Michael Kightly

Southend United

Born in Basildon, Kightly played schoolboy football for Tottenham Hotspur but was released and subsequently picked up by his hometown team, non-League Basildon United. His stay was short and was soon back in professional football, signing a two-year scholarship with Southend United on 16 December 2002 following a five-game trial period. He made his league debut for the club on 3 May 2003, in a 1–0 defeat at Exeter City. Although featuring in all their cup games of this time, scoring once in the Football League Trophy against Luton Town, he made only 13 league appearances over three different seasons for them. On 22 October 2004, he joined Farnborough Town on loan, spending three months with the club before returning to Southend United on 20 January 2005. He was released at the end of the season by Southend manager Steve Tilson.

Grays Athletic

Conference side Grays Athletic signed Kightly, where he scored 15 league goals in his first season, and won the FA Trophy. He began the 2006–07 season still with Grays, and had scored 10 goals by November. Such form caught the eye of scouts at Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, to whom he completed a two-month emergency loan move on 17 November 2006. He would subsequently return to play against Grays for Wolves in a pre-season friendly, which was a condition of the permanent deal later made between the clubs.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Kightly scored his first ever league goal to earn a…

Kightly was called into the England U21 squad in August 2007 for a friendly against Romania and went on to make his debut, playing the first half of the game.

As of 28 January 2021

Kightly has a daughter called Alexa and a son Leo. He grew up supporting Manchester United but switched allegiances to Tottenham Hotspur.