About Liam Ridgewell
Liam Matthew Ridgewell (born 21 July 1984) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a defender. He was primarily a centre back but could also play at left back. He is an assistant coach with the Portland Timbers. Ridgewell, who earned eight caps for England at under-21 level, began his senior career with Aston Villa. He spent time on loan at AFC Bournemouth in 2002, before moving to Villa's local rivals Birmingham City in 2007, where he was part of the 2011 Football League Cup Final-winning team. He played for two and a half seasons with West Bromwich Albion, who released him at the end of 2013–14. He then joined the Portland Timbers, whom he captained to victory in MLS Cup 2015. During the MLS off-season, he spent time on loan in England with Wigan Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion. He ended his career in 2020 after short spells at Hull City and Southend United. On 15 January 2005, Ridgewell scored his first professional goal, heading in Nolberto Solano's cross in the ninth minute to open a 3–0 win over Norwich City. He was part of the team that won the 2002 FA Youth Cup final against Everton. His debut for Aston Villa's first team came on 4 January 2003, in a 4–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup third round, when he came on as a substitute to replace Rob Edwards after 69 minutes. His first Premier League appearance came on 28 December 2003, as a 62nd-minute replacement for Mark Delaney in a 3–0 win over Fulham at Villa Park; he made 11 appearances over the season.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.