Ritchie De Laet

Ritchie Ria Alfons De Laet (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɪci də ˈlaːt], born 28 November 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian First Division A.

Club Career

Stoke City

Born in Antwerp, De Laet began his career at Belgian club Royal Antwerp. On 17 August 2007, he signed a three-year contract with Championship team Stoke City for an initial £100,000 fee. In July 2008, De Laet joined Bournemouth on trial and played his first game in a friendly against Portsmouth, a 4–1 defeat. However, he later returned to Stoke. In October 2008, he joined Wrexham of the Conference National on a one-month loan deal, making his debut in a 2–0 victory over Lewes in the league. He made three appearances during his time at the club before his loan spell was terminated in order for him to undergo a hernia operation.

Manchester United

On 8 January 2009, De Laet was signed by Premier League champions Manchester United on a three-year contract. The fee to be paid by Manchester United depended on appearances. After joining United, De Laet played exclusively for the club's reserve team. In March 2009, De Laet was named as one of five over-age players in the Manchester United under-18 squad for the Torneo Calcio Memorial Claudio Sassi-Sassuolo; he played in three of the five matches, and scored a penalty in the 5–3 semi-final penalty shoot-out win over Modena to take the Red Devils into the final, in which they beat Ajax 1–0. De Laet made his first appearance for the Manchester United first team on 24 May 2009, when he was named at left back for the last game of the 2008–09 Premier League season against Hull City.

In the 2009–10 season, De Laet featured in the League Cup, coming on as a substitute against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Barnsley in the third and fourth rounds and starting against Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth. Despite a defensive injury crisis in November 2009, Alex Ferguson preferred to bring midfie

This page also has a version in other languages :  Ричи де Лат (russian)