Steve Sidwell

Infobox Football biography
playername = Steve Sidwell


fullname = Steven James Sidwell
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1982|12|14|df=yes
cityofbirth = Wandsworth
countryofbirth = England
height = height|ft=5|in=10
position = Central midfielder
currentclub = Aston Villa
clubnumber = 4
youthyears =
youthclubs = Arsenal
years = 1999–2003
2001–2002
2002
2002–2003
2003–2007
2007–2008
2008–
clubs = Arsenal
→ Brentford (loan)
→ KSK Beveren (loan)
→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)
Reading
Chelsea
Aston Villa
caps(goals) = 000 0(0)
030 0(4)
000 0(0)
012 0(5)
168 (29)
015 0(0)
000 0(0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = England U21
nationalcaps(goals) = 005 0(0)
pcupdate = 13:03, 11 July 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 21:08, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Football career

Arsenal

Sidwell was born in Wandsworth, London. He was part of the Arsenal youth team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2000 and 2001. One of his team mates during these years was James Harper, who he would go on to play with at Reading. He had successful loan spells with Brentford and Brighton, but was unable to break into the Arsenal first team.

Reading

Sidwell moved to Reading for an undisclosed fee on a four-and-a-half year deal in January 2003. [cite news | date=2003-02-11 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/reading/2678087.stm | title=Sidwell joins Reading | publisher=BBC Sport | accessdate=2007-01-29] In 2004, Four Four Two Magazine voted him the best player outside the Premier League.Fact|date=July 2008

A vital part of Reading's Championship-winning 2005–06 squad, in April 2006 Sidwell was named in the "Championship Team of the Year" [cite news | date=2006-04-23 | url=http://www.givemefootball.com/display.cfm?article=8213&type=1 | title=The PFA Team of the Year: Coca-Cola Championship | publisher=Professional Footballers' Association | accessdate=2006-05-24] by the Professional Footballers' Association, keeping the place he had been given the previous year.

In the summer of 2006, Sidwell rejected a contract extension, [cite news | date=2006-07-06 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/reading/5114944.stm | title=Sidwell rejects new Reading deal | publisher=BBC Sport | accessdate=2007-01-29] and it was rumoured that he might be sold to Everton, Charlton Athletic [cite news | date=2006-06-08 | url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/tm_objectid=17196305%26method=full%26siteid=94762%26headline=%2dpound%2d2m%2dsidwell%2dto%2dcash%2din%2dat%2dthe%2dvalley-name_page.html | title=£2M Sidwell to cash in at The Valley | publisher=The Daily Mirror | accessdate=2006-06-08] or Manchester City, [cite news | date=2006-06-26 | url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchestercity/s/216/216618_rumour_mill_city_in_for_sidwell.html | title=Rumour mill: City in for Sidwell | publisher=Manchester Evening News | accessdate=2006-06-28] as his contract was due to run out at the end of the 2006–07 season. Reading decided to keep Sidwell for their inaugural season in the Premier League, and risk losing him without a transfer fee when his contract ran out.

Over the course of the season, he was linked with a number of high profile clubs. After the last game of the season, Reading manager Steve Coppell confirmed that Sidwell had left the club and knew who he had signed for, but refused to say. [cite news | title=Coppell confirms Sidwell exit | work=skysports.com | url=http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=466480&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=3&title=Coppell+confirms+Sidwell+exit&channel=& | date=2007-05-13 | accessdate=2007-05-13]

Chelsea

Sidwell joined Chelsea on 1 July 2007 on a free transfer from Reading, [cite news | title=Sidwell agrees switch to Chelsea | publisher=BBC Sport | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/6681893.stm | date=2007-05-22 | accessdate=2007-05-22] and was given squad number 9 for the 2007–08 season. [cite news | date=2007-07-11 | url=http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage/0,,10268~1071268,00.html | title=Introducing new number nine | work=chelseafc.com | accessdate=2007-07-11] In his first interview after joining Chelsea, Sidwell stated that he had not come to Chelsea to 'make up the numbers', and that he believed training and playing alongside top players like Michael Essien and Frank Lampard would only help him improve. [cite news | date=2007-08-10 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/6940009.stm | title=Sidwell keen to make Chelsea mark | work=BBC News | accessdate=2007-08-10]

He made his debut for Chelsea in a 2–1 win over Mexican side Club América in a friendly match in Stanford, California, during Chelsea's summer 2007 tour of the United States. His Premiership debut for Chelsea came on 12 August 2007 in a 3–2 victory against Birmingham City when he replaced Florent Malouda in the 83rd minute, [cite news | title=Chelsea 3-2 Birmingham | publisher=BBC Sport | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6931067.stm | date=2007-08-12 | accessdate=2007-09-29] and he scored his only goal for the club on 26 September 2007, in a 4-0 win away to Hull City in the third round of the Football League Cup. [cite news | title=Hull 0-4 Chelsea | publisher=BBC Sport | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/7008019.stm | date=2007-09-26 | accessdate=2007-09-29]

At the end of the 2007–08 season, Sidwell became linked to several Premier League clubs, including Everton, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough. [cite news | date=2008-05-16 | url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/05/16/middlesbrough-target-chelsea-midfielder-steve-sidwell-89520-20419454/ | title=Middlesbrough target Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell | publisher=The Daily Mirror ]

Aston Villa

On 10 July 2008, Sidwell signed a three-year deal with Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £5,000,000. [cite news | title=Sidwell Signs| publisher=Aston Villa | url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~1341381,00.html | date=2008-07-10 | accessdate=2008-07-10] [cite news | title=Villa Complete Sidwell Transfer| publisher=FIFA | url=http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=824142.html#villa+complete+sidwell+transfer | date=2008-07-10 | accessdate=2008-07-10] He made his debut for the club in a pre-season game against FC Zürich, playing the first 45 minutes, in a match which Villa lost 2-1. [cite news | title=FC Zurich 2-1 VILLA| publisher=Aston Villa | url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~1343074,00.html | date=2008-07-12 | accessdate=2008-07-16] On 19 July 2008, Sidwell scored an own goal for Odense in the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2008 in a 2-2 draw at Fionia Park. A week later he made his Home Debut in the return leg of the fixture, with Villa winning 1-0 on the day, and 3-2 on aggregate.

Honours

*with Arsenal
**FA Youth Cup: 1999–2000, 2000–01
*with Reading
**Football League Championship (level 2): 2005–06
*with Chelsea
**Premier League runners-up: 2007–08
**UEFA Champions League runners-up: 2007–08

Personal life

Sidwell married Krystell on 19 June 2005. Within days of returning from their honeymoon, Steve had a tattoo of the wedding vows he had written for Krystell placed on his back. [cite news | date=2006-10-22 | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=411907&in_page_id=1779 | title=Reading ace Sidwell reveals the truth about his amazing tattoo | work=Daily Mail | accessdate=2007-02-17] Their son Harry was born in April 2006. [cite news | date=2006-10-22 | url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11052008/8/photo/chelsea-s-steve-sidwell-son-harry-during-lap-honour.html | title=Chelsea's Steve Sidwell with his son Harry during the lap of honour | work=Yahoo! Sports | accessdate=2008-06-17]

His brother, Lee Sidwell, is an amateur footballer. He played for AFC Wimbledon during the 2002–03 campaign, their inaugural season in the Combined Counties Football League Division One, and also won the award for Player of the Year during that season. He left the club in September 2004 to join Whyteleafe. [cite news | url=http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/players.php?squad=371&Psection_id=3&Psub_section_id=3&player_id=25&position=Midfielder | title=AFC Wimbledon Squad | work=AFC Wimbledon ]

References

External links

*soccerbase|28745|Steve Sidwell
* [http://www.icons.com/sidwell/ Steve Sidwell's official web site] at icons.com

Persondata
NAME=Sidwell, Steven James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH=14 December 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH=Wandsworth, London
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=