About John Ruddy
John Thomas Gordon Ruddy (born 24 October 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He most recently played for Premier League club Newcastle United. Ruddy began his career at Cambridge United, before signing for Everton as a 19-year-old. He spent five years with Everton, but made just one appearance, while playing on loan at nine different clubs. Ruddy was signed by Paul Lambert to play for Norwich City in 2010 and, in his first season, was part of the team that finished second in the Championship, gaining promotion to the Premier League. The following year, Norwich finished twelfth in the Premier League, and Ruddy was selected by new England manager Roy Hodgson for the squad for Euro 2012. However, he was ruled out after breaking a finger during training. He made his debut in a 2–1 win against Italy in August 2012. He suffered a long-term thigh injury in November 2012, but returned to help Norwich to an 11th-place finish at the end of the 2012–13 Premier League season. After 243 appearances for Norwich, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017. After one season as first choice as Wolves gained promotion to the Premier League, he spent four years as backup, and left the club at the end of the 2021–22 season. He then joined Birmingham City, where he spent two years as first-choice goalkeeper before signing for Newcastle United in 2024. Ruddy earned his place as Cambridge's first-choice keeper in the 2004–05 season, making 38 appearances in a season that saw the U's relegated from League Two after finishing bottom with 30 points. Ruddy made his first and only appearance for Everton in February 2006 in unusual circumstances.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.