1987/01/21
Joseph Christopher Ledley
Cardiff, Wales
6' 0" (183cm)
11st 7lbs (73.09kg)
Centre/Left Midfielder
The Skunk
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Cardiff
Club information
Cardiff
None
Wales
Cardiff Under 18s
Facts & Background
Contents |
About
Joseph Christopher "Joe" Ledley is a Welsh professional footballer currently playing for Football League Championship side Cardiff City.
Background
Ledley was born in Cardiff, growing up in the Fairwater area. As a youngster he attended Cantonian High School, where his picture is still displayed.
Club Football
Ledley joined his hometown club Cardiff City at the age of nine and made his way through the youth ranks at the club. During his later days as a trainee he was in charge of cleaning then captain Graham Kavanagh's boots. After performing well for the reserve team, and thus being called into the full team in the middle of the 2004–05 season, Ledley made his debut against Milton Keynes Dons on 21 September 2004 before making his league debut the next month on 16 October against Rotherham United. He scored his first goal for the senior team in a league match against West Ham United which the Bluebirds won 4–1. Primarily a midfielder, being able to play in the centre or on the left, Ledley can also play at left-back as he showed at the end of the 2006–07 season when he filled in at the position with Cardiff's small squad struggling with suspensions and injuries late in the season. He has also played at left-back for Wales. At the end of the 2006–07 season he picked up the goal of the season award for his strike against Barnsley
Ledley began the 2007–08 season in great form and earned several man of the match awards in the first four months and in October 2007 he signed a two-year extension to his current contract at Cardiff. His form continued into February and early March before a hamstring injury forced him to miss several games, including Cardiff's 2–0 FA Cup Quarter Final victory over Middlesbrough. He returned to the side in time for the Semi Final against Barnsley where he scored the only goal to send Cardiff to their first Final since 1927, a goal which later earned him 'Player of the Round'. Cardiff went on to lose in the Final to Portsmouth.
Despite the speculation about his transfer, with interest from a number of Premiership clubs, including Everton Ledley himself has stated that he is desperate to stay at Cardiff but concedes that he may have no choice should a high offer be made.
International Football
Ledley played at several youth levels for Wales as a youngster eventually winning his first senior Wales cap in an away World Cup qualifying match against Poland in October 2005. His first international goal came against San Marino in a Euro 2008 qualifier on 17 October 2007.
International Goals
| Date | Team | Competition | Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | Wales U17 | 5 | 0 |
| 2004-05 | Wales U19 | 3 | 0 |
| 2005-06 | Wales U21 | 5 | 0 |
| 2006- | Wales | 22 | 1 |
Awards and Honours
FA Cup Runner Up - 2008
Personal Awards
Championship 2006-07 Goal Of The Season
Career Statistics
| Team | Season | Domestic League | Domestic Cups | International | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | G | A | M | G | A | M | G | A | M | G | A | ||
| Cardiff | 2004-2005 | 28 | 3 | - | 4 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | - | 35 | 3 | - |
| 2005-2006 | 42 | 3 | - | 3 | 1 | - | 5 | 0 | - | 45 | 4 | - | |
| 2006-2007 | 46 | 3 | - | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2007-2008 | 41 | 10 | - | 7 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Total | |||||||||||||
M = Matches, G = Goals, A = Assists
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