Martin Kelly
Encyclopedia
Martin Ronald Kelly is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 as a right back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

, although he spent most of his Academy career playing as a centre back.

2007–08

Born in Whiston and raised by his parents in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, where he attended St Mary's Primary and then St Nathans Catholic Technology College, Martin was promoted to Melwood
Melwood
Melwood, in West Derby, Liverpool, is home to Liverpool FC's training ground. It is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby.It is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool and has been their home since the fifties. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school...

 from the club's academy in the summer of 2007. In an interview for Liverpool's official website he spoke about his delight at making the step up despite missing roughly two years of football for the youth team due to back problems.
Kelly broke into Gary Ablett's title winning reserves team during 2007–08
Premier Reserve League 2007-08
The 2007–08 Premier Reserve League season is the ninth since its establishment. The events in the senior leagues during the 2006–07 season saw Watford, Charlton and Sheffield United all relegated and replaced by the promoted teams Birmingham, Derby County, and Sunderland.Northern Champions...

. He scored the second goal in Liverpool's 3–0 win over UANL Tigres
UANL Tigres
Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, often known only as Tigres or UANL, a Mexican football club that plays in the Primera División. It is one of the two professional football teams of the state of Nuevo León. The team plays home games at the Estadio Universitario, located in San...

 in the Dallas Cup 2008
Dallas Cup 2008
The 2008 Dallas Cup was the 29th since its establishment, 12 teams entering in the tournament. The competition was sponsored by Dr Pepper. Liverpool beat UANL Tigres 3-0 in the Championship and won the 2008 Dallas Cup.-Standings:-Bracket A:-Bracket B:...

 final on 23 March 2008.

2008–09

Ahead of the 2008–09 season he received a first team squad number. He earned his first call up to the senior team in November 2008 when he was an unused substitute in Liverpool's Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 group stage match against Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

. Not long after, he made his debut as a substitute for Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...

 in the same competition against PSV Eindhoven on 9 December 2008.

Huddersfield Town

On 26 March 2009, as the loan transfer window closed, Kelly joined Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

 side Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

 on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut for the Terriers as a left-back in the 2–1 win over Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....

 at the Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Bristol)
The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, dedicated to the memory of the rugby union players of the city killed during World War I...

 on 31 March 2009, and received praise for his composed performance. On 18 April, he scored his first goal in professional football, scoring the winner in Huddersfield's 3–2 win over Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...

 at the Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium, also known as the Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989-90 by GMI Construction with a reported build cost of £4.5m...

.

2009–10

Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....

 suggested that the departure of Sami Hyypia
Sami Hyypiä
Sami Tuomas Hyypiä is a retired European Cup winning Finnish footballer who played in the centre back position. He last played for German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen and was the captain of the Finland national football team. He joined Leverkusen in summer 2009, ending a ten year spell at...

 from Liverpool could open a window for Kelly into the first team, with his progress expected to be monitored closely in pre-season. Kelly made his first competitive start for Liverpool as a right back against Olympique Lyon in the UEFA Champions League on 20 October 2009, in which he walked off injured in the 74th minute. He was named man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...

 by Liverpool's official website after a highly impressive performance. Kelly was also called "a small sensation" by Norwegian magazine Kopite. He then became sidelined with a groin injury. Kelly completed his comeback from injury on 25 February 2010, coming on as a substitute against FC Unirea Urziceni in the Europa League. He then made his Premier League debut replacing Glen Johnson in the 4–1 win over Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

 at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...

.

2010–11

Kelly started in Liverpool's UEFA Europa League qualifiers against Rabotnicki Skopje, the play-offs against Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...

, and Liverpool's opening two group games, defeating Steaua Bucureşti and drawing with FC Utrecht. On 22 September, he played in the shock League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 third round exit to Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...

, Liverpool losing 4–2 on penalties after a 2–2 draw. On 21 October, he played the full 90 minutes in the Reds' 0–0 UEFA Europa League draw against Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....

. Kelly made his first Premiership start of the season as an emergency replacement for Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:...

 on 7 November against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 in a match which Liverpool won 2–0. He started Liverpool's 1-1 Premier League draw with Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...

 on 10 November. He also started and played the full 90 minutes in the Reds' 1–1 UEFA Europa League draw with Steaua Bucureşti on the 2 December. The next day, he signed a three-year contract extension which will keep him at the club until 30 June 2014. On 15 December, he played the return Europa League group game against FC Utrecht, ending in a 0–0 draw. The result meant Liverpool qualified top of Group K. On 9 January 2011, he started in Liverpool's FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 third round tie away to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 with Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...

 praising his performance afterwards saying; "He was as good as anyone on the pitch today". This performance led to him being named Man of the Match by Liverpool voters.

He subsequently started against Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

 on 12 January 2011 and in the Merseyside Derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...

 on 16 January, forcing Liverpool's first choice Glen Johnson
Glen Johnson
Glen or Glenn Johnson may refer to:*Glenn Johnson , American football player who played for Green Bay Packers in 1949*Glen Johnson , Jamaican boxer...

 to play left back. He won the Liverpoolfc.tv journalist's Man of the Match Award for his performance against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

. Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...

 complemented his talents by saying "I was in the stand against Everton and when he made that run past Leighton Baines
Leighton Baines
Leighton John Baines is an English footballer who plays for Everton and the England national football team.He started his career with Wigan Athletic, with whom he won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season and was a runner-up in the 2004–05 Championship and the 2006 Football League Cup Final....

, I thought it was Thierry Henry against me all those years ago. It was turbo charged." Kelly started the next game against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 where Liverpool won 2–0, again he gave a solid performance making him the first choice right back. He played the full match in both fixtures as Liverpool completed their double over Chelsea with a 1–0 win at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...

 on 6 February. His performance was praised by former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton
Ray Houghton
Raymond James "Ray" Houghton is a retired Scottish-born footballer who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level, qualifying through his Irish father...

, who stated that Kelly was one of the key players in the win over Chelsea at The Bridge. However, he suffered a hamstring injury in the 3–1 defeat to West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...

. On 8 March 2011, Kelly won the Liverpool February player of the month award. On 21 March, it was announced on the official Liverpool website that Kelly was back in full training and would be back in action for April. Unfortunately for Kelly he played no further part in the 2010–11 season. Although he spent the remainder of the 2010–11 season on the sidelines, he slowly came back to full match fitness during the Asia tour friendly against Malaysia and China, and also the training in Singapore.

2011–12

On 20 August, Kelly played for the whole match away to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 and helped Liverpool keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory. He nearly scored in the second half, as his shot from 15 yards hit the outside of the post. England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 manager, Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...

, was present at the match and applauded his performance. On 27 August 2011, Kelly limped off the field due to hamstring strain in the match against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

.

However he made a quick recovery from the hamstring strain as it wasn't as serious as first feared On 21 September 2011, he was back in the lineup and played 86 minutes against Brigthon & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....

. Later in the week, on 25 September 2011, he played the whole match against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...

. Kelly continued his fine form against Manchester United keeping tricky winger Ashley Young quiet for the whole game.
Kelly scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 2-0 win over Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 with Maxi Rodriguez getting the other.

International career

In August 2009, Kelly was called up to the England U-20
England national under-20 football team
- Round of 16 :-Friendlies:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup running from 29 July to the 20 August 2011.-Recent call-ups:...

 squad for the match against Serbia and made his debut in the 5–0 victory. He subsequently played all three matches for the side in the Under-20 World Cup finals in Egypt that year. Kelly was called up in early 2009 for the England U-19
England national under-19 football team
-Other matches:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Denmark.- Recent call-ups :The following players have also been called up to the England under-19 squad and remain eligible.-Past squads:...

 squad that played Spain U-19s
Spain national under-19 football team
The Spain national under-19 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain.-UEFA European Under-19 Championship Record:...

 on 10 February. Kelly went on to make 5 appearances for the Under-19s with his last coming in a 2–1 win over Scotland U-19s
Scotland national under-19 football team
The Scotland national under-19 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national football team for players of 19 years of age or under at the start of a European Under-19 Football Championship campaign....

 on the 1 June 2009.

Kelly made his debut for the England Under-20 team
England national under-20 football team
- Round of 16 :-Friendlies:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup running from 29 July to the 20 August 2011.-Recent call-ups:...

 in a 5–0 win over Montenegro U-20s
Montenegro national under-21 football team
The Montenegro national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Montenegro and is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro...

 in a pre 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, was the 17th U-20 tournament, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October, in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Suez and Ismaïlia...

 friendly. He also played at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt as England finished bottom of Group D. Kelly has made 4 appearances for the Under-20 side.

On 5 August 2010, Kelly received his first call-up to the England Under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....

 squad, along with Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...

's Marc Albrighton
Marc Albrighton
Marc Kevin Albrighton is an English footballer who plays for Premier League side Aston Villa as a winger. He is most comfortable playing on the right side of midfield or as a right-winger, but is sufficiently effective on the left....

 and club team mate Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Brian Henderson is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team as a midfielder. He had a loan spell at Coventry City in 2009. He earned his first international cap for England, having previously played for the under-19, under-20 and...

. On 10 August 2010, he came on as a substitute and scored on his debut appearance.

Club statistics

Club Season League FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

Europe
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

Other Total
App Goals 1 App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2011–12
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...

5 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 8 1
2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...

11 0 1 0 1 0 10 0 0 0 23 0
2009–10 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

2008–09 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2008–09 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Club total 24 1 1 0 4 1 13 0 0 0 42 2
Last updated match played 26 October 2011

Honours

  • Premier Reserve League: 2008
  • Dallas Cup
    Dallas Cup
    The Dallas Cup is an international football tournament for invited youth teams, held annually in Dallas, Texas. It was first held in 1980. The current champion is Cruzeiro...

    : Winner 2008
  • Liverpool's Young Player of the Year: 2010/11

External links

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