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Marc Albrighton
English footballer (born 1989)

Marc Kevin Albrighton (born 18 November 1989) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger or wing-back. He joined Aston Villa at eight, making 101 appearances and scoring nine goals, including a loan spell at Wigan Athletic in 2013. Released in 2014, Albrighton signed for Leicester City, making over 300 appearances and playing every league match in their 2015–16 Premier League-winning season. He also won the FA Cup in 2021 and scored crucial goals against Club Brugge and Sevilla during the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League run. Albrighton represented the England U21 and U20 sides.

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Club career

Aston Villa

Early career

Born in Tamworth, Staffordshire, Albrighton started his career at hometown club Mile Oak Monarchs,2 before he was offered a trial at Villa's local rivals West Bromwich Albion. He was rejected by Albion, then subsequently signed for Villa at the age of eight.3

After impressing in the under-18 squad and playing in the reserves,4 Albrighton's first taste of senior action came on 10 July 2008, playing 17 minutes as a substitute in the 6–0 pre-season friendly victory over Wil.5 He made his competitive debut in the UEFA Cup match away at CSKA Moscow on 26 February 2009, a 2–0 loss (3–1 aggregate).67

During the 2009–10 pre-season, Albrighton was included in the squad which played in the pre-season friendly tournament, the 2009 Peace Cup, in which he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over Atlante.8 He played in the Peace Cup final in which Villa beat Italians Juventus 4–3 in a penalty shootout.9

First team

Albrighton made his Premier League debut on 15 August 2009, the opening day of the 2009–10 season against Wigan Athletic at Villa Park, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Habib Beye in a 0–2 loss.10 On 24 September, he extended his contract with Villa by three years.11 In December, manager Martin O'Neill admitted that Albrighton along with fellow youngsters Nathan Delfouneso and Ciaran Clark were the subject of many loan offers, but went on to state his belief that the trio were good enough to learn their trade in the fringes of the Aston Villa side.12

After a good pre-season, Albrighton made his first Premier League start in the first match of the 2010–11 season against West Ham United on 14 August 2010, assisting two goals in Villa's 3–0 win. He scored his first goal for Villa against Tottenham Hotspur on 2 October. He was sent off against Burnley in the League Cup on 27 October, therefore missing a chance to play in the following match against local rivals Birmingham City. On 5 November, Albrighton signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2014. On 23 November, Albrighton was ruled out of action for three to four weeks after having his appendix removed, but made his return ahead of schedule in a 3–0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on 6 December, playing 65 minutes before being replaced by Robert Pires.13 Albrighton then set up both goals for the home side in the 2–1 defeat of local rivals West Bromwich Albion in December 2010.

On 21 December 2011, he scored the Premier League's 20,000th goal at home against Arsenal, winning a £20,000 cheque from league sponsors Barclays, donated to his chosen charity, Acorns Children's Hospice.14 He then scored the opening goal in a 3–1 win against Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground in the FA Cup.15

A throat operation restricted Albrighton to a single outing, in the League Cup, up to October 2013. He joined Wigan Athletic on a 28-day loan on 30 October 2013.16 He made four appearances for Wigan before returning to his parent club on 27 November 2013.17 Albrighton was released by Villa on 20 May 2014.18

Leicester City

2014–15 season

On 23 May 2014, Albrighton joined Leicester City on a four-year contract, following their return to the Premier League for the first time in a decade.19 He made his debut for the Foxes on 23 August, replacing Riyad Mahrez for the final 22 minutes of a 2–0 loss at Chelsea. The following 29 April, in the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium, he scored his first Leicester goal, putting Leicester ahead just before half time in an eventual 3–1 loss.20 Albrighton totalled 18 league appearances in his first season at his new club, adding a second goal in the last match of the season, a 5–1 win against Queens Park Rangers on 24 May.21 Albrighton struggled to break into the first team squad at the start of the season, but nearer the end of the year was used as a wing-back by manager Nigel Pearson in a new formation that brought Leicester success. He played an instrumental role in helping complete Leicester's 'great escape' as the team won 7 out of their last 9 matches to finish 14th.

2015–16 season

Albrighton played more regularly under new manager Claudio Ranieri, featuring in every league match in the campaign. Albrighton scored his first goal of the season in the opening 4–2 victory over Sunderland, which set the tone for a remarkable season. He partnered N'Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater in a regular 4-man midfield as the club won their first ever top-flight title.22 Albrighton played on the left of midfield for the majority of the campaign, and was noted for his "diligent work defensively and when going forward, as well as his high-class crossing from open play and set pieces."23 with manager Ranieri claiming "Albrighton embodies the spirit of Leicester" for his "unmistakable sense of sacrifice."24 Whilst playing every match, Albrighton scored two goals, with his second coming in Leicester's crucial 4–0 win over Swansea on 24 April.25 He was rewarded with a new four-year contract in August 2016.26

2016–17 season

On 14 September 2016, Albrighton scored the club's first ever Champions League goal in a 3–0 win over Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium.27 He was the first Leicester player to score in a European competition since Muzzy Izzet against Red Star Belgrade in September 2000.28 Albrighton described the goal as "probably one of the greatest achievements of my career so far".29

On 25 February 2017, reports emerged alleging that Albrighton was among several teammates who met with chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha following their 2–1 Champions League defeat at Sevilla on 22 February,30 which led to manager Claudio Ranieri being sacked. Albrighton dismissed the claims as "totally incorrect".31

In Leicester City's Champions League Last 16 tie against Sevilla on 14 March 2017, Albrighton scored the second goal for the hosts which capped off a remarkable win, sealing a 3–2 aggregate win and progression to the quarter-finals.32

2017–2023

Leicester City finished in 9th place in consecutive seasons in 2017–18 and 2018–19 with Albrighton scoring two league goals in each season respectively. After Brendan Rodgers was appointed new Leicester City manager in February 2019, Albrighton continued to be a crucial and reliable member of the first-team squad, with his versatility allowing him to play both on the flanks and in defence.33 The Foxes ended the 2019–20 season in fifth place to qualify for the group stage of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.

On 9 January 2021, Albrighton scored his first goal for Leicester for 53 matches in all competitions, netting his side's second in their 4–0 win over Stoke City in the third round of the FA Cup.34 His first Premier League goal of the 2020–21 season came on 8 May 2021 in a 2–4 home defeat against Newcastle United.35 He would help the Foxes win their first-ever FA Cup later that month, coming on for an injured Jonny Evans in the 34th minute in the final.3637

On 30 July 2021, Albrighton signed a new contract to stay at Leicester until 2024.38 Albrighton made an appearance off the bench in Leicester's 1–0 triumph over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on 7 August 2021.39

2023: Loan to West Bromwich Albion

On 31 January 2023, West Brom completed the signing of Albrighton from Leicester City on loan until the end of the season.40

2023–24: Return to Leicester, Championship title and retirement

Albrighton returned to Leicester City for the 2023–24 season, where they achieved the EFL Championship, securing promotion back to the Premier League. On 7 June 2024, he was among the players announced to depart the club upon the conclusion of the season.41

On 29 August 2024, Albrighton officially announced his retirement from professional football on social media.42

International career

On 2 April 2009, Albrighton made his debut for the England under-20s.43 He made his debut for the England U21 team in September 2010 during their Euro 2011 qualifying play-offs, and scored just fifteen minutes after coming on as a substitute.44

Personal life

Albrighton confirmed to the Birmingham Mail that his dreams came true in playing for Aston Villa Football club, the team he has supported since he was a boy.45 He named former Villa players David Ginola, Benito Carbone and Robert Pires as some of his footballing role models,46 along with England legend David Beckham to whom he has been compared due to crossing ability and technique.47

Albrighton became a father for the first time on 19 February 2012 when his partner Chloe Fulford gave birth to a daughter in Sutton Coldfield.48 Fulford's mother, Sue Davey, was killed in the Tunisian terror attacks in June 2015.49

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition50
ClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague CupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa2008–09Premier League0000001510—10
2009–10Premier League3010101520—60
2010–11Premier League29521101530—336
2011–12Premier League2621120——293
2012–13Premier League901010——110
2013–14Premier League1901010——210
Total867626030001019
Wigan Athletic (loan)2013–14Championship40————40
Leicester City2014–15Premier League1822000——202
2015–16Premier League3822020——422
2016–17Premier League332400095421550474
2017–18Premier League3425030——422
2018–19Premier League2721041——323
2019–20Premier League2004040——280
2020–21Premier League31151105560—422
2021–22Premier League1711120105711580313
2022–23Premier League611040——111
2023–24Championship1203030——180
Total236132822312432031319
West Bromwich Albion (loan)2022–23Championship170————170
Career total343203442912732043528

Honours

Leicester City

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References

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  2. "From Mile Oak to Moscow for Aston Villa star Marc". thisistamworth.co.uk. 27 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2009. https://archive.today/20120913095158/http://www.thisistamworth.co.uk/news/Mile-Oak-Moscow-Aston-Villa-star-Marc/article-732908-detail/article.html ↩

  3. "Player Profiles". Aston Villa F.C. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20120423043733/http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/PlayerProfiles/0%2C%2C10265~46559%2C00.html ↩

  4. "Marc Albrighton Bio". ESPN. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090902061708/http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/players/profile?id=132107&cc=5901 ↩

  5. "FC Wil 1900 0–6 VILLA". Aston Villa. 10 July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014. https://archive.today/20140331212609/http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~1342074,00.html ↩

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  7. "Albrighton grateful to MacDonald". BBC Sport. 8 September 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/8980936.stm ↩

  8. "Aston Villa See Off Atlante To Progress in Peace Cup". Goal. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009. http://www.goal.com/en/news/2200/peace-cup-2009/2009/07/29/1411193/aston-villa-see-off-atlante-to-progress-in-peace-cup ↩

  9. "Aston Villa win Peace Cup after beating Juventus". The Guardian. London. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/aug/03/villa-peace-cup-juventus ↩

  10. "Aston Villa 0–2 Wigan: Match Facts". Sky Sports. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009. http://www.skysports.com/football/match_facts/0,19762,11065_3149182,00.html ↩

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  12. "Gaffer excited by tremendous young trio | Latest News | Aston Villa". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307013237/http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2096821,00.html ↩

  13. "Match report: Liverpool 3–0 Villa | Aston Villa". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306221850/http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2238278,00.html ↩

  14. "Football premier-league: Albrighton: To get 20,000th Premier League goal is special | Radio talkSPORT". Talksport.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120910122943/http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/1397/98/albrighton-get-20000th-premier-league-goal-special ↩

  15. "Bristol Rovers 1–3 Aston Villa" BBC Sport. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16372066.stm ↩

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  17. "Aston Villa recall Marc Albrighton from loan spell at Wigan Athletic". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11677/9044867/ ↩

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  19. "City Seal Deal For Albrighton". Leicester City F.C. 23 May 2014. http://www.lcfc.com/news/article/230514-city-seal-deal-for-albrighton-1572247.aspx ↩

  20. McNulty, Phil (29 April 2015). "Leicester 1–3 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 January 2016. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32408264 ↩

  21. "Five-star City end season in style". Leicester Mercury. 24 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20150530033538/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-x-QPR-x-match-report/story-26563631-detail/story.html ↩

  22. Laurence, Martin (8 December 2015). "Why Riyad Mahrez, and not Jamie Vardy, has been the player of the season so far". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2015/dec/08/riyad-mahrez-jamie-vardy-player-season-premier-league ↩

  23. Doyle, Paul (4 May 2016). "From Schmeichel to Vardy: Leicester's title winners rated". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/03/leicester-city-player-ratings-2015-16-premier-league-winning-season ↩

  24. "Leicester's title-chasers rated player-b-player – by their own manager Claudio Ranieri". The Mirror. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/leicesters-title-chasers-rated-player-7344295 ↩

  25. McNulty, Phil (24 April 2016). "Leicester City vs Swansea City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 June 2016. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36065530 ↩

  26. "Marc Albrighton: Leicester City midfielder signs four-year contract", BBC Sport, 30 August 2016, retrieved 8 January 2017 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37224897 ↩

  27. Nathan Orr (15 September 2016), Leicester's Marc Albrighton says Champions League goal will live with him forever, Sky Sports, retrieved 8 January 2017 http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10579303/leicesters-marc-albrighton-says-champions-league-goal-will-live-with-him-forever ↩

  28. Patrick Jennings (14 September 2016), "Club Brugge 0–3 Leicester City", BBC Sport, retrieved 8 January 2017 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37331303 ↩

  29. Nathan Orr (15 September 2016), Leicester's Marc Albrighton says Champions League goal will live with him forever, Sky Sports, retrieved 8 January 2017 http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10579303/leicesters-marc-albrighton-says-champions-league-goal-will-live-with-him-forever ↩

  30. Phil Dawkes (22 February 2017), "Sevilla 2–1 Leicester", BBC Sport, retrieved 21 October 2017 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/39043648 ↩

  31. Marc Albrighton denies involvement in Claudio Ranieri's exit from Leicester, Sky Sports, 26 February 2017, retrieved 21 October 2017 http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10783294/marc-albrighton-denies-involvement-in-claudio-ranieris-exit-from-leicester ↩

  32. "Leicester City 2–0 Sevilla (3–2 agg)". BBC Sport. 14 March 2017. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39248930 ↩

  33. "Two Major Trophies & European History – Albrighton's Magical Foxes Career". Leicester City F.C. 30 July 2021. https://www.lcfc.com/news/2201794/two-major-trophies--european-history--albrightons-magical-foxes-career ↩

  34. "Stoke 0-4 Leicester: Harvey Barnes continues scoring run as Foxes cruise into round four". Sky Sports. 9 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12183135/stoke-0-4-leicester-harvey-barnes-continues-scoring-run-as-foxes-cruise-into-round-four ↩

  35. "Newcastle one point from safety after thumping Leicester". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 May 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56938827 ↩

  36. McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "FA Cup final 2021: Foxes lift FA Cup for first time after Youri Tielemans' great goal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57055571 ↩

  37. "Two Major Trophies & European History – Albrighton's Magical Foxes Career". Leicester City F.C. 30 July 2021. https://www.lcfc.com/news/2201794/two-major-trophies--european-history--albrightons-magical-foxes-career ↩

  38. "Marc Albrighton Extends Leicester City Stay". Leicester City F.C. 30 July 2021. https://www.lcfc.com/news/2201861/marc-albrighton-extends-leicester-city-stay ↩

  39. "Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho confidently despatched a late penalty as Leicester stunned Manchester City to claim the Community Shield at Wembley". BBC Sport. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58036460 ↩

  40. Blackwell, Jordan (1 February 2023). "Leicester City let Albrighton join West Brom in deadline-day loan". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 23 April 2023. https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-marc-albrighton-join-8097293 ↩

  41. "Albrighton Among Players To Depart Leicester City". Leicester City F.C. 7 June 2024. https://www.lcfc.com/news/4034808/albrighton-among-players-to-depart-leicester-city ↩

  42. "Aston Villa favourite announces retirement with heartfelt statement". Birmingham Mail. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-favourite-announces-retirement-29830047 ↩

  43. "Villa winger Albrighton stars in England victory over Italy". tribalfootball.com. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2013. http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/villa-winger-albrighton-stars-england-victory-over-italy-236169 ↩

  44. "England U21 3–0 Lithuania U21". BBC Sport. 7 September 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8974671.stm ↩

  45. Kendrick, Mat (14 January 2011). "Boyhood Aston Villa fan Marc Albrighton dreams of being Second City survival derby hero". http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/boyhood-aston-villa-fan-marc-146530 ↩

  46. "Albrighton determined to keep thrilling the claret and blue faithful". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101018184352/http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2154591,00.html ↩

  47. "Role model Beckham an inspiration for wing wonder Albrighton | Aston Villa". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923191349/http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2248436,00.html ↩

  48. "Aston Villa star Marc Albrighton keeps eye on the ball at daughter's birth". Birmingham Mail. 24 February 2012. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/aston-villa-star-marc-albrighton-179704 ↩

  49. Dobson, Mark (28 June 2015). "Mother of Leicester winger Marc Albrighton's partner killed in Tunisia massacre". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jun/28/leicester-marc-albrighton-partner-mother-tunisia-massacre ↩

  50. Marc Albrighton at Soccerbase https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=51118 ↩

  51. Appearance in UEFA Cup /wiki/UEFA_Cup ↩

  52. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League /wiki/UEFA_Europa_League ↩

  53. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League /wiki/UEFA_Europa_League ↩

  54. Appearances in UEFA Champions League /wiki/UEFA_Champions_League ↩

  55. Appearance in FA Community Shield /wiki/FA_Community_Shield ↩

  56. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League /wiki/UEFA_Europa_League ↩

  57. Three appearances in UEFA Europa League, seven appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League /wiki/UEFA_Europa_Conference_League ↩

  58. Appearance in FA Community Shield /wiki/FA_Community_Shield ↩

  59. "Marc Albrighton: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 15 April 2018. https://www.premierleague.com/players/3564/Marc-Albrighton/overview ↩

  60. McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57055571 ↩

  61. Hafez, Shamoon (7 August 2021). "Leicester City 1–0 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58036460 ↩

  62. "Championship: 2023/24: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024."Leicester: Squad details: 2023/24". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024. https://www.soccerbase.com/tournaments/tournament.sd?tourn_id=2040 ↩