with games being played amongst various venues between 18 June and 10 July 2011...
, Redmond started Birmingham's first pre-season friendly match, a 1–0 defeat of Cork City
Cork City F.C.
Cork City Football Club is an Irish football team that plays in the League of Ireland. Founded and elected to the league in 1984 to continue the long tradition of Association Football in Cork, City's traditional colours are green and white with red trim, and the crest is a variant of the Cork...
. New manager Chris Hughton
Chris Hughton
Christopher William Gerard "Chris" Hughton is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Birmingham City F.C....
suggested he had done well, given his youth: "In particular I thought Nathan Redmond did very well. We have to remember he's only 17 years of age. He showed some good touches although the final bit let him down a little." In the absence of fellow midfielders Keith Fahey
Keith Fahey
Keith Declan Fahey is an Republic of Ireland international footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City. With Ireland he was part of the team that secured qualification for UEFA Euro 2012....
, Morgaro Gomis
Morgaro Gomis
Morgaro Gomis is a Senegal international footballer who plays for English Football League Championship club Birmingham City....
and Jordon Mutch
Jordon Mutch
Jordon James Edward Sydney Mutch is an English footballer who plays for Birmingham City. He plays as a midfielder. Mutch made his first-team debut for Birmingham in the League Cup in August 2008, and made his debut in the Football League while on loan to Hereford United, spending subsequent loan...
, Redmond played the whole of the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, the first time he had completed 90 minutes in a senior match and the first time his club had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years. His driven shot from outside the penalty area was pushed aside by goalkeeper Elisson
Elisson
Elisson Aparecido Rosa is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Nacional in the Portuguese Liga.-External links:...
and led to Chris Wood
Chris Wood (footballer born 1991)
Christopher "Chris" Grant Wood is a New Zealand footballer who plays for Birmingham City on loan from West Bromwich Albion...
heading against the crossbar. He made his League debut three days later, again playing the whole match, in a 3–1 defeat at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. In the second leg against Nacional, Redmond opened the scoring with a low drive from 20 yards (18.3 m) and later hit the post with a curled shot in a man-of-the-match performance as Birmingham won 3–0 to progress to the group stage.
International career
Redmond first played for the England under-16 teamEngland national under-16 football team
-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the Victory Shield match against Scotland.-Recent call-ups:The following players have also been called up to the England U-16 squad and remain eligible.-External links:*...
on 15 October 2009. He was involved in the build-up for the only goal of the game, as England under-16 beat their Wales counterparts in their opening game of the 2009 Victory Shield
2009 Victory Shield
The Victory Shield 2009 is the 64th edition of the Victory Shield, an annual football tournament that began in 1925 and is competed for by the Under 16 level teams of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It was held from 1 October to 26 November 2009 and was won by England for the 9th...
, a tournament which they went on to win. In 2010, he played in all four games, and scored his first international goal, as the under-16s reached the final of the Montaigu Tournament
Montaigu Tournament
The Montaigu Tournament is an international association football competition that is contested by under-16 national teams. The tournament was founded in 1973 by Dutchman André Van Den Brink who was the president of FC Montaigu, a French amateur football team...
.
He made his debut for England under-17s
England national under-17 football team
-Elite Qualifying Group 3:-Group stage:-Fifth place play-off:-FA International U17 Tournament:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round....
on 3 August 2010 in the Nordic Tournament in a 5–0 win against Finland under-17s
Finland national under-17 football team
The Finland national under-17 football team represents Finland in international football competitions in the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, as well as any other under-17 international football tournaments...
, and scored the opening goal against Denmark under-17s
Denmark national under-17 football team
The Denmark national under-17 football team was founded in 1964 as a under-16 team. In 2001, it was changed to a under-17 team.-Competitive record:The Danish under-17 squad will make its World Cup debut at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico....
, as England went on to defeat Sweden under-17s
Sweden national under-17 football team
The Swedish U-17 national football team is the football team representing Sweden in competitions for under-17 year old players. Sweden U17's current captain for Team 1994 is Jacob Une Larsson with Filip Pivkovski as vice captain and for Team 1995 Robert Mirosavić with Melker Hallberg as vice...
in the final. Redmond was part of the England under-17 squad that qualified for the 2011 European under-17 championships
2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
-Group B:---------------------Knockout Map:All times are local .-Semifinals:-----Final:-Goal scorers:3 goals Hallam Hope Samed Yesil Kyle Ebecilio Tonny Trindade de Vilhena2 goals Viktor Fischer Sébastien Haller1 goal...
. Needing to beat Spain
Spain national under-17 football team
The Spain national under-17 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain....
to finish top of their elite round group, Redmond opened the scoring from a Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Shaquille Sterling is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He mainly plays as a winger.-Queens Park Rangers:Sterling was at Queens Park Rangers for seven years as a youth player....
cross as England went on to win 2–1. In the final stages, he started the first two group games, a draw with France
France national under-17 football team
The France national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the annual UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every four years...
and a defeat against Denmark, and was a substitute in the remaining group game, a 3–0 victory against Serbia
Serbia national under-17 football team
The Serbia national under-17 football team represents Serbia in international football at this age level and is controlled by Football Association of Serbia., the governing body for football in Serbia.-Current squad:...
which took England through to the semifinal and confirmed their qualification for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup
2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fourteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the eleventh played since the change in age limits from under 16s to Under 17s in 1991. It was held in Mexico with games being played amongst various venues between 18 June and 10 July 2011...
. Redmond was a second-half substitute in the semifinal match, which England lost to the Netherlands
Netherlands national under-17 football team
The Netherlands national under-17 football team represents Netherlands in international football at this age level and is controlled by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond — KNVB, the governing body for football in Netherlands...
.
Together with many of his under-17 teammates, Redmond moved up to the England under-18s
England national under-18 football team
-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Slovakia.-Recent call-ups:The following players have also been called up to the England under-18 squad and remain eligible.-References:...
, a non-competitive age group at international level, in 2011. He made a positive debut in a 1–1 draw away to Slovakia
Slovakia national under-18 football team
The Slovakia national under-18 football team, controlled by the Slovak Football Association, is Slovakia's national under 18 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Slovakia U19 team.- Current squad :...
in November.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
2010–11 2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011... |
Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 Football League The Football League 2011–12, called the Npower Football League, is the 112th season of the Football League. It began in August 2011 and will conclude in May 2012, with the promotion play-off finals.... |
Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1 | |
| Career totals | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 1 | ||
Honours
England under-16- Victory ShieldVictory ShieldThe Victory Shield is an annual football tournament competed for by the under-16 teams of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The competition is broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports who also sponsor the competition...
: winners 20092009 Victory ShieldThe Victory Shield 2009 is the 64th edition of the Victory Shield, an annual football tournament that began in 1925 and is competed for by the Under 16 level teams of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It was held from 1 October to 26 November 2009 and was won by England for the 9th... - Montaigu TournamentMontaigu TournamentThe Montaigu Tournament is an international association football competition that is contested by under-16 national teams. The tournament was founded in 1973 by Dutchman André Van Den Brink who was the president of FC Montaigu, a French amateur football team...
: runners-up 2010
England under-17
- Nordic Tournament: winners 2010