Kyle Lafferty
 Lafferty playing for Northern Ireland in 2012. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 September 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Palermo | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| 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– | Palermo | 19 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| Northern Ireland U17 | 5 | (0) | |
| Northern Ireland U19 | 6 | (1) | |
| 2006 | Northern Ireland U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2006– | Northern Ireland | 36 | (9) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 December 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Kyle Lafferty (born 16 September 1987 in Kesh, Co Fermanagh ) is a Northern Irish association footballer who currently plays as a striker for Palermo.
He made his first international appearance for Northern Ireland in 2006 and has received 35 caps, scoring 9 goals.
Lafferty began his professional career with English side Burnley, where he made 89 appearances. He signed for Rangers in 2008 for £3.25 million. Lafferty won three Scottish Premier League titles, the Scottish Cup once and the Scottish League Cup twice with the club. Despite professing to be a lifelong fan of the club, Lafferty chose not to transfer over to the new company which took ownership of Rangers in 2012. At the start of the 2012-13 season he chose to sign for FC Sion. In 2013, he signed for Serie B club Palermo on a 3-year contract.
Club career
Burnley
In 2004 he signed a youth team apprenticeship with English Championship team 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.[1]
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.[2] He returned to Burnley in January 2007.
He scored his first senior goal against Luton Town, netting the equaliser for Burnley during 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 £3m 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 during 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 that no contact had been made 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 review panel with a view to rescinding Mulgrew's red card, with possible action taken against Lafferty for his simulation.[10] On 7 August 2009 Lafferty was given a two month suspension for simulation, this was the first time such action was taken by the SFA.[11]
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 left to play. On 22 August, Lafferty was sent off, along with opponent Kevin McBride, in a match at the same venue.[12] On 25 September 2010, Lafferty scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 7–2 victory over Dunfermline Athletic.[13] Lafferty scored in Rangers 4–0 win over Dundee United in 19 April 2011,[14] before being criticised for missing an opportunity in the final Old Firm game of the 2010–11 season at Ibrox in a 0–0 draw.[15] Lafferty then went on to score in three consecutive games in the title run in against Motherwell,[16] Hearts[17] and Dundee United.[18] 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 SPL championship.[19] 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.[20] PFA Scotland had previously commented that players were entitled to become free agents if they objected to the transfer.[21]
Lafferty has raised a constructive dismissal claim against Rangers.[22][23]
FC Sion
Lafferty signed a three-year contract with Swiss Super League club FC Sion on 30 June 2012.[24] Lafferty was unable to play in Sion's 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.[25] 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 and scored his first goal 7 days 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 he officially moved to Palermo of the Italian Serie B.[26]
International career
In early 2006, Lafferty represented Northern Ireland under 19s at the internationally respected youth tournament Milk Cup. Lafferty impressed during the tournament scoring in his first game against Paraguay under 19s; however 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 bagged his first international brace, scoring two goals in a friendly against Georgia which Northern Ireland won 4–1.
International goals
- Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 August 2006 | Olympiastadion, Helsinki |  Finland | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly match |
| 3 | 17 October 2007 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna |  Sweden | 1–1 | 1–1 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 4 | 26 March 2008 | Windsor Park, Belfast |  Georgia | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly match |
| 5 | 26 March 2008 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Georgia | 3–0 | 4–1 | Friendly match |
| 6 | 15 October 2008 | Windsor Park, Belfast |  San Marino | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
| 7 | 5 September 2009 | Silesian Stadium, Chorzow |  Poland | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
| 8 | 12 October 2010 | Svangaskarð, Toftir |  Faroe Islands | 1–1 | 1–1 | Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 9 | 22 August 2012 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Finland | 3–3 | 3–3 | Friendly match |
Career statistics
- As of 26 January 2014
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | ||
| Darlington (loan) | 2005–06 | 9 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 9 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 9 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Burnley | 2005–06 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 37 | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 38 | 5 | 1 | |||
| Total | 83 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 87 | 10 | 2 | |
| Rangers | 2008–09 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 9 | 3 |
| 2009–10 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 7 | 5 | |
| 2010–11 | 31 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 15 | 5 | |
| 2011–12 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 104 | 31 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 138 | 38 | 14 | |
| Sion | 2012–13 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 8 | 2 |
| Total | 25 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 8 | 2 | |
| Palermo | 2013–14 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | 19 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 1 | |
| Career Total | 240 | 55 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 283 | 66 | 19 | |
Honours
- Scottish Premier League (3): 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11
- Scottish Cup (1): 2009
- Scottish League Cup (2): 2010, 2011
Personal life
Lafferty married former miss Scotland Nicola Mimnagh at St Margaret's RC Church, in Johnstone, Renfrewshire on 2 June 2012. They have one son (born December 2011).[27]
References
- ↑ "Crewe 2–1 Burnley" Soccerbase. 6 August 2005.
- ↑ "Notts County 3–2 Darlington" Soccerbase. 7 January 2006.
- ↑ "Burnley 1–1 Luton" Soccerbase. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ "Lafferty completes Rangers move". BBC Sport. 19 June 2008.
- ↑ Murray, Keir (5 August 2008). "FBK Kaunas 2–1 Rangers". BBC Sport.
- ↑ Campbell, Andy (16 August 2008). "Rangers 2–0 Hearts". BBC Sport.
- ↑ "Rangers 2–1 Aberdeen" BBC Sport. 16 May 2009.
- ↑ "Smith upset by red card decisions". BBC Sport. 16 May 2009.
- ↑ "Rangers fine play-acting Lafferty". BBC Sport. 18 May 2009.
- ↑ "Scots FA review Ibrox red cards". BBC Sport. 20 May 2009.
- ↑ . BBC Sport. 7 August 2009 "Old Firm pair handed suspensions http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/8190130.stm "Old Firm pair handed suspensions. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Pattullo, Alan (23 August 2010). "Kyle Lafferty told to curb temper after striker sees red in Rangers victory". The Scotsman.
- ↑ "Rangers 7–2 Dunfermline". BBC Sport. 21 September 2010.
- ↑ Duncan, Colin (20 April 2011). "Dundee United 0–4 Rangers". Daily Record.
- ↑ Lindsay, Clive (24 May 2011). "Rangers 0–0 St Mirren". BBC Sport.
- ↑ "Motherwell 0–5 Rangers". BBC Sport. 30 April 2011.
- ↑ Murray, Keir (7 May 2011). "Rangers 4–0 Hearts". BBC Sport.
- ↑ Lindsay, Clive (10 May 2011). "Rangers 2–0 Dundee Utd". BBC Sport.
- ↑ Moffat, Colin (15 May 2011). "Kilmarnock 1–5 Rangers". BBC Sport.
- ↑ "Rangers: Davis, McGregor, Lafferty and Ness eye exit". BBC Sport (BBC). 26 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Rangers: Players free not to join 'newco' says law expert". BBC Sport (BBC). 14 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ↑ "Sixty-seven players 'in legal action' over Rangers contract transfer". STV Sport. 10 December 2012.
- ↑ "Rangers International Football Club plc". Rangersshareoffer.com. 8 December 2012.
- ↑ "Le buteur des Rangers Kyle Lafferty rejoint le FC Sion". www.fc-sion.ch (FC Sion). 30 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.(French)
- ↑ "Rangers: SFA urged to end uncertainty over ex-Ibrox players". BBC Sport (BBC). 15 July 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ↑ "ACQUISTATO LAFFERTY DAL SION". U.S. Città di Palermo. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ "Rangers star Kyle Lafferty marries stunning ex-Miss Scotland". The Daily Record. 2 June 2012.
External links
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