Stephen Kelly is an Irish former professional footballer known for playing as a right back.
He was part of the team that secured the Republic of Ireland's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012.
Kelly made his professional debut with Tottenham Hotspur in 2003, where he scored two league goals.
Biography
Early Life
Stephen Michael David Kelly was born in Dublin, Ireland, where he began his football journey playing for Belvedere. His talent was recognized early on, leading him to join the youth program at Tottenham Hotspur.
Career
Kelly made his professional debut with Tottenham Hotspur in 2003, where he played as a right back and made 37 Premier League appearances, scoring two goals. In June 2006, he transferred to Birmingham City for an initial fee of £750,000, contributing significantly to the team's promotion to the Premier League in the 2006-07 season. Notably, he was the only outfield player to play every minute of every game during the 2007-08 season.
His career saw him loaned to Stoke City in 2009 before signing with Fulham later that year. Kelly continued to showcase his skills at Fulham until 2013, after which he played for Reading and Rotherham United, concluding his club career in 2017. Throughout his club journey, he also represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels and made his senior debut in 2006. He was part of the squad that qualified for UEFA Euro 2012, although he did not see any game time during the tournament.
Legacy
Kelly's contributions to football are marked by his resilience and adaptability on the field. He captained the Irish national team in a friendly against Uruguay in 2011 and was recognized for his leadership qualities. His career highlights include being a Championship runner-up with Birmingham City and a UEFA Europa League runner-up with Fulham, showcasing his impact in both domestic and international football.
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Gallery
Career & Clubs
Kelly won Irish caps at junior levels and became a member of the senior Irish national squad, making his debut versus Chile. He represented the Republic of Ireland Under-16 team at the 2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship and the Under-20 team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. On 29 March 2011, Kelly was named as Ireland captain for the friendly against Uruguay at the Aviva Stadium. He was a squad member at UEFA Euro 2012 but saw no game time. Then, despite injuries to Richard Dunne and Sean St Ledger, manager Giovanni Trapattoni left him on the bench for the 6-1 home defeat to Germany in 2014 World Cup qualifying. Days later, Kelly had a training ground row with assistant manager Marco Tardelli, and was left so upset by the incident that he did not want to board the plane for the game against the Faroe Islands.
Tottenham Hotspur
Kelly was born in Dublin, where he played football for Belvedere before joining Tottenham Hotspur through their youth programme. He was something of an understudy to Stephen Carr (who was subsequently transferred to Newcastle United) and then to Paul Stalteri. He made his Spurs first team debut in 2003 and then went on to make 37 Premier League appearances, scoring two league goals, against Birmingham City and Aston Villa.
Birmingham City
Birmingham City were reported to have agreed a deal to sign Kelly in January 2006 before Tottenham's shortage of defenders put a stop to the move. He did join Birmingham, however, on 28 June for an initial fee of £750,000, potentially rising to £1.25 million depending on his success with the club. He made 36 appearances in the 2006–07 Championship as Birmingham were promoted as runners-up. Kelly was the only outfield player in the 2007–08 Premier League season to play every minute of every game for his club.
Stoke City (loan)
On 4 February 2009, Kelly joined Stoke City on loan from Birmingham City until the end of the 2008–09 season. Stoke City had to wait for 36 hours after the January transfer window shut for confirmation of the deal. Kelly made his Stoke debut in their next game, a 2–0 defeat to Sunderland, but picked up a hamstring injury while on international duty which kept him out of Stoke's next fixture.
Fulham
On 16 June 2009, Kelly signed a three-year contract with…
- Club
- Birmingham City F.C. (2006–2009)
- Club
- Queens Park Rangers F.C. (2003–2003)
- Club
- Watford F.C. (2003–2003)
- Club
- Reading F.C. (2013–2015)
- Club
- Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (2000–2006)
- Club
- Fulham F.C. (2009–2013)
- Club
- Southend United F.C. (2003–2003)
- Club
- Stoke City F.C. (2009–2009)
- Club
- Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team (2003–2005)
- Club
- Rotherham United F.C. (2015–2017)
- Club
- Republic of Ireland national under-17 football team (1999–2000)
- Club
- Republic of Ireland national under-20 football team (2002–2003)
- Club
- Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team (2002–2003)
- League
- Premier League
- National team
- Ireland
- Club
- Republic of Ireland men's national association football team (2006–2014)
Legacy
Birmingham City
Championship runner-up: 2006–07 Fulham
UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2009–10 International
Nations Cup: 2011
Clubs
- Republic of Ireland national under-17 football team1999–2000
- Tottenham Hotspur F.C.2000–2006
- Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team2002–2003
- Republic of Ireland national under-20 football team2002–2003
- Queens Park Rangers F.C.2003–2003
- Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team2003–2005
- Southend United F.C.2003–2003
- Watford F.C.2003–2003
- Birmingham City F.C.2006–2009
- Republic of Ireland men's national association football team2006–2014
- Fulham F.C.2009–2013
- Stoke City F.C.2009–2009
- Reading F.C.2013–2015
- Rotherham United F.C.2015–2017
Played together with
Aaron BrownQueens Park Rangers F.C. · 2004–2006- Aaron BrownReading F.C. · 2005–2008
Aaron HughesFulham F.C. · 2007–2014- Aaron HughesQueens Park Rangers F.C. · 2014–2014
Aaron KuhlReading F.C. · 2008- Aaron KuhlReading F.C. · 2013
- Aaron KuhlReading F.C. · 2014
Aaron LennonTottenham Hotspur F.C. · 2005–2015
Aaron McEneffTottenham Hotspur F.C.
Aaron McLeanBirmingham City F.C. · 2013–2014
Aaron TshibolaReading F.C. · 2013
Abdenasser El KhayatiQueens Park Rangers F.C. · 2016–2017
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Stephen Michael David Kelly is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a right back. He was part of the team that secured the Republic of Ireland's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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