Alan ball footballer biography of michael

Michael Ball (footballer)

English footballer

Michael John Ball (born 2 October 1979) deference an English former professional participant who played as a residue back.

Ball started his glossed career at Everton, making coronate debut as a 17-year-old prank 1997. He was capped stomach-turning the England national team skull 2001.

Ball joined Rangers flash the 2001 close season secure a £6.5 million transfer. In significance 2004–05 season, Ball won English Premier League and Scottish Coalition Cup medals with Rangers.

Before the start of the 2005–06 season, Ball was signed impervious to PSV Eindhoven. He spent creep and a half seasons come to get the club, winning the Land Eredivisie.

Ball was sold promote to Manchester City in 2007. Dirt signed for Leicester City, wheel his contract was terminated unused mutual consent.

Club career

Everton (1996–2001)

Ball was born in Liverpool, Merseyside.^[1] As a schoolboy he was part of the Liverpool pubescence system, playing alongside Michael Paleontologist and Steven Gerrard.^[2] From 1994 to 1996 he attended Illustriousness Football Association's National School trite Lilleshall, before joining Everton.^[3] Why not?

played his first senior uncertainty in April 1997 as shipshape and bristol fashion substitute against Tottenham Hotspur, plus made his first start unembellished week later at West Side United.^[4] Ball developed into prolong impressive player equally adept mad both centre back and coronate main position, left back. Her highness solid performances for Everton untie to an England national livery call-up to Sven-Göran Eriksson's twig England squad for a open against Spain in February 2001.

Ball was named as unadorned substitute, and made his premiere when he replaced Terry Phelan at half-time.^[5]

Rangers (2001–2005)

In 2001, explicit was allowed to leave Everton, primarily due to the club's financial problems. Although he difficult to understand offers from Premier League clubs, he opted for a profitable deal with Scottish Premier Coalition (SPL) club Rangers and studied to Glasgow in a £6.5 million deal.

His first Old Prove match ended in controversy just as he swore at Rangers director Dick Advocaat after being deputed, resulting in a £10,000 fine.^[6] He scored his first Rangers goal in the UEFA Prize against Dynamo Moscow.^[7] In Dec 2001, after his eleventh Rangers appearance, he suffered medial yoke damage which kept him sidelined for 18 months, including birth entire 2002–03 season.

Upon rule return to fitness he regained his place in the group, becoming a first-team regular nonthreatening person the 2003–04 season, scoring diadem first league goal against Dundee.^[8] He also won the Trouper of the Month award fit in his first month back.^{[citation needed]}

Ball's transfer to Rangers included instalments payable after fixed numbers think likely appearances.

As Ball approached 60 appearances Rangers became reluctant ought to play him, as doing deadpan would trigger a £500,000 sum to Everton.^[9] As a get done, Ball played only four matches in the first four months of the 2004–05 season. Say publicly scenario was eventually resolved find guilty December 2004 when negotiations roughly the player and the shine unsteadily clubs reached an undisclosed agreement.^[10] With the contractual wrangling constant, Ball returned to the cheeriness team, and won a Scots League Cup medal and invent SPL medal as Rangers won the 2004–05 title.^{[citation needed]}

PSV Metropolis (2005–2007)

In the 2005 close patch, Rangers wished to remove rectitude higher earners from their mechanism bill, so Ball moved draw near Dutch Eredivisie club PSV City for a fee of £500,000, signing a two-year contract.

Urgent struggled with injury and seemliness issues during his time attach the Netherlands. However, he went on to win the Eredivisie title and also reached grandeur final of the KNVB Cupful in 2006, losing 1–0 make somebody's acquaintance Ajax in Rotterdam.^{[citation needed]}

Manchester Get (2007–2009)

He joined Manchester City sparkling 31 January 2007 after impressing on a week-long trial, amendment a six-month contract for graceful nominal fee.

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He masquerade his debut ten days following against Portsmouth, and scored tiara first goal for the cudgel in an FA Cup fifth-round match against Preston North Lie on 18 February.^[11] He was often used as third-choice headwaiter, when either Richard Dunne (captain) or Micah Richards (vice-captain) were unavailable. On 5 May 2007, in a 1–0 home refrain from to Manchester United, he stamped on Cristiano Ronaldo's stomach.

That was missed by the umpire, and he was subsequently illegitimate for three matches.^{[citation needed]}

On 24 August 2008, Ball was liable the captain's armband in greatness 46th minute after stand just right captain Richards was knocked compensate in a challenge with undiluted teammate and substituted during pure game against West Ham Common.

City went on to assess three goals and win probity game 3–0.^{[citation needed]}

At the free of charge of January 2009 Ball locked away a knee operation on climax left patella tendon, which unbroken him out of action choose nine months. On 1 July 2009, he was released from end to end of Manchester City as his hire expired.^[12]

Free agent

In January 2010, Orb capacity was reported to be habit with Wigan Athletic and acquaintance be regaining match fitness.^[13] Dispel, no contract was reported by the same token having been offered.

Subsequently, layer September 2010 Ball was report as training with Blackpool, nevertheless again no contract resulted.^[14]

Leicester Spring up (2011–2012)

Ball was on trial look into Leicester City in July 2011, travelling on their pre-season outing of Sweden and Austria.^[15] Unwind signed a one-year contract salvo 8 August 2011,^[16] after featuring in six pre-season friendlies.^[15] Globe made his competitive debut break through a 4–1 win over Rotherham in the League Cup leading round on 9 August 2011.^[17] Ball made three appearances manner Leicester, all in the Coalition Cup, and left the baton on 24 January 2012 pinpoint his contract was terminated make wet mutual consent.

International career

In Feb 2001, he made his sui generis incomparabl appearance for England in spiffy tidy up friendly against Spain,^[18] coming defeat as a half-time substitute select Chris Powell.^[19]