Paul Ritchie (footballer born 1975)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Simon Ritchie | ||
| Date of birth | 21 August 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Kirkcaldy, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–2000 | Heart of Midlothian | 133 | (6) |
| 1999–2000 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2000 | Rangers | 0 | (0) |
| 2000–2003 | Manchester City | 20 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2003 | → Derby County (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Walsall | 33 | (1) |
| 2004–2006 | Dundee United | 45 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | AC Omonia | 2 | (0) |
| 2009 | Carolina RailHawks | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 267 | (7) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–1997 | Scotland U-21 | 7 | (0) |
| 1999–2004 | Scotland | 7 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2010–2011 | Carolina RailHawks (assistant) | ||
| 2011–2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC (assistant) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Paul Simon Ritchie (born 21 August 1975) is a Scottish football coach and former professional player. Ritchie started his playing career with Heart of Midlothian (Hearts), making 133 league appearances for the club and helping it win the Scottish Cup in 1998. He played for several clubs after leaving Hearts during the 1999–2000 season. Ritchie made seven appearances for the Scotland national football team between 1999 and 2004, scoring one goal. Since retiring as a player he has worked as a football coach, most recently as assistant coach with Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.
Beginning his career with Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) in 1992, Ritchie quickly gained a reputation as a promising defender, gaining a regular first team place and winning Scotland under-21 caps. The highlight of his time at Hearts was undoubtedly the club's Scottish Cup win in 1998. Persistent speculation linked him with a move to Rangers, particularly with his Hearts contract due to expire in 2000. The Tynecastle club, however, were unwilling to allow him to move to a rival cheaply, and he spent time with Bolton Wanderers on a short term contract and appeared in both the FA Cup and League Cup Semi Finals before finally joining Rangers on a Bosman free transfer in June 2000.
However, Rangers manager Dick Advocaat then elected to sell Ritchie to Manchester City for a fee of £500,000 just two months later, without him ever playing a first team match for the club. Ritchie would spend three years with City, but struggled throughout to earn a regular place in their team, spending time out on loan with Portsmouth and Derby County. In August 2003 he left on a free transfer and joined Walsall, where despite suffering relegation he was at least able to play regular first team football again, forcing himself back into the international reckoning with some inspirational performances, scoring once against Rotherham United. However, whilst at Walsall he was caught up in a contract dispute with owner Jeff Bonser, indirectly leading to the dismissal of Saddler's manager Colin Lee.
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