Liam Ridgewell Bio Send To Friend  

Ridgewell ended an eight-year spell with Aston Villa in August 2007 when he joined fierce local rivals Birmingham City for £2m on a three-year deal (with an option for a further two).

Making an immediate impact, he made himself a regular in the side and was a vital part of the promotion winning side of 2009-10, before breaking his leg shortly before the end of the season.

The 23-year-old had been snapped up from West Ham United in February 2001 after coming through their youth system and first broke into the Villa first team squad in 2002-03, but soon found himself surplus to requirements after 79 appearances and sevens goals.

Ridgewell was a member of the Villa side that won the FA Youth Cup against Everton in May 2002 and he scored for the England Under-19 side in a 2-2 draw with Yugoslavia in October. The following day he moved to AFC Bournemouth on loan, where he played five games for the Cherries.

After he returned to Villa Park he was handed his debut, as a substitute in a 4-1 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers. The player began to make his mark in the first team after Christmas in the 2003-04 season. He featured in 13 games in the run-in to the end of the campaign, growing in stature with each match.

Ridgewell earned rave reviews, on the whole, and broke into the England Under-21s before enjoying a breakthrough season at Aston Villa in 2006-07.

However, he completed a move to Birmingham in the summer and signed for £2m, becoming the first player to transfer between the bitter rivals since Des Bremner in 1984.

His performances won over any doubting fans as he quickly made himself a regular in the side and sealed promotion back to the Premier League for the 2009-10 season.