Rickie Lambert

At 42 years old, Rickie Lambert has this physical status:

Rickie Lee Lambert (born 16 February 1982) is an English former professional footballer.

Before retiring in 2017 he played as a striker.

He won a number of personal awards, including two league Golden Boots.

Lambert was known for his large stature and physical performances, drawing comparisons with former Southampton player Matt Le Tissier for his ability in front of goal and penalty record.He began his career at Blackpool, having been previously dropped by Liverpool as a youngster, and played in the Football League with Macclesfield Town, Stockport County, Rochdale, Bristol Rovers before joining Southampton for over £1 million in 2009.

Lambert proved a key signing for Southampton, becoming their top scorer as they were promoted to the Championship from League One in 2011 and to the Premier League the following season, scoring 117 goals for the team across all competitions.

After a season back at Liverpool, he had a season each at West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City.

Lambert announced his retirement in October 2017 after being unable to find a new club following his departure from Cardiff City.On 8 August 2013, Lambert was called up to the England team for the first time, scoring on his England debut at Wembley Stadium in a friendly against Scotland with his first touch.

On 12 May 2014, he was named in the England squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

Lambert is married to Amy and the couple have three children. Their third child, was born on 8 August 2013, the same day he was called up to the England squad for his debut against Scotland.

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Club career

Lambert was born and raised in the Westvale, Merseyside, by parents Maurice and Ray. Lambert joined local club Liverpool as a youth at the age of 10, but he was suspended when he was 15 years old.

Lambert began training with Blackpool in August 1998 at the age of 16. In a 2–1 Second Division victory over Wrexham on August 7, he made his professional debut on August 7, 1999 as a 17-year-old, playing as a 68th-minute replacement for Andy Couzens. In the 1999–2000 season, he made two more substitute appearances, which culminated in Blackpool being relegated. Lambert was on a month-to-month basis and had trouble finding a spot in the reserves during the following season. In November 2000, Steve McMahon was released.

Lambert remained a free agent for almost four months, during which he spent time in a beetroot bottling plant to make ends meet before being signed by another Third Division club, Macclesfield Town, in March 2001, where he made a total of 9 league appearances in the remainder of the 2000–01 season. Lambert made a name for himself in Macclesfield's 2001-02 season, scoring his first two appearances and ten goals, including a penalty, in a 2–2 draw with Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup first round. Lambert won 4–1 league over Luton Town at Moss Rose a week later.

In a transfer that was completed on April 26, 2002, Macclesfield received a club record transfer fee of £300,000 for Lambert from Stockport County, second Division. Lambert made 32 appearances in his first season in the third division, but only in league matches, including two goals, in a 2–5 loss to Swindon Town on January 18 and a 2–2 draw with former club Blackpool on March 22, 2003. Lambert's most successful (on a personal) so far this season, with 40 league appearances yielding 12 goals, including another against Blackpool and two in a late victory over Rushden & Diamonds in the late stages of the season. Lambert was a regular for Stockport at the start of the 2004–05 season, but after poor team results and a real danger of relegation for the club, he left in February 2005.

Lambert, despite being a good player, moved down a division to Rochdale in 2005, the day after his 23rd birthday, for an undisclosed fee. Lambert scored his first goal for the club just nine days after his move to Kidderminster Harriers in a 1–1 draw, but he was unable to help the club secure promotion. The striker appeared in all 46 of Rochdale's league games in 2005, six of which were scored, including one in a 3–1 loss of former club Macclesfield Town.

Lambert was purchased by Rochdale Rovers for £200,000 before the 2006–07 season, which was the transfer deadline. Despite quickly establishing himself as a regular member of the squad, Lambert didn't score his first goal for the club until November in the last minute of a 2–0 victory over Barnet. The remainder of the season was a disappointment for the forward, but Bristol Rovers' 86th-minute victory over Hartlepool United put them into League Two Play-offs, from which they advanced to League One. Lambert also scored his only goal in the Football League Trophy Southern Area Final in a Bristol derby against local rivals Bristol City, which eventually led the team to the final with Doncaster Rovers (which lost 2–3 after extra time).

Lambert played in every game of the season in 2007, scoring 19 goals in both legs of the FA Cup victory over Leyton Orient, the only goal in the Fourth Round victory over Barnet and the only goal in the fifth Round victory over Southampton. Despite his modest scoring record, Lambert ended as the club's top scorer for the season.

Lambert established himself as one of League One's best scorers by finishing as the season's top scorer of 29 goals with Swindon Town's Simon Cox, his first selection in the Year's First PFA Team of the Year. Lambert put up a tumultuous run in a 3–0 away win over Hereford United during the season, in which Rovers finished a respectable 11th place in the league, with four goals scoring all four goals in a 4–2 victory over Southend United and a hat-trick in a 3–0 victory over Hereford United.

Lambert completed a transfer worth more than £1 million to recently relegated League One side Southampton on August 10, 2009, with 155 appearances and 59 goals for Bristol Rovers. On his debut with the Saints against Northampton Town on August 11, 2009, the striker scored and went on to become the club's top scorer for the season, with 36 in all competitions. Lambert's other goals this season include one against local rivals Portsmouth in the FA Cup fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, a hat-trick against Milton Keynes Dons in the league on March 20, 2010, and a penalty against Carlisle United in the 4–1 Football League Trophy Final victory at Wembley Stadium on March 28, 2010. Despite a 10-point penalty for financial reasons, Southampton finished the season in 7th, just one place off the play-offs. Lambert was also named in the PFA Team of the Year for League One, as well as winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award for the division, despite a season in which he performed statistically similar to his last with Bristol Rovers.

In comparison to the goal he scored for Bristol Rovers in the first match of the season, he scored in his debut season with Southampton in all competitions. Lambert was the top scorer in England's top four divisions for the second season in succession, with 31 goals in league.

Lambert's first brace was a 2–1 away win at Exeter City in February 2011, and the second was two penalties in a 4–4 away draw against Peterborough United. In a 1–0 victory over Carlisle United on Tuesday, he scored his 50th goal for Southampton. He finished second in the league and won promotion to the Championship during the 2010-11 season. Lambert agreed to a new deal on July 1st in order to keep him at the club until 2014.

In a 4–1 victory over Torquay United in the League Cup on September 9, he scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season with a 25-yard free kick. In a 5–2 win over Ipswich Town, he continued this with a brace. In a match where Southampton defeated Nottingham Forest 3–2, he scored a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest. Lambert netting two penalties in his 100th league appearance against Watford. In a 3–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, he scored two more hat-tricks, two of which came from the penalty spot. In a 2–2 draw at home against Blackpool, his 15th and 16th goals of the season came as the opener and a late leveller. He scored in a 1–1 draw with Portsmouth, a south coast rival. After being banned from three matches, he made his comeback with a goal against Millwall in a 1–1 draw in the FA Cup. In a 1-1 draw against promotion hopefuls Cardiff City, his first league goal since being suspended was in the very next game and came from the penalty spot. In the FA Cup replay against Millwall, he scored his 20th goal of the season. In a 3–0 win over Watford on February 25th, he scored his third hat-trick of the season. He began his impressive second season in the second class at Elland Road on March 3rd, taking his total number for the 2011–12 season to 24 in all competitions.

Lambert was named the Year of the Year for 2011 on March 13, 2012. In a 3–2 victory over Millwall, he scored his fourth hat-trick of the season. Lambert hasn't missed a single point of conversion at Southampton; he has a 100 percent conversion rate. In a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace that brought his goal total to 30 for the season, he scored both goals. He and colleagues Adam Lallana and Kelvin Davis were then named in the 2011-12 PFA Team of the Year for the Championship. For the second time in three years, he finished the season with 31 goals, 27 in the league, as Saints clinched promotion to the Premier League, winning him the Southampton Fans' Player of the Season award.

On his first Premier League appearance, he scored just minutes after being brought up by Jay Rodriguez as a replacement against Manchester City. Lambert was selected from a select group of players who have scored in all four league divisions as a result of this goal. In a match against Manchester United, he continued this up with the opening goal. In Southampton's first league victory of the season, he scored two goals, defeating Aston Villa 4–1. In a 2–2 draw at Chelsea, his 10th Premier League goal was scored, with Lambert scoring the first goal as Southampton came back from 2–0 down. He had only been on the field for a matter of minutes. In a loss at Newcastle United that was his 12th goal of the season, he scored his 100th Southampton goal. Lambert signed a two-year contract extension on March 21, 2013 extending his contract with the Saints until spring 2016. He scored a free-kick winner against Chelsea on his 500th appearance in his career. He started the season as the club's top goal scorer, scoring 15 league goals and appearing in all 38 league games.

Lambert scored another goal, a last-minute penalty, in a 1–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on August 17th. In a 2–0 home win over Crystal Palace on September 28, he had his second game of the season and 200th league goal of his career. He had 13 goals in 37 league games this season.

Lambert was named a Liverpool player after undergoing a medical, signing a two-year deal for an initial £4 million transfer fee plus add-ons. "I have always dreamt of playing for Liverpool," the club's adolescent captain said, "but I did not necessarily think the chance of playing for them had gone." I didn't think the chance would come.

In the team's first match of the new Premier League season, Philippe Coutinho was given a 2–1 victory over Southampton at Anfield on August 17th. Lambert lost 1–0 to Swiss champions FC Basel in the UEFA Champions League group stages on October 1st in European competitions for Liverpool. Liverpool's first goal came at Crystal Palace on November 23rd, when he scored in the second minute following a through ball from Adam Lallana. Liverpool lost the match 3–1. In a 2–2 draw away from Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League group stage, four days later he scored his first goal in European competition, marking the first equalizer in a 2–2 draw. Lambert had scored in England's top four divisions, the Champions League, and for the national team as a result. Lambert scored his second Premier League goal for the club in a victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park on January 17, 2015.

Lambert was named in the Football League team of the decade at the 2015 Football League Awards on April 19, 2015.

Lambert joined West Bromwich Albion on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, presumably in the amount of $3 million. Lambert scored twice on his debut in a friendly against his former team Bristol Rovers later that day. West Bromwich opened the season on August 10 with a 0–3 home loss to Manchester City. He made his competitive debut on August tenaciously. In a 3–2 home loss to Leicester City, he scored his first goal for the team on October 31st, earning a consolation from the penalty spot.

Lambert signed with Cardiff City on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee, making his debut in a 3–2 loss to Norwich City on September 10, 2016. On September 24, he scored the winner six minutes later in his first game as the equalizer against Rotherham United. Lambert sustained a "pretty" leg injury in a match against Nottingham Forest in October 2016, resulting in a long-term absence from the team. Neil Warnock said that the striker did not appear in his future plans due to his injury and indifferent form. Lambert left the club on July 6th, 2017 after his deal was terminated by mutual consent.

Lambert resigned from football on October 2nd, 2017 after not finding a new club.

International career

Lambert was called up to the England squad for the first time at the age of 31, on the same day that his wife gave birth to their third child, Bella. He scored on his England debut with his first touch of the game against Scotland, a header, two minutes and 43 seconds after coming on as a replacement for Wayne Rooney to gain a 3–2 victory for his country. Lambert received his second call-up on August 27, 2013 when England captain Roy Hodgson selected him in the England squad to face Moldova and Ukraine in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Lambert was given a kick by Hodgson against Moldova at Wembley Stadium on September 6, 2013. He scored his second international goal in the match, another header, making it two goals in two straight matches. Lambert also contributed to two Danny Welbeck goals in the same match.

Lambert was selected in the 23-man England squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on May 12, 2014. He picked the ball from Ross Barkley and scored to put England up in an eventual 2–2 draw in a warm-up match against Ecuador on June 4th in Miami. Lambert made his first appearance in England's second group match, a 2–1 loss to Uruguay, replacing Jordan Henderson for the final three minutes as England searched for an equalizer.

Lambert started as a 90th-minute replacement and assisted Danny Welbeck in the 2-0 victory in Basel on September 8, 2014, his first UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Switzerland.

Career statistics

After each Lambert goal, England's score is ranked first, and the score column indicates the score.

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