Richard Hughes (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Daniel Hughes is a former Scottish footballer who was capped
five times for the Scotland national team
. He played as a defensive midfielder for Atalanta
, Arsenal
, Bournemouth, Portsmouth
and Grimsby Town
.
side Atalanta
. After he moved back to the UK he spent five years with Arsenal
as a youth player. Hughes did not make the transition to the first team and so left the club to join Bournemouth in the summer of 1998.
, and became a regular member of the first team. He was signed by Portsmouth for £50,000 in the summer of 2002.
he was loaned out to Grimsby Town
, where he played 12 games and scored one goal against Brighton.
He was given a Premier League appearance in December 2003, and he remained a squad member for the remainder of the 2003–04 campaign. He scored the winning goal, his first for Portsmouth, in a 1–0 FA Cup
victory over Liverpool
on 22 February 2004.
On 28 July 2006 he pledged their futures at the club, signing a three-year contract.
On 15 August 2007, playing against Manchester United
, Hughes was headbutt
ed by Cristiano Ronaldo
, after Hughes allegedly provoked him. Ronaldo was red-carded for his actions. The game finished 1–1.
In January 2009, Hughes was offered an extension to his Portsmouth contract.
His second competitive goal for Portsmouth came when he scored in a 4–1 League Cup
win against Hereford
on 25 August 2009.
Hughes' first league goal for Portsmouth came in a 3–3 draw against Leeds at Elland Road
on 28 December 2010, his last game for the club. The Scottish midfielder's strike deflected off Leeds defender Andy O'Brien
on its way into the net. Originally awarded as an own goal to O'Brien, the goal was subsequently credited to Hughes by the dubious goals committee as his first league goal for the club.
Hughes played his last game for Portsmouth on 28 December 2010. Under the terms of his contract, signed when Portsmouth were still in the Premier League, he was entitled to new contracts with increased wages, if he had played one more game. As Portsmouth could not afford to fulfil the original offer and he was not prepared to accept alternative terms, he remained at Portsmouth without playing in the second half of the 2010–11 season. He was subsequently released at the end of the season.
, and he won his first cap against Estonia
in May 2004. He gained recognition for his performances at Bournemouth with a call-up to represent Scotland at Under-21 level.
|1998–99||rowspan="4"|Bournemouth
||rowspan="4"|Second Division
||44||2||||||||||||||||
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|1999-00||21||2||||||||||||||||
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|2000–01||44||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||22||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||Portsmouth
||First Division
||6||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||Grimsby Town
||First Division
||12||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="7"|Portsmouth
||rowspan="7"|Premier League||11||0||||1||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006–07||18||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007–08||13||0|||2||0||||||||||
|-
|2008–09||20||0|||||||1||0||1||0|||22||0
|-
|2009–10||11||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
235||15||||||||||||||||
235||15||||||||||||||||
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
five times for the Scotland national team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. He played as a defensive midfielder for Atalanta
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
, 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...
, Bournemouth, 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...
and Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
.
Arsenal
Hughes began his career as a youth player at Serie ASerie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
side Atalanta
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
. After he moved back to the UK he spent five years with 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...
as a youth player. Hughes did not make the transition to the first team and so left the club to join Bournemouth in the summer of 1998.
Bournemouth
Hughes made his debut in 2–0 victory over Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, and became a regular member of the first team. He was signed by Portsmouth for £50,000 in the summer of 2002.
Portsmouth
After making his debut in a 1–1 draw at Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
he was loaned out to Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, where he played 12 games and scored one goal against Brighton.
He was given a Premier League appearance in December 2003, and he remained a squad member for the remainder of the 2003–04 campaign. He scored the winning goal, his first for Portsmouth, in a 1–0 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...
victory over 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...
on 22 February 2004.
On 28 July 2006 he pledged their futures at the club, signing a three-year contract.
On 15 August 2007, playing against 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...
, Hughes was headbutt
Headbutt
A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...
ed by Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
, after Hughes allegedly provoked him. Ronaldo was red-carded for his actions. The game finished 1–1.
In January 2009, Hughes was offered an extension to his Portsmouth contract.
His second competitive goal for Portsmouth came when he scored in a 4–1 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...
win against Hereford
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
on 25 August 2009.
Hughes' first league goal for Portsmouth came in a 3–3 draw against Leeds at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
on 28 December 2010, his last game for the club. The Scottish midfielder's strike deflected off Leeds defender Andy O'Brien
Andy O'Brien
Andrew "Andy" O'Brien is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Ross Davidson. One of the original characters created for the series, Andy made his appearance one month after the show first broadcast in March 1985. Portrayed as altruistic and middle-classed,...
on its way into the net. Originally awarded as an own goal to O'Brien, the goal was subsequently credited to Hughes by the dubious goals committee as his first league goal for the club.
Hughes played his last game for Portsmouth on 28 December 2010. Under the terms of his contract, signed when Portsmouth were still in the Premier League, he was entitled to new contracts with increased wages, if he had played one more game. As Portsmouth could not afford to fulfil the original offer and he was not prepared to accept alternative terms, he remained at Portsmouth without playing in the second half of the 2010–11 season. He was subsequently released at the end of the season.
International career
His performances earned him selection for the Scottish national sideScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, and he won his first cap against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
in May 2004. He gained recognition for his performances at Bournemouth with a call-up to represent Scotland at Under-21 level.
Career statistics
|-|1998–99||rowspan="4"|Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
||rowspan="4"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||44||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999-00||21||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01||44||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||22||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||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...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||6||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||12||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="7"|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...
||rowspan="7"|Premier League||11||0||||1||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006–07||18||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007–08||13||0|||2||0||||||||||
|-
|2008–09||20||0|||||||1||0||1||0|||22||0
|-
|2009–10||11||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
235||15||||||||||||||||
235||15||||||||||||||||