Martin Kelly (footballer)

2.1. Liverpool F.C.

Kelly was promoted from Liverpool's academy to Melwood, the club's training ground, in the summer of 2007. Despite missing approximately two years of youth team football due to back problems, he expressed delight at making this step up. During the 2007-08 season, Kelly broke into Gary Ablett's title-winning reserves team. He scored Liverpool's second goal in a 3-0 victory over Tigres UANL in the 2008 Dallas Cup final on 23 March 2008.

Ahead of the 2008-09 season, Kelly was assigned a first-team squad number. He received his first call-up to the senior team in November 2008, being an unused substitute in Liverpool's UEFA Champions League group stage match against Marseille. He made his senior debut shortly after, coming on as a substitute for Jamie Carragher in the same competition against PSV Eindhoven on 9 December 2008.

Rafael Benítez, then Liverpool manager, suggested that the departure of Sami Hyypiä could open up an opportunity for Kelly to establish himself in the first team, with his progress closely monitored during pre-season. Kelly made his first competitive start for Liverpool as a right-back against Lyon in the UEFA Champions League on 20 October 2009, though he was forced off injured in the 74th minute. Despite the injury, he was named man of the match by Liverpool's official website for his impressive performance. He returned from a groin injury on 25 February 2010, appearing as a substitute against FC Unirea Urziceni in the UEFA Europa League. He then made his Premier League debut, replacing Glen Johnson in a 4-1 victory over Portsmouth at Anfield.

In the 2010-11 season, Kelly made his first Premier League start as an emergency replacement for Sotirios Kyrgiakos on 7 November 2010 against Chelsea, a match Liverpool won 2-0. He subsequently started in the Merseyside derby on 16 January 2011, which led to Glen Johnson, Liverpool's first-choice right-back, playing at left-back. Kelly earned the Liverpoolfc.tv journalist's Man of the Match Award for his performance against Everton, with Jamie Carragher praising his talent, likening his run past Leighton Baines to that of Thierry Henry.

Under manager Roy Hodgson, Kelly found limited opportunities, but his situation changed with the appointment of Kenny Dalglish in January 2011. Dalglish's first match, an FA Cup tie against Manchester United, saw Kelly start at right-back while Glen Johnson was deployed at left-back. Despite a loss, Kelly's strong performance led to him being regularly selected at right-back for the remainder of the season, when fit.

On 20 August 2011, Kelly played the full match away to Arsenal, helping Liverpool secure a 2-0 victory and a clean sheet. He nearly scored in the second half, hitting the outside of the post from 15 yards. England manager, Fabio Capello, was present at the match and commended his performance. On 29 November 2011, he scored a header against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, securing a 2-0 win for Liverpool and sending them through to the semi-finals of the League Cup.

On 23 September 2012, Kelly suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United, an injury that sidelined him for approximately six months. A year and three days later, he made his first competitive appearance since the injury, again against Manchester United in the third round of the League Cup, replacing Lucas Leiva midway through the second half in a 1-0 win for Liverpool. Manager Brendan Rodgers affirmed that Kelly would get his chance to reclaim his first-choice right-back spot, especially with Glen Johnson out injured.

2.2. Huddersfield Town F.C. (loan)

On 26 March 2009, as the loan transfer window closed, Kelly joined League One club Huddersfield Town on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut for the Terriers as a left-back in a 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium on 31 March 2009, receiving praise for his composed performance. On 18 April, he scored his first goal in professional football, netting the winner in Huddersfield's 3-2 victory over Walsall at the Bescot Stadium. During his loan spell, he made seven league appearances and scored one goal.

2.3. Crystal Palace F.C.

On 14 August 2014, Kelly joined Crystal Palace on a three-year deal for a reported fee of 2.00 M GBP. In his first season at Selhurst Park, he played a total of 34 matches, with 31 in the league, as Palace finished 10th in the Premier League.

He scored his first goal for Crystal Palace, and his first career goal since November 2011, on 21 February 2016. This was the only goal in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. He was an unused substitute in the FA Cup final on 21 May 2016, where Crystal Palace lost 2-1 to Manchester United.

In February 2019, Kelly signed a new contract with Crystal Palace, extending his stay until 2021. He was one of four players to sign a new contract on 21 August 2020. The club announced in May 2022 that Kelly would leave upon the expiry of his contract at the end of June, after eight years with the club.

2.4. West Bromwich Albion F.C.

On 1 September 2022, Kelly signed a two-year contract with Championship club West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. He made his first appearance for the Baggies on 5 October in a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End. On 22 May 2024, West Bromwich Albion announced that Kelly would be leaving the club in the summer when his contract expired.

3.1. England youth teams

Kelly received his first call-up to the England U-19 squad in early 2009, playing against Spain U-19s on 10 February. He went on to make five appearances for the U-19s, with his last coming in a 2-1 win over Scotland U-19s on 1 June 2009.

In August 2009, Kelly was called up to the England under-20 team for a match against Serbia, making his debut in a 5-0 victory. He subsequently played all three matches for the team in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Egypt, where England finished bottom of Group D. Kelly made a total of four appearances for the under-20 team.

On 5 August 2010, Kelly received his first call-up to the England Under-21 squad, alongside Aston Villa's Marc Albrighton and future club teammate Jordan Henderson. He made his debut on 10 August 2010, coming on as a substitute and scoring England's second goal as they defeated Uzbekistan at Ashton Gate. He scored again for England as they beat Iceland 5-0 on 11 November 2011. He scored his third under-21 goal in only his fifth appearance on 14 November away to Belgium. In total, he made eight appearances for the England U-21 team, scoring three goals.

3.2. England senior team

On 22 May 2012, Kelly received his first call-up to the senior England team to face Norway four days later in an international friendly. He was called up by manager Roy Hodgson, despite not initially being in his UEFA Euro 2012 squad. He made his debut as a substitute in the 87th minute, replacing Phil Jones at right-back. Having played for two minutes and thirty-nine seconds, Kelly's international career is the shortest ever for an England player. While Nathaniel Chalobah later made an England debut with officially zero minutes played (coming on in added time), Kelly's actual playing time was shorter.

On 3 June 2012, Kelly was called up to the Euro 2012 squad to replace Gary Cahill, who had fractured his jaw during a 1-0 friendly win against Belgium. During the tournament in Ukraine and Poland, he suffered from a virus. He was not used during the championship, in which England reached the quarter-finals.

5.1. Club

5.2. International