Chris Kirkland

2.1. Childhood and education

Christopher Edmund Kirkland was born on 2 May 1981 in Barwell, Leicestershire, England. He grew up in Barwell with his parents, Marie and Eddie. He attended Heathfield School before continuing his education at Henley College Coventry. His father, Eddie, worked as a crane driver and dedicated many hours to helping Chris practice his goalkeeping skills, which proved crucial for his early development in the sport.

2.2. Coventry City

After an unsuccessful trial with Blackburn Rovers, Kirkland accepted a contract offer from Coventry City, signing professional terms with the club in July 1998. He made his professional debut for Coventry in the League Cup on 22 September 1999, in a 3-1 victory against Tranmere Rovers at Highfield Road. Despite initially being described by manager Gordon Strachan as "big Bambi who couldn't kick the ball out of the penalty box", Kirkland began to earn a starting position in Premier League matches, playing ahead of Swedish international Magnus Hedman. His performances during the 2000-01 season were highly regarded, leading to his debut for the England under-21s and being voted Coventry's Players' Player of the Year by his teammates. His talent attracted interest from major clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool, despite his limited professional experience. In August 2001, Liverpool ultimately acquired him for a transfer fee of 6.00 M GBP, making him, at just 20 years old, the most expensive goalkeeper in British transfer history at the time.

3.1. Liverpool

Kirkland made his debut for Liverpool in October 2001. During the 2001-02 season, he primarily served as an understudy to first-choice goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. He was an unused substitute in the 2002 FA Community Shield, where Liverpool were defeated 1-0 by Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium. In the 2002-03 season, Dudek's costly errors in a league fixture against Manchester United led manager Gérard Houllier to promote Kirkland to the first-team in December. He played 14 consecutive matches, achieving six clean sheets. However, his promising run was cut short in January 2003 when he sustained an ankle injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the season and causing him to miss the victorious 2003 Football League Cup final.

Kirkland continued to battle injuries; in September 2003, he spent six weeks out of action after tearing his groin while on England under-21 duty. In December 2003, he suffered a fractured finger and required surgery, sidelining him for four months. At the start of the 2004-05 season, Kirkland again displaced Dudek as Liverpool's first-choice keeper. He played 14 matches, including four UEFA Champions League games, before a persistent back injury sidelined him again in December. Due to injury, he was unable to be named in the squad for the 2005 UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul. His replacement on the bench, Scott Carson, later offered his Champions League winner's medal to Kirkland, who respectfully declined to accept it.

3.2. West Bromwich Albion (loan)

In July 2005, seeking to revitalize his career and secure regular first-team football, Kirkland agreed to a season-long loan move to Bryan Robson's West Bromwich Albion. He made a strong debut, keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 away draw against Manchester City. However, an injury during the first half of the 2005-06 season saw Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak step in as his replacement. Kuszczak's excellent form ensured he remained the first-choice goalkeeper at The Hawthorns for the rest of the season. Kirkland also experienced another period out with a broken finger during this loan spell. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez subsequently informed Kirkland that he would need to leave Anfield if he desired consistent first-team play, as new signing Pepe Reina had made an impressive start to his Liverpool career.

3.3. Wigan Athletic

In July 2006, Kirkland joined Wigan Athletic on a six-month loan spell. Manager Paul Jewell acknowledged Kirkland's potential but expressed concerns about his fitness, noting a history of "broken ribs, fingers, knee injuries, back." This loan became permanent on 27 October for a fee of 2.50 M GBP after an agreement was reached between the clubs and Kirkland. He quickly established himself as a key player for Wigan, earning the club's Players' Player of the Year and Media Player of the Year awards for the 2007-08 season. A notable moment from this season was saving a Benni McCarthy penalty in a 5-3 victory over Blackburn Rovers at the DW Stadium. In May 2008, he reaffirmed his commitment to Wigan by signing a new contract, securing his place at the club until 2012.

On 22 November 2009, Kirkland faced a challenging match against Tottenham Hotspur, conceding nine goals in a Premier League fixture. Despite this, former Wigan manager Steve Bruce, then managing Sunderland, expressed his admiration for Kirkland in January 2010, though he denied rumors of a 5.00 M GBP bid. In March 2010, manager Roberto Martínez praised Kirkland's consistent performances, stating they were "up there with the best in England."

At the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Wigan suffered heavy defeats in their first two matches against Blackpool and Chelsea, leading to Kirkland being replaced in the starting lineup by Ali Al-Habsi.

3.4. Leicester City and Doncaster Rovers (loan)

On 25 November 2010, Kirkland joined Championship club Leicester City on loan until January. A back spasm suffered during training in early December nearly cut short his stint, but he made a swift recovery and resumed his loan. He made his debut for Leicester in a 3-0 defeat to Ipswich Town on 19 December. After making three appearances at The Walkers Stadium, Kirkland returned to Wigan for treatment on his recurring back injury. He later had to be stretchered off after a collision with Johan Elmander during a 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers on 5 January 2011, a match in which he was in the Wigan squad due to Al-Habsi's ineligibility against his parent club.

In February 2011, a potential emergency loan move to Cardiff City to cover goalkeeper Tom Heaton fell through after Kirkland contracted a virus. On 12 October 2011, he joined Championship club Doncaster Rovers on loan, attracting interest from new manager Dean Saunders. However, his loan spell at the Keepmoat Stadium lasted less than a week as he was sent back to Wigan following another back spasm.

3.5. Sheffield Wednesday

In May 2012, Kirkland signed a two-year contract with Championship club Sheffield Wednesday. Manager Dave Jones stated that the starting place would be decided between Kirkland and Stephen Bywater based on their pre-season performances. Kirkland made his Wednesday debut on 13 August 2012 in a 4-2 League Cup victory over Oldham Athletic.

A significant incident occurred on 19 October during a 1-1 draw against Leeds United, when Kirkland was assaulted by a fan who had run onto the pitch. The assault, which occurred immediately after a Leeds goal, was captured on television cameras, and Kirkland required several minutes of treatment. His attacker, Aaron Cawley, subsequently pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail. Despite the assault, Kirkland was able to complete the match. He remained Sheffield Wednesday's first-choice goalkeeper for most of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns. However, he was relegated to second-choice behind Keiren Westwood for the majority of the 2014-15 season. He left Hillsborough in July 2015 after declining manager Stuart Gray's offer of a new contract.

3.6. Preston North End and Bury

On 12 August 2015, Kirkland joined Championship club Preston North End on a one-year contract. He was signed as an understudy to the on-loan goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. After Pickford was recalled, Kirkland remained on the bench as Sam Johnstone and Anders Lindegaard also joined the club on loan. Kirkland was released by manager Simon Grayson when his contract at Deepdale expired at the end of the 2015-16 season.

In June 2016, Kirkland signed a one-year contract with League One club Bury. However, he departed Gigg Lane for personal reasons in August, before the 2016-17 season began. He later publicly disclosed that his departure and effective retirement from professional football were due to a four-year battle with depression.

7.1. Family and social involvement

Kirkland is married to Leeona, and they have a daughter named Lucy, who was born on 14 November 2006. Her birth caused him to miss an international friendly match against the Netherlands the following day. In April 2008, Kirkland collaborated with fellow professional footballers Kevin Davies and Brett Emerton to launch the 'Get Started' program. This national initiative aims to reduce re-offending rates. As part of his involvement, he visited Hindley Youth Offenders' Institution to support the scheme, which is delivered by The Prince's Trust in partnership with the Premier League, the PFA, and the Football Foundation.

7.2. Mental health advocacy

In August 2016, Kirkland revealed that he had been privately battling depression for four years, a condition that ultimately led to his early retirement from professional football. He described this period as one where he "didn't want to wake up in the morning." In July 2022, he further opened up about his struggle with painkiller addiction, a period during which he experienced thoughts of suicide and disorientation, stating, "I didn't know who I was, couldn't remember where home was." Kirkland has since become a vocal and powerful advocate for mental health awareness within the football community and wider society. His candidness about his experiences has helped to break down stigmas surrounding mental illness. In July 2024, in recognition of his significant contributions to mental health advocacy, Kirkland was awarded an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill University.

9.1. Club

9.2. International