Kyle Lafferty

Kyle Lafferty

Lafferty playing for Northern Ireland in 2012
Personal information
Full name Kyle Joseph George Lafferty[1]
Date of birth (1987-09-16) 16 September 1987[2]
Place of birth Enniskillen, Northern Ireland[2]
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2]
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 Norwich City
Number 19
Youth career
2004–2005 Burnley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2008 Burnley 83 (10)
2006 → Darlington (loan) 9 (3)
2008–2012 Rangers 104 (31)
2012–2013 Sion 25 (5)
2013–2014 Palermo 34 (11)
2014– Norwich City 23 (2)
2015 → Çaykur Rizespor (loan) 14 (2)
2016 → Birmingham City (loan) 6 (1)
National team‡
Northern Ireland U17 5 (0)
Northern Ireland U19 6 (1)
2006 Northern Ireland U21 2 (0)
2006– Northern Ireland 58 (20)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:32, 12 June 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:37, 11 November 2016 (UTC)

Kyle Joseph George Lafferty (born 16 September 1987) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Norwich City and for the Northern Ireland national team.

Lafferty began his professional career with English side Burnley, where he made 89 appearances. He signed for Rangers in 2008 for £3.25 million, and won three Scottish Premier League titles, the Scottish Cup once and the Scottish League Cup twice with the club. In 2012 Lafferty chose not to transfer over to the new company which owns and runs Rangers, moving to Switzerland's FC Sion. He signed for Serie B club Palermo in 2013 and led them to promotion as champions in his only season before joining Norwich. He spent time on loan with Turkish club Çaykur Rizespor and back in England with Birmingham City.

He made his first international appearance for Northern Ireland in 2006 and has more than 50 caps. With 17 goals he is the team's second highest scorer of all time, behind former strike partner David Healy on 36.

Club career

Burnley

In 2004 he signed a youth team apprenticeship with Championship club Burnley. The following season saw him begin to make an impression upon the Burnley first team. He made his debut during a 2–1 away league defeat to Crewe Alexandra on 6 August 2005, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Garreth O'Connor.[3]

In January 2006, Lafferty joined Darlington on loan. He went on to make nine appearances and net three goals for the club, including a scoring debut against Notts County on 7 January.[3] He returned to Burnley in January 2007.

He scored his first senior goal for Burnley against Luton Town, netting the equaliser for a 1–1 draw on 30 April 2006.[3] Lafferty played 89 times and scored 10 goals during his time at Burnley.

Rangers

On 16 June 2008, Burnley accepted a bid from Rangers of £3 million plus Alan Gow but talks with Gow over his move to Turf Moor broke down. Lafferty moved to Rangers on 19 June after the transfer offer was readjusted to write Gow out of the deal.[4] He made his Rangers debut as an 89th-minute substitute during a UEFA Champions League qualifier on 5 August 2008 against FBK Kaunas.[5] His first goal came in his second appearance, in a Scottish Premier League match against Heart of Midlothian on 16 August 2008.[6]

On 16 May 2009, during the penultimate league match of the 2008–09 season at home to Aberdeen, Lafferty was involved in an altercation with Aberdeen player Charlie Mulgrew. Both players were involved in an off-the-ball incident which resulted in Lafferty reacting as if he had been headbutted. The referee, Stuart Dougal, sent Mulgrew off for violent conduct; however, television pictures showed little contact between the two players. Rangers went on to win the match 2–1.[7] Upon reviewing the incident Rangers manager Walter Smith expressed his disappointment at Lafferty's conduct.[8] Two days later it was reported that Rangers had fined Lafferty for his reactions in relation to the incident.[9] The case was also referred to the Scottish Football Association's disciplinary committee, who rescinded Mulgrew's red card and gave Lafferty a two-match ban for simulation.[10]

Lafferty with Rangers in November 2010

On 25 April 2010, Lafferty scored the winning goal in a 1–0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road, securing the league title for Rangers with three matches left to play. On 22 August, Lafferty was sent off, along with opponent Kevin McBride, in a match at the same venue.[11] On 25 September, Lafferty scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 7–2 victory over Dunfermline Athletic in the League Cup.[12] Lafferty scored in Rangers' 4–0 win over Dundee United in April 2011,[13] before missing an opportunity in the final Old Firm game of the 2010–11 season at Ibrox in a 0–0 draw.[14] Lafferty then went on to score in three consecutive games in the title run in against Motherwell,[15] Hearts[16] and Dundee United.[17] Lafferty then scored a hat-trick in the final SPL game of the season as Rangers beat Kilmarnock 5–1 and won their third consecutive league title.[18]

On 18 September 2011, Lafferty scored his first Old Firm goal in a 4–2 win against Celtic. On 17 December, Lafferty scored an 83rd-minute winner for Rangers against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, the game ending 2–1. On 24 April 2012, Ally McCoist announced that Lafferty had been banned for two weeks following a training ground bust up.

In June 2012, Lafferty lodged an objection against his contract being transferred from Rangers to the new company set up by Charles Green.[19] PFA Scotland had previously commented that players were entitled to become free agents if they objected to the transfer.[20]

Lafferty raised a constructive dismissal claim against Rangers.[21][22]

Sion

Lafferty signed a three-year contract with Swiss Super League club FC Sion on 30 June 2012.[23] He was unable to play in the league match against Grasshoppers on 15 July because the Scottish Football Association refused to provide clearance for the transfer, having received an objection from Rangers' owner Charles Green.[24] On 20 July, Lafferty received provisional international clearance from FIFA which allowed him to play while arbitration over his move from Rangers continued. On 22 July 2012, Lafferty made his debut for Sion, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Servette. He scored his first goal a week later in a 3–0 win over Luzern. Lafferty played 90 minutes for the club in a 2–0 win over Lausanne-Sport on 11 August 2012 and setting up a goal for Arnaud Bühler.

Palermo

On 26 June 2013, Lafferty joined Serie B club Palermo on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He said "Palermo tried to sign me in January but unfortunately we couldn't close the deal. Now I can't wait to get started. When I was younger I watched a lot of Italian football and I know there's a very passionate fanbase here at Palermo".[25]

He scored 11 goals in 34 matches to help the club ascend to Serie A as champions in his only season, and won the Fans Player of the Season award. However, club president Maurizio Zamparini called him an "out-of-control womaniser" and claimed that this lifestyle resulted in him being sold.[26]

Norwich City

On 27 June 2014, Lafferty signed a three-year contract with Norwich City of the Football League Championship with an option for an extra year. The transfer fee was undisclosed and the transfer would be effective from 1 July. He said "Norwich is a team that wants to get promoted back to the Premier League at the first opportunity, so I'm excited to come here and start playing football for a team like this".[27] He was given squad number 9.[28]

Lafferty made his debut for the team on 10 August, as they began the season with a 1–0 defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, replacing Steven Whittaker for the last 14 minutes of the game.[29] Six days later he made his first start in his first game at Carrow Road, lasting 67 minutes of a 3–0 win over Watford before being replaced by Elliott Bennett.[30] In 20 games – 18 of those in the league – he only scored once, in a 3–2 home win against Cardiff City on 17 January 2015.[31]

Norwich had been promoted to the Premier League during Lafferty's absence. He scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season in a 3–0 League Cup victory against West Bromwich Albion,[32] but found regular games hard to come by. In November 2015, Leeds United head coach Steve Evans revealed he had inquired about the availability of Lafferty on loan.[33] However, Lafferty remained with Norwich until 24 March 2016, when he joined Championship club Birmingham City on loan until the end of the season.[34]

He returned from international duty with a groin injury,[35] but was fit to start Birmingham's match against Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 April. He opened the scoring after 16 minutes with a tap-in following a goalkeeping error, but Brighton went on to win 2–1.[36] He made five more league appearances, without scoring, in what remained of the season.[32]

Loan moves

On 2 February 2015, Lafferty was loaned to Süper Lig club Çaykur Rizespor for the remainder of the campaign.[37] He scored 2 goals in 14 league games for the Turkish side.[38]

International career

In early 2006, Lafferty represented Northern Ireland under-19s at the Milk Cup. He impressed during the tournament, scoring in his first game against Paraguay, but Northern Ireland lost the match 3–1.

Later in 2006, he received his first senior Northern Ireland call-up on a post-season trip to the United States to play friendly games against Romania and Uruguay. Lafferty scored his first Northern Ireland goal in an away friendly against Finland the following year. He featured predominantly as the second striker alongside David Healy during Northern Ireland's Euro 2008 qualification group, and he scored his first competitive international goal in a 4–1 victory over group minnows Liechtenstein. He then secured a 1–1 draw away to Sweden, scoring Northern Ireland's equaliser in the second half.

On 26 March 2008, he scored twice in an international match for the first time, in a friendly against Georgia which Northern Ireland won 4–1.

Lafferty scored in all of Northern Ireland's first three matches in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, against Hungary, the Faroe Islands and Greece, the first time that the nation won the first three matches of any qualification campaign.[39] He added a brace on 29 March 2015 in a 2–1 home win over Finland.[40]

On 4 September, Lafferty scored once for Northern Ireland in a 3–1 win against the Faroe Islands. The result put Northern Ireland at the top of Group F and on the brink of qualifying for their first European Championship.[41] In the following game, against Hungary three days later, he scored a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1–1 draw to keep Northern Ireland top of their group.[42] Lafferty ended the qualifying phase with seven goals, which made him Northern Ireland's top scorer as the team qualified as group winners.[43] On 27 May 2016, Lafferty marked his 50th international appearance with a goal in a 3–0 win over Belarus in a friendly at Windsor Park, Belfast[44]

International goals

As of match played 11 November 2016. Northern Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Lafferty goal.[45]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 August 2006Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland3 Finland2–02–1Friendly
2 22 August 2007Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland11 Liechtenstein3–03–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3 17 October 2007Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden13 Sweden1–11–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
4 26 March 2008Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland16 Georgia1–04–1Friendly
5 3–0
6 15 October 2008Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland18 San Marino3–04–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 5 September 2009Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland22 Poland1–01–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 12 October 2010Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands28 Faroe Islands1–11–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
9 15 August 2012Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland31 Finland2–03–3Friendly
10 7 September 2014Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary38 Hungary2–12–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
11 11 October 2014Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland39 Faroe Islands2–02–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
12 14 October 2014Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece40 Greece2–02–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
13 29 March 2015Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland42 Finland1–02–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
14 2–0
15 4 September 2015Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands44 Faroe Islands3–13–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
16 7 September 2015Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland45 Hungary1–11–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
17 27 May 2016Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland50 Belarus1–03–0 Friendly
18 8 October 2016Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland53 San Marino2–04–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
19 4–0
20 11 November 2016Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland54 Azerbaijan1–04–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Career statistics

As of match played 7 May 2016
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Burnley 2005–06[3] Championship111—10—121
2006–07[46] Championship3541010—374
2007–08[47] Championship3751020—405
Total 83102040—8910
Darlington (loan) 2005–06[3] League Two93———93
Rangers 2008–09[48][49] Scottish Premier League25632311[lower-alpha 1]0329
2009–10[50] Scottish Premier League28750204[lower-alpha 1]0397
2010–11[51] Scottish Premier League311121338[lower-alpha 2]04415
2011–12[52][53] Scottish Premier League20700102[lower-alpha 3]0237
Total 104311039415013838
Sion 2012–13[38][54] Swiss Super League25533——288
Palermo 2013–14[38] Serie B341121——3612
Norwich City 2014–15[31] Championship1811010—201
2015–16[32] Premier League101011—31
Total 1912021—232
Çaykur Rizespor (loan) 2014–15[1][38] Süper Lig14210——152
Birmingham City (loan) 2015–16[32] Championship61———61
Career total 2946420715515034476
  1. 1 2 Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  2. ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, four in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

Personal life

Lafferty married former Miss Scotland Nicola Mimnagh at St Margaret's Roman Catholic Church, in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, in June 2012. The couple had a son, born in 2011.[55] They later divorced. Lafferty married model and former Miss Scotland contestant Vanessa Chung at Gleneagles Hotel in May 2016.[56]

In July 2016, Lafferty was charged by the Football Association with misconduct in relation to football betting.[57]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kyle Joseph George Lafferty". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Profile of Kyle Lafferty". Irish Football Association. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Lafferty completes Rangers move". BBC Sport. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Murray, Keir (5 August 2008). "FBK Kaunas 2–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Campbell, Andy (16 August 2008). "Rangers 2–0 Hearts". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Rangers 2–1 Aberdeen". BBC Sport. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Smith upset by red card decisions". BBC Sport. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Rangers fine play-acting Lafferty". BBC Sport. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Old Firm pair handed suspensions". BBC Sport. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Pattullo, Alan (23 August 2010). "Kyle Lafferty told to curb temper after striker sees red in Rangers victory". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "Rangers 7–2 Dunfermline". BBC Sport. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Duncan, Colin (20 April 2011). "Dundee United 0–4 Rangers". Daily Record. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  14. ↑ Lindsay, Clive (24 May 2011). "Rangers 0–0 St Mirren". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Motherwell 0–5 Rangers". BBC Sport. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  16. ↑ Murray, Keir (7 May 2011). "Rangers 4–0 Hearts". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  17. ↑ Lindsay, Clive (10 May 2011). "Rangers 2–0 Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  18. ↑ Moffat, Colin (15 May 2011). "Kilmarnock 1–5 Rangers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "Rangers: Davis, McGregor, Lafferty and Ness eye exit". BBC Sport. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  20. ↑ "Rangers: Players free not to join 'newco' says law expert". BBC Sport. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  21. ↑ "Sixty-seven players 'in legal action' over Rangers contract transfer". STV Sport. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  22. ↑ "Rangers International Football Club plc" (PDF). RangersShareOffer.com. 8 December 2012.
  23. ↑ "Le buteur des Rangers Kyle Lafferty rejoint le FC Sion" [Rangers goalscorer Kyle Lafferty joins FC Sion] (in French). FC Sion. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  24. ↑ "Rangers: SFA urged to end uncertainty over ex-Ibrox players". BBC Sport. 15 July 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  25. ↑ "Lafferty completes move to Palermo". UTV. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  26. ↑ "Lafferty an 'out-of-control womaniser'". ESPN FC. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  27. ↑ "Norwich City sign Kyle Lafferty from Palermo". BBC Sport. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  28. ↑ "Norwich City Squad list confirmed for 2014–15 Championship season". Norwich City F.C. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  29. ↑ "Wolves 1–0 Norwich". BBC Sport. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  30. ↑ Osborne, Chris (16 August 2014). "Norwich 3–0 Watford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  31. 1 2 "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  32. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  33. ↑ "'Kyle Lafferty needs to be playing,' says Leeds boss Steve Evans as he eyes loan move for ex-Rangers star". Daily Record. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  34. ↑ "Kyle Lafferty completes Birmingham City loan switch". Norwich City F.C. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  35. ↑ Armstrong, Mark (31 March 2016). "Updated: Norwich City striker Kyle Lafferty in contention for Birmingham debut after Blues' boss dismisses season-ending injury talk". Eastern Daily Press. Norwich. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  36. ↑ "Birmingham City 1–2 Brighton & Hove Albion: Lewis Dunk keeps Seagulls' play-off hopes alive". Sky Sports. PA Sport. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  37. ↑ "Norwich City striker Kyle Lafferty joins Turkish side Caykur Rizespor on loan". Eastern Daily Press. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  38. 1 2 3 4 "K. Lafferty". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  39. ↑ Petrie, Richard (14 October 2014). "Greece 0–1 N Ireland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  40. ↑ "Northern Ireland 2–1 Finland". BBC Sport. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  41. ↑ Jackson, Lyle (4 September 2015). "Faroe Islands 1–3 Northern Ireland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  42. ↑ Jackson, Lyle (7 September 2015). "Northern Ireland 1–1 Hungary". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  43. ↑ "Kyle Lafferty jokes with Sky Sports reporter after Northern Ireland qualify". Sky Sports. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  44. ↑ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/northern-ireland-3-belarus-0-lafferty-marks-50th-cap-goal#:bw2j62APeRzWLA
  45. ↑ Kyle Lafferty profile at Soccerway
  46. ↑ "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  47. ↑ "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  48. ↑ "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  49. ↑ "Rangers FC: History: UEFA Champions League 2008/09". UEFA. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  50. ↑ "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  51. ↑ "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  52. ↑ "Games played by Kyle Lafferty in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  53. ↑ "Rangers FC: History: UEFA Europa League 2011/12". UEFA. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  54. ↑ "Hergiswil vs. Sion 0–3". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  55. ↑ Taylor, David (2 June 2012). "Rangers star Kyle Lafferty marries stunning ex-Miss Scotland". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  56. ↑ Croal, Samantha (24 May 2016). "Former Rangers star Kyle Lafferty marries Scottish model Vanessa Chung in lavish wedding ceremony". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  57. ↑ Hannant, David (29 July 2016). "Norwich City striker Kyle Lafferty charged with misconduct in relation to betting". Eastern Daily Press. Norwich. Retrieved 30 July 2016.

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