| Chris Kirkland | |
|---|---|
| |
| Personal information | |
| Date of Birth |
2 May 1981 |
| Place of Birth |
Barwell, England |
| Height |
1.96 m (6'5") |
| Position |
Goalkeeper |
| Liverpool statistics | |
| Years |
2001-2006 |
| Appearances |
45 |
| Goals |
0 |
Christopher Edmund "Chris" Kirkland (born 2 May 1981) is an English international footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Liverpool from 2001 to 2006.
Liverpool career[]
On 31 August 2001, it was confirmed that Liverpool had completed the signings of goalkeepers Chris Kirkland and Jerzy Dudek, for fees of £6,000,000 and £4,850,000 respectively. Kirkland made his debut in a 2-1 League Cup defeat at home to Grimsby on 9 October 2001. He spent the majority of his first season serving as the understudy to Dudek, making just three more appearances, just one in the Premier League.
On 9 December 2002, Kirkland started just his first Premier League game in a 2-0 defeat at Charlton after Dudek made a number of mistakes in a defeat to Manchester United. The England keeper kept his place for the next thirteen games, but picked up an ankle injury in January, which kept him out for the rest of the season.
In the 2003-04 season, injuries prevented Kirkland from making the starting position his own. He kept just 3 clean sheets in 12 starts.
During the first half of the 2004-05 season, Kirkland was a consistent starter, making 14 appearances, including 4 Champions League group stage games. However, more injuries and the arrival of Scott Carson in January meant that Kirkland's Liverpool career was over.
In the summer of 2005, Kirkland was sent out on loan to West Brom for the season. He was then sold to Wigan Athletic at the beginning of the 2006-07 season.
Kirkland made 45 appearances for the club, winning both the League Cup and the Champions League.
Honours[]
Liverpool[]
- League Cup: 1 (2003)
- Champions League: 1 (2005)
Stats[]
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2001-02 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2002-03 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 2003-04 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2004-05 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Total | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 |