Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Ruben Ira Loftus-Cheek (born 23 January 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the English national team.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Loftus-Cheek training with England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Ruben Ira Loftus-Cheek[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-23) 23 January 1996[2]
Place of birth Lewisham, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3]
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 12
Youth career
2004–2014 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014– Chelsea 47 (7)
2017–2018 → Crystal Palace (loan) 24 (2)
National team‡
2011 England U16 2 (1)
2012–2013 England U17 8 (1)
2013–2015 England U19 13 (6)
2015– England U21 17 (7)
2017– England 10 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:46, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:29, 15 July 2019 (UTC)

Early life

Loftus-Cheek was born in Lewisham, Greater London.[4] He grew up and attended school in Swanley, Kent.[5] Loftus-Cheek is of Guyanese descent.[6] He is the half-brother, on his father's side,[7] of former professional footballers Carl and Leon Cort.[8] His younger brother, Joe, is a semi-professional footballer.[9]

Club career

Chelsea

Loftus-Cheek joined Chelsea at the age of eight. He impressed at the beginning of the 2011–12 season before picking up a hip injury, from which he recovered by the end of the season to make a substitute appearance in the 2012 FA Youth Cup final.[10] In the 2012–13 season, Loftus-Cheek made 18 appearances for the U-18 squad and nine appearances for the U-21 squad, at the end of the season he was rewarded for his good form to travel with a place in the first-team squad for a post season friendly against Manchester City in May 2013.[11] In 2013–14, Loftus-Cheek helped Chelsea win the FA Youth Cup[12] and was a regular for the U21s as they won the Under-21 Premier League.

2014–15 season
Loftus-Cheek playing for Chelsea in 2014

Loftus-Cheek made his senior debut for the club on 10 December 2014, replacing Cesc Fàbregas for the final 7 minutes of a UEFA Champions League group match against Sporting CP at Stamford Bridge; Chelsea won 3–1 having already come first in the group.[13] He played his first Premier League match on 31 January 2015, coming on for Oscar in added time at the end of a 1–1 home draw against Manchester City.[14]

On 3 February, Loftus-Cheek was promoted into José Mourinho's first team squad alongside fellow teenager Izzy Brown.[15]

On 13 April, Loftus-Cheek played for Chelsea in the final of the 2014–15 UEFA Youth League against Shakhtar Donetsk in Switzerland, which ended with a 3–2 victory for Chelsea.[16] On 10 May 2015, Loftus-Cheek was awarded his first start against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge,[17] playing 60 minutes and recording a 100% pass completion record, before being replaced by Nemanja Matić, in a match that ended in a 1–1 draw.[8][18] Although Loftus-Cheek only made three league appearances out of the whole season, Mourinho stated that he would receive a winner's medal for his contributions this season.[19]

2015–16 season

On 29 August 2015, Loftus-Cheek made his first appearance coming off the bench against Crystal Palace as Chelsea suffered their first home defeat of the season.[20] On 10 January 2016, Loftus-Cheek came on as a half-time substitute for Oscar in an FA Cup match against Scunthorpe United, and scored his first senior goal of his career in the 68th minute of the match, which Chelsea won 2–0.[21] Excluding John Terry, he became the first player to have been at Chelsea since before the age of 15 and score for them since Carlton Cole 10 years and 3 days earlier.[22]

On 29 February 2016, Loftus-Cheek signed a new five-year deal after impressing when given the chance in the first team.[23] He scored his first league goal on 2 April, scoring the opener in a 4–0 win against Aston Villa away.[24] After scoring his first league goal, Loftus-Cheek continued to be in the starting line-up in the following two matches against Swansea City and Manchester City.[25]

2016–17 season
Loftus-Cheek playing for Chelsea in 2015

Under new manager, Antonio Conte, Loftus-Cheek was deployed as a striker, playing alongside Diego Costa during preseason.[26] After the loan departure of Bertrand Traoré, Loftus-Cheek was handed the number 14 shirt prior to the season's beginning, switching from his previous number 36.[27]

On 23 August 2016, Loftus-Cheek made his first appearance of the season, starting against Bristol Rovers in the Second round of the EFL Cup. He started the build-up of the first goal, as well as providing the assist to the third goal scored by Michy Batshuayi, which turned out to be the winner of a 3–2 victory.[28] He received a standing ovation as he was coming-off for Oscar in the 82nd minute, and was also praised by Conte after the match.[29]

Loan to Crystal Palace

On 12 July 2017, Loftus-Cheek joined fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace on a season-long loan.[30] He made his debut on the opening day of the season during their 3–0 home defeat against Huddersfield Town, playing for the full 90 minutes.[31] On 25 November 2017, Loftus-Cheek scored his first goal for the London side in a 2–1 victory over Stoke City.[32] Following some impressive form, Loftus-Cheek was rewarded with a senior call-up by manager Gareth Southgate to the England squad for their fixtures against Germany and Brazil in November 2017.[33]

Return from loan

For the 2018–19 season, Loftus-Cheek was included in the Chelsea first team and assigned the number 12 shirt. On 25 October 2018, he scored a hat-trick in a Europa League home match against BATE Borisov, which ended in a 3–1 win for Chelsea.[34] Three days later, he scored his first league goal of the season away to Burnley.[35] He scored in back-to-back league games in December, against Fulham in a 2–0 home win[36] and Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 2–1 away loss.[37] On 5 May, Loftus-Cheek scored the opener against Watford in a 3–0 home win that eventually secured Champions League football for the following season.[38] In the next match, the second leg of the Europa League semi-final at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, he scored in a 1–1 draw, with Chelsea prevailing 4–3 on penalties.[39] He was ruled out of the final, however, after he suffered an achilles injury during a charity match against New England Revolution.[40]

2019–20 season

On 6 July 2019 Loftus-Cheek agreed a new five-year contract with Chelsea, running until 2024.[41][42]

International career
Loftus-Cheek with England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Loftus-Cheek first represented England at under-16 level in 2011 and then progressed through to the U17, U19 and U21 teams.[43] In 2015, he received his first call up to the England U21 team, being named in the provisional squad for the European Championship after impressing for the U19s and breaking into the senior Chelsea team.[44]

In 2016, Loftus-Cheek took part in the Toulon Tournament with England and scored what proved to be the winning goal in the final against France.[45] After the match, he was named Player of the Tournament,[46] becoming the first English player to win the award since Alan Shearer in 1991.[47]

He received his first call-up to the England senior squad in November 2017.[33] Following his first senior call-up, Loftus-Cheek went onto make his England debut during their friendly fixture against Germany, in which he featured for the full 90 minutes, winning man of the match after an impressive performance in the 0–0 draw.[48]

On 16 May 2018, Loftus-Cheek was included in Gareth Southgate's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[49] He came on as an 80th-minute substitute for Dele Alli in England's opening match, a 2–1 win over Tunisia on 18 June 2018.[50]

Style of play

After his first-team debut, Barney Ronay of The Guardian described Loftus-Cheek as an "intriguing" player of "long-striding grace" saying that with his "shielding, covering, deep-playmaking presence with a calmness in possession and a naturally telescopic reach" he would be a good fit for the senior England national team.[51] Loftus-Cheek was compared to Germany great Michael Ballack by former Chelsea and England manager Glenn Hoddle, who said that: "He reminds me of Ballack – physically and the way he plays", and went on to say: "He gets in the box and he moves well off the ball."[52] Following his first Premier League start of the 2015–16 season, Loftus-Cheek's Chelsea manager, José Mourinho, commented "He [Loftus-Cheek] is brilliant with the ball. He doesn't look 19 – he looks solid, stable and mature. But without the ball he doesn't look as good tactically." Liam Twomey of FourFourTwo described Loftus-Cheek as "an imposing box-to-box midfielder who combines a muscular 6ft 3in frame that enables him to dominate physically with startlingly polished technique and composure," also noting that "[h]e rarely makes a bad decision on the ball," and labelling him a "rare blend of natural physique and refined skill," whom he likened to Paul Pogba.[53]

Throughout his career, Loftus-Cheek has been playing either as a central or attacking midfielder, but former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte stated that he sees Loftus-Cheek with the potential of a striker since he has "good technique, good personality and he is good one vs one."[26]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 28 June 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea 2014–15[54] Premier League 3000001[lower-alpha 1]0—40
2015–16[25] Premier League 13121101[lower-alpha 1]000172
2016–17[55] Premier League 603020——110
2018–19[56] Premier League 246203011[lower-alpha 2]4004010
2019–20[57] Premier League 10100000—20
Total 4778160134007412
Crystal Palace (loan) 2017–18[58] Premier League 2420010——252
Career total 7198170134009914
  1. Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 15 November 2018[59]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
England 201720
201880
Total100

Honours

Chelsea Youth

Chelsea

England U21

Individual

  • Toulon Tournament Player of the Tournament: 2016[46]

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of players: England" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 10. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  2. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  3. "R. Loftus-Cheek: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  4. Fifield, Dominic (30 January 2018). "Loftus-Cheek returns to Chelsea for injury treatment amid World Cup fears". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  5. "Loftus-Cheek named in first England squad". Kent on Sunday. No. 789. 4 November 2017. p. 48 – via Internet Archive.
  6. "FIFA World Cup 2018: The children of immigrants who want to bring World Cup glory to England". Marca. Madrid.
  7. Hayes, Garry. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek Talks International Champions Cup, Chelsea Hopes and More".
  8. Higginson, Marc (10 May 2015). "Chelsea 1–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  9. "Preview: Eversley & California, Joe Loftus-Cheek and all the step 6 openers". Football in Bracknell. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  10. Benson, Ryan (9 May 2012). "Blackburn 1–0 Chelsea (Agg 1–4): Visitors win FA Youth Cup despite Payne-inspired defeat in second leg". Goal.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  11. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek Profile". Chelsea F.C.
  12. Reid, Jamie (6 May 2014). "Chelsea seal Youth Cup glory after thriller at the Bridge". The Football Association. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  13. Williams, Adam (10 December 2014). "Chelsea 3–1 Sporting Lisbon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  14. McNulty, Phil (31 January 2015). "Chelsea 1–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  15. "More Academy graduates in first team squad". Chelsea F.C. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  16. "Brown inspires Chelsea to Youth League glory". UEFA. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017.
  17. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek gets first Chelsea start against Liverpool". ESPN FC. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  18. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek: Analysis of the Chelsea midfielder's full debut". Sky Sports.
  19. "Every Chelsea player to get a Premier League medal says Jose Mourinho". ESPN FC.
  20. "Crystal Palace claim shock win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge". ESPN FC. 29 August 2015.
  21. Emons, Michael (10 January 2016). "Chelsea 2–0 Scunthorpe United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  22. Edwards, Dan (10 January 2016). "Loftus-Cheek ends ten-year Chelsea hoodoo". Goal.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  23. "New deal for Loftus-Cheek". Chelsea F.C. 29 February 2016.
  24. Henson, Mike (2 April 2016). "Aston Villa 0–4 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  25. "Games played by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  26. "Conte: Good schooling". Chelsea F.C. 20 July 2016.
  27. "Squad list announced". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  28. "Chelsea 3–2 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  29. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek impressing as a striker for Antonio Conte's Chelsea". Sky Sports. 24 August 2016.
  30. "Loftus-Cheek signs for Crystal Palace". Crystal Palace F.C. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  31. Jurejko, Jonathan (12 August 2017). "Crystal Palace 0–3 Huddersfield Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  32. "Crystal Palace 2–1 Stoke City". BBC Sport. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  33. "England: Tammy Abraham, Joe Gomez & Ruben Loftus-Cheek called up". BBC Sport. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  34. "Chelsea 3–1 Bate Borisov". BBC Sport. 25 October 2018.
  35. "Burnley 0–4 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 28 October 2018.
  36. "Chelsea 2–0 Fulham". BBC Sport. 2 December 2018.
  37. "Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 5 December 2018.
  38. "Chelsea move into third place with victory over wasteful Watford". The Guardian. 6 May 2019.
  39. "Kepa stars in shootout drama as Chelsea reach EuropaLeague final". FOX Sports. 10 May 2019.
  40. Fifield, Dominic (16 May 2019). "Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek set to miss Europa League final with injury". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  41. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek signs new long-term Chelsea contract | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC.
  42. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek signs new Chelsea deal until 2024". BBC Sport. 6 July 2019.
  43. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek". The Football Association. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  44. "England U21s name 27-man long squad for Euro Finals". The Football Association. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  45. Veevers, Nicholas (29 May 2016). "England under-21s lift Toulon title after win over France". The Football Association. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  46. "England beat France to win Toulon Tournament for first time in 22 years". The Guardian. London. Press Association. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  47. Maston, Tom (29 May 2016). "Chelsea's Loftus-Cheek named Player of the Toulon Tournament". Goal.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  48. McNulty, Phil (10 November 2017). "England 0–0 Germany". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  49. "England World Cup squad: Trent Alexander-Arnold in 23-man squad". BBC Sport. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  50. Taylor, Daniel (19 June 2018). "Kane double ensures England defeat Tunisia in World Cup opener". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  51. Ronay, Barney (10 December 2014). "Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek gives glimpse of future against Sporting". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  52. Bairner, Robin (2 April 2016). "He reminds me of Ballack' – Hoddle on Loftus-Cheek". Goal.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  53. Twomey, Liam (1 December 2015). "Mourinho risks making Ruben Loftus-Cheek Chelsea's Paul Pogba". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  54. "Games played by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  55. "Games played by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  56. "Games played by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  57. "Games played by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  58. "Games played by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  59. "Loftus-Cheek, Ruben". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  60. "Ruben Loftus-Cheek: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  61. Bevan, Chris (29 May 2019). "Chelsea 4–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
    "2018/19 EUROPA LEAGUE WINNERS!!! 🏆😃 #UELfinal #CFC #Chelsea". Chelsea F.C. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019 – via Instagram.
  62. McNulty, Phil (24 February 2019). "Chelsea 0–0 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.